In France, Comic Books Are Serious Business (nytimes.com) 71
It's a big year for comic book anniversaries. Batman's 80th is this year, and Asterix is turning 60. But at the Angouleme International Comics Festival in France, which finished on Sunday, there was a sense that the form's best days may be yet to come -- in the French-speaking world, at least. From a report: "It's a kind of golden age," said Jean-Luc Fromental, a comic book author who also runs a graphic-novel imprint for the publisher Denoel. "There has never been so much talent. There have never been so many interesting books published."
There are now more comic books published annually in France and Belgium than ever before, according to the festival's artistic director, Stephane Beaujean. "The market has risen from 700 books per year in the 1990s to 5,000 this year," he said in an interview. "I don't know any cultural industry which has had that kind of increase." Research by the market research company GfK, released to coincide with the festival, showed that turnover in the comic book industry in those two countries alone reached 510 million euros, or around $580 million, in 2018.
The bumper year in France and Belgium contrasts with a mixed situation worldwide. Comichron, a website that reports on comic book sales in the United States, where the market is worth around $1 billion, says that sales there are declining. But in terms of respect and recognition, comics are on the way up.
There are now more comic books published annually in France and Belgium than ever before, according to the festival's artistic director, Stephane Beaujean. "The market has risen from 700 books per year in the 1990s to 5,000 this year," he said in an interview. "I don't know any cultural industry which has had that kind of increase." Research by the market research company GfK, released to coincide with the festival, showed that turnover in the comic book industry in those two countries alone reached 510 million euros, or around $580 million, in 2018.
The bumper year in France and Belgium contrasts with a mixed situation worldwide. Comichron, a website that reports on comic book sales in the United States, where the market is worth around $1 billion, says that sales there are declining. But in terms of respect and recognition, comics are on the way up.
Video games (Score:1)
"I don't know any cultural industry which has had that kind of increase."
Video games. You're welcome.
Yeah, just ask the guys at Charlie Hebdo (Score:4, Insightful)
The wrong comic can be deadly serious these days.
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I would say that "everyone being scared of even mildly criticizing you out of a literal fear of death" is way more power than any government official in France has.
And everyone who believes in freedom should have damned well shed a tear when that shooting happened. Because no one, "marginalized community" or not should *ever* be above criticism. And blasphemy laws or restrictions have no place in modern Western society, period--no matter the religion. If you think that it should be okay to mock Christianity
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except that no religion is currently more criticized than islam.
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They all deserve criticism. I'm not so sure islam deserves it more than all other religions, but it definately deserves criticism.
Funny... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Funny... (Score:5, Insightful)
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Same here, and I'll add that the main difference with US comics is that the latter are mostly about super heroes,.
you forgot the Disney stuff, Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes and such. So there is diversity in the US comics beside Marvel and DC. Though I admit I prefer the franco-belge comics I grew up with.
Re: Funny... (Score:2)
But the important question is who would win?
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As others have pointed out Tintin and Asterix, whilst fictitious do tend to have a much more educational bent to them than comics from say the UK, America, and Japan
That’s because of a 1949 French law, passed by the communists, who stated that comic magazines could not have more than 50% of actual comics, the rest had to be educational stuff. As Tintin and Spirou were published in Belgium, they were not subject to that law, but they had to to be able to sell in France, which was their market, after all It’s like British TV producing for US networks
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Same here, and I'll add that the main difference with US comics is that the latter are mostly about super heroes, while the former are mostly about anything else (fantasy, SF, drama, humor, family, thrillers, etc)...
Look at Marvel's and DC's back catalogs. You'll be surprised to discover superheros were the minority in the 40s and 50s. Even into the 60s, they were publishing more westerns, war (mostly WWII)(both combat and spy), romance, and traditional non-super adventures than they were superhero books. Batman may be 80 years old but Batman was only one book among many for half of its existence. They didn't even name his book after him. It was 'Detective Comics' for many many years. Superheros were selected by
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Physics? We don't care about physics in comics: one hero has beams shooting out of his eyes, and the next hero conjures zombies with his pinkies. The unreality of the physics is part of the fun. Did the ancient Greeks care about the physical reality of Zeus throwing down lightning bolts? No, it's just part of the super natural pretense.
