Created by: Malcolm Naughton (pseudonym of Marcel Navarro) (1919- )
Writer/Artist: Cyrus Tota (1954- )
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Taddeus Tenterhook, is a lonely, alienated, hunchbacked
teenage orphan who becomes accidentally transformed by the explosion of a "luminotron" drevice into the
golden, super-powered "Man of Light" -- Photonik. With the help of neuropsychologist and super-powered mentalist, Dr. Nazel D. D. Ziegel and the street urchin nicknamed
Tom Thumb, Photonik fights a varirety of colorful super-villains, from the space-born invader, the Minotaur, to Maelstrom, Lord of the Lower Depths, and Count Wampyr, the Vampire of New York. He is pursued by Lt. Wilcox of the NYPD who wants to arrest him for breaking the law. |
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The Stories
from "Mustang" Magazine
Writer/Artist: Cyrus Tota
1. Black Out (MU 54, 1980)
2. La Nuit des Dupes [The Night Of The Dupes]
(MU 55, 1980)
3. David et Goliath [David And Goliath]
(MU 56, 1980)
4. Pièges [Traps] (MU 57, 1980)
5. Le Bulbe [The Bulb] (MU 58, 1980)
6. Panique à Central Park [Panic In Central Park]
(MU 59, 1980)
7. La Souricière [The Mousetrap]
(MU 60, 1980)
8. Lachez les Fauves! [Unleash The Beasts!]
(MU 61, 1981)
9. Petit-Homme-Blanc [Little-White-Man]
(MU 62, 1981)
10. Et l’Empire s’effondra! [And The Empire Collapsed!]
(MU 63, 1981)
11. Cauchemar [Nightmare] (MU 64, 1981)
12. Resurrection ou La Fin d’une Saga [Rebirth or The End Of A Saga] (MU 65, 1981)
13. African Devil (MU 66, 1981)
14. Sur la Piste du Sorcier [On The Trail Of The Witch Doctor] (MU 67, 1981)
15. À l’Ombre des Volcans [In The Shadow Of The Volcano] (MU 68, 1981)
16. Dans l’Oeil du Volcan [In The Eye Of The Volcano]
(MU 69, 1981)
Writer/Artist: John Milton (Jean-Yves Mitton)
17. Maelstrom (MU 70, 1981)
from "Spidey" Magazine
Writer/Artist: Cyrus Tota
1. Le Veilleur de Pierre [The Stone Watcher] (SP 22, 1981)
2. La Malédiction [The Curse] (SP
23, 1982)
3. Le Vampire de New-York [The Vampire Of New York]
(SP 24, 1982)
4. Horreur à l'Aurore [Horror At Dawn]
(SP 25, 1982)
5. Echec et Supermat 1: Enfer sur l'Échiquier [Check & Supermate
1: Hell Over The Chessboard] (SP 26, 1982)
6. Echec et Supermat 2: Contre-Attaque [Check & Supermate 2: Counter-Attack] (SP 27, 1982)
7. Le Hasard et la Violence [Hazard And Violence]
(SP 28, 1982)
8. Photonik contre Photonik [Photonik vs. Photonik]
(SP 29, 1982)
9. Le Rachat [The Buy-Back] (SP 30, 1982)
10. La Gemme 1: Les Dents de la Mer [The Gem 1: Jaws]
(SP 31, 1982)
11. La Gemme 2: Le Monstre des Abysses [The Gem 2: The Monster From The Abyss] (SP 32, 1982)
12. Prisonnier des Étoiles [Prisoner Of The Stars]
(SP 33-34, 1982)
13. Le Mystère du Pueblo Maudit 1: Un Aigle dans la Nuit [The Mystery
Of The Cursed Pueblo 1: An Eagle In The Night] (SP 35, 1982)
14. Le Mystère du Pueblo Maudit 2: Trésor Aztèque [The
Mystery Of The Cursed Pueblo 2: Aztec Treasure] (SP 36, 1983)
15. Les Origines du Docteur Ziegel 1: Ombre du Passé [The Origins Of
Dr. Ziegel 1: Shadow Of The Past] (SP 37, 1983)
