Robinson

Robinson was published weekly by the French publisher Opera Mundi from 1936 to 1944. It was mainly a compilation of newspaper American comics characters such as "Mandrake the Magician", "The Phantom", "Flash Gordon", "Brick Bradford" and others.

It ran in two different series, separated by the troubled time of the World War II. The first issue was released on April 26, 1936 and the series lasts until issue #218 on June 30, 1940, an ending in relation with the German army advance in France during the first part of the World War II.

A second series however began some months later when Robinson merged with Hop-là! into a new magazine, entitled Robinson et Hop-là ! réunis (translation : "Robinson and Hop-Là ! Together") and started with a new issue 217 (October 6, 1940) in the southern zone of France – a part of the country then called “The Free zone”. At the time, many pre-war magazines found a “second life” in being still published in this southern zone. Finally, the series ended with issue 395 on July 2, 1944.

So, with the end of the original series and the beginning of the following one, it is worth to notice that there were two issues #217 and two issues #218.

The initial format was 36.5 x 26.5 cms and has changed twice. The magazine contained, depending on the period, 16, 10, 8 or 4 pages.

The Mandrake Sunday pages were in color.

Unsold copies were later glued together with a new outer cover and sold as "albums". ".

Issue overview (Mandrake stories only)

• "Le petit peuple" ("Land of the Little People"), starts in # 1-1936 and ends in # 21-1936.
• "Les secrets du cirque" ("The Circus People"), starts in # 22-1936 and ends in # 45-1937.
• "La dimension X" ("Chamber into the X Dimension"), starts in # 46-1937 and ends in # 72-1937.
• "Le tyran de Dementor" ("Prince Paulo the Tyrant"), starts in # 73-1937 and ends in # 97-1938.
• "La chasse aux trésors" ("The Treasure Hunt"), starts in # 98-1938 and ends in # 126-1938.
• "Mandrake sur la Lune" ("The Lunar Trip"), starts in # 127-1938 and ends in # 152-1939.
• "Mandrake à la Foire" ("Mandrake and Lothar at the Carnival"), starts in # 153-1939 and ends in # 157-1939.
• "Le monstre de la montagne" ("The Haunted Range"), starts in # 158-1939 and ends in # 166-1939.
• "Le pêcheur" ("The Fisherman"), starts in # 167-1939.
• "La visite" ("The Visit"), starts in # 168-1939.
• "Une bonne leçon" ("The Annoying"), starts in # 169-1939.
• "Le fou volant" ("The Flying Pass By"), starts in # 170-1939.
• "La boule de cristal" ("The Clairvoyant"), starts in # 171-1939.
• "Mandrake dans la ville d'or" ("City of Gold"), starts in # 172-1940 and ends in # 197-1940.
• "Un méchant" ("The Evil Man"), starts in # 198-1940.
• "Pour mesurer sa force" ("Trial of Strenght"), starts in # 199-1940.
• "Le remède" ("The Cure"), starts in # 200-1940.
• "Lothar à la pêche" ("Lothar go Fishing"), starts in # 201-1940.
• "Un boutiquier malhonnête" ("The Dishonest Merchant"), starts in # 202-1940.
• "L'ours fantôme" ("The Ghost Bear of Glass Mountain"), starts in # 203-1940 and ends in # 217-1940.
• "L'incrédule" ("Mandrake and Doubting Thomas"), starts in # 218-1940.