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I like Gaston Lagaffe... Quebec also produced Red Ketchup....
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I prefer Thorgal.
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Different format from US comics (Score:2)
Re:Different format from US comics (Score:4, Insightful)
French/Belgian comics "feel" different from American ones, and it's a whole different cultural thing. Manga for example is still growing in the US, even if traditional superhero comics are not, and I'd argue French/Belgian ones are more similar to manga. It's just a medium to communicate a story, whereas in the US "comics" are traditionally all about superheros (at least that's my knowledge of US comics).
Stand by for the new Superman comics, where Superman is a woman. As well, the next generation Supergirl will be a transgender furrie.
All joking aside, a lot of US comic readers are concerned that our comics are transitioning to Identity Politics, and losing the escapism fun.
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Given the US has elected a mysogynistic, transgender hating, rapey, homophobe and the first woman in US history with a real chance of becoming president was blocked by a whole bunch of fake news about corruption that could be applied to her competition 10x over then have you ever considered that perhaps escapism where a woman can become president without being held to double standards that don't apply to a male candidate (like, release your tax returns), or a transgender can be part of a military force is EXACTLY what they're offering?
Damn, you have to be a real hit at parties. Anything that doesn't send you into a rage?
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Transgender furry narratives are my escapism ...
you Insensitive Clod!
Captcha: [S]wallowed
Sorry - to make my furry repentance I shall offer up a Beowulf Cluster-Fuck.
Re: Different format from US comics (Score:5, Interesting)
The reason most of the Franco-Belgian comics never succeeded in the US, is that Americans interpret the art style as childish.
So the exceptions are the comics that actually are for children (the Smurfs!) and to some degree the realistically drawn stuff a la Moebius.
If "Percevan" for instance was drawn as an American superhero comic, I'm sure it would have been very popular. But for American comics readers it's jarring.
There are/were a few US comics artists who wrote for adults in a "childish" style, but then it was played as somewhat deliberately grotesque, and funny for that reason too. I'm thinking of Sergio Aragones and the others who wrote for MAD. But they were also very popular in Europe and had close contact with the Franco-Belgians (Aragones even appears as a villainous CIA agent in a "Natascha" story!)
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One of the greatest realistic Belgian comic book heroes is Gil Jourdan. The first volume still reads fresh today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
New influences on old comics (Score:2)
The greatest challenge of our time (Score:2)
We live in a time of abundance of inspiration. People are able to discover interests that 30 years ago you'd have to have been lucky to stumble upon randomly. Thanks to the internet and, dare I say it, even memes, people get first contact encounters with so many possible hobbies these days.
So there are many more artists and considering publishing has gotten way easier even in print, the times are good for comics above and beyond mainstream.
The challenge for the consumer is to find the right artist/genre/sto
Get out! (Score:5, Funny)
What's this nerd subject doing on this serious, political website! >:-(
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Oh, yes, which is why Marvel went from being rich back in 1996 to being bankrupt now... No wait, I have that backwards.
Not every business has to cater to *you*. If there are enough people like you, then businesses will find you. There are comic publishers who cater to libertarian, right-wing, even white supremacist tastes. Patronize the comic artists and publishers who produce what you want to see.
As Thoreau noted, a man more right than his neighbors is a majority of one. If Marvel and DC think it's pr
In other news: (Score:5, Funny)
"US comic fan utterly amazed at the concept of a comic without superheroes."
"Are US marvel and DC fans finally discovering how shitty, bland, boring, overpriced and repetitive their favorite comics are?"
"DC comic readers head explodes from overload after catching glimpse of Franco-Belgian hardcover by Vance & van Hamme"
"Marvel enthusiast dies of heart attack and endorphine overdose after repeatedly masturbating to French Milo Manara album."
"US Superhero fan sells all belongings, moves to southern Europe after enchanting read of Coseys "A trip to Italy" comic"
"Euro comic shipment arrives at US borders. Marvel & DC stock plummets."