16. Les Origines du Docteur Ziegel 2: Projet Siegfried [The Origins Of Dr.
Ziegel 2: Project Siegfried] (SP 38, 1983)
17. Les Origines du Docteur Ziegel 3: La Révolte des Damnés [The
Origins Of Dr. Ziegel 3: The Revolt Of The Damned] (SP 40, 1983)
18. Le Casse du Millénaire [The Break-In Of The Millenium] (SP 41-42, 1983)
19. Bas les Masques 1: Chantage [Masks Off 1: Blackmail]
(SP 43, 1983)
20. Bas les Masques 2: Bluff [Masks Off 2: Bluff]
(SP 44, 1983)
21. La Saga de Photonik [The Saga Of Photonik]
(SP 55, 1984)
22. Descente aux Abysses 1: Une Ombre dans la Nuit [Descent Into The Abyss
1: A Shadow In The Night] (SP 56, 1984)
23. Descente aux Abysses 2: La Proie du Vampire [Descent Into The Abyss 2:
The Vampire’s Prey] (SP 57, 1984)
24. Descente aux Abysses 3: Duel aux Enfers [Descent Into The Abyss 3: Duel
In Hell] (SP 58, 1984)
25. Les Enfants de l'Apocalypse 1: L'Énigme Alpha [Children Of The Apocalypse
1: The Alpha Enigma] (SP 80, 1986)
26. Les Enfants de l'Apocalypse 2: La Menace Alpha [Children Of The Apocalypse
2: The Alpha Threat] (SP 81, 1986)
27. Les Enfants de l'Apocalypse 3: L'Ultimatum Alpha [Children Of The Apocalypse
1: The Alpha Ultimatum] (SP 82, 1986)
28. Les Enfants de l'Apocalypse 4: Le Piège Alpha [Children Of
The Apocalypse 1: The Alpha Trap] (SP 83, 1986)
Writer/Artist: Jean-Yves Mitton
29. L'Ombre [The Shadow] (4 eps.) (SP
84-86, 1987)
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Publishing History
After the success of the Marvel Comics translations launched by Editions Lug in 1969, Publisher-Editor Marcel Navarro decided to create his own brand of French super-powered characters. The first of these
was Wampus (1969).
Then, in 1972, Lug launched the magazine
"Futura", which featured several
characters such as Jaleb the Telepath, Homicron,
The Time Brigade, The Other, Larry Cannon, Jeff Sullivan, etc. and ran for 33 issues until 1975.
"Futura" was followed by the
short-lived "Waki"
(1974), about a prehistoric hero whose colorful adventures took place in a post-cataclysmic world, "Kabur" (1975), about
a mythical warrior hero and Lug's answer
to Marvel's Conan, and finally "Mustang" (Series II) in 1980.
While the above series had all been worthy efforts, none had met with the success Navarro had been hoping for. Certainly, none rivaled the success of the Marvel material.
Navarro then decided to call on writer-artists
with a better understanding of the super-hero genre, and try them in a new magazine and a new format.
That magazine was originally going to be entitled "Sup’Heros" but, for business reasons, at the last minute, Navarro decided instead to revamp one of Lug's
existing western magazine "Mustang".
With No. 54, "Mustang" therefore
became a full-fledged super-hero comic.
Unfortunately, the new "Mustang"
was not profitable enough -– at least compared to the relatively inexpensive purchase of American material -– and
was cancelled with issue 70 in 1981. Nevertheless, it had revealed two new, native stars to the French readers:
Cyrus Tota with Photonik, and Jean-Yves Mitton
with Mikros.
Seventeen episodes of Photonik were originally
serialized in "Mustang".
(The last one was produced by Mitton.)
After "Mustang"'s cancellation,
Photonik returned in the Marvel-based
magazine "Spidey", starting
with No. 22 in 1982. In 1987, four episodes were again written and drawn by Mitton.
In 1999, "Spidey" eps. 21-24
and 25-28 were reprinted in two hardcover editions by publisher Delcourt.
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The Authors
FOR MORE ABOUT MARCEL NAVARRO,  .
Cyrus Tota (1954- ) was born in Italy,
and began working for Lug in the 1970s.
He contributed to the long-running Italian series Blek
produced by the studio Essegesse from 1977 to 1980, before co-creating Photonik. More recently, Tota
has contributed three volumes to the Etoile Blanche
series, a spin-off of Aquablue.
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