‘We didn’t expect this phenomenon to last’: France’s comic-book tradition is hitting new heights

The market for bédé visual storytelling almost doubled over the course of the pandemic, but can the birthplace of Asterix continue to nurture creators?Like thousands of French people, Sylvie Pinault discovered comic books during the pandemic. Though bandes dessinées – literally meaning “drawn strips” and often simply referred to as BD or bédé – are venerated in France as the “ninth art”, the 52-year-old had preconceptions about them being for children. That changed at the start of 2020, when her partner suggested they go to the gigantic comic-book festival in Angoulême. The following year, with the country locked down, the limpid cover of Léonie Bischoff’s graphic novel Anaïs Nin: A Sea of Lies caught her eye in an exhibition that the cancelled festival had put on in Paris’s Gare d’Austerlitz. “It had a different style – maybe that lowered certain barriers I had,” says Pinault. It became her first comic-book purchase, and she took her maiden voyage on France’s infinite ocean of hand-drawn possibilities.Three years on, we are pausing for breath in the main exhibitors’ hall, Le Monde des Bulles (The World of Bubbles), at Angoulême. Pinault is clutching her copy of the Nin book, freshly signed by Bischoff. “She never knows what colour she’ll start a line with,” Pinault marvels from their exchange. “That leaves room for spontaneity.” The thin flooring underneath us is vibrating from hundreds of feet, milling around the stands for Dargaud, Casterman and other big publishers,... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-02-06 14:00:36 UTC ]
News tagged with: #cancelled festival #comic-book purchase #maiden voyage #infinite ocean #hand-drawn possibilities #main exhibitors #nin book #freshly signed #leaves room #big publishers #punters edge #dupuis stand #dedicated concession #riad sattouf #graphic novel

Other Publishing stories related to: '‘We didn’t expect this phenomenon to last’: France’s comic-book tradition is hitting new heights'


Sid Jacobson, Comic Book Writer With Range, Dies at 92

His portfolio included the adventures of Richie Rich and graphic treatments of 9/11 and torture by the C.I.A. He also wrote dozens of songs. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-08-06 15:16:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #richie rich #wrote dozens #comic book


Super Vacation: A Comic Book Travel Guide

Consider these wonderful...and maybe dangerous?...comic book locals for your summer vacation destination. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-07-29 10:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #comic book


Keanu Reeves' comic book makes history

BRZRKR becomes the first comic book to feature in Comic-Con's prestigious Hall H. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2022-07-23 23:09:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #keanu reeves #comic book


‘The Crane Wife’ essay hit a nerve. A new book reminds us why.

C. J. Hauser’s memoir-in-essays is a frank exploration of intimacy and romance that doesn’t always lead to a happily ever after. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-05 13:21:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #crane wife #book reminds


Dredd zone: the anarchic world of comic-book artist Steve Dillon

His groundbreaking work on such seminal characters as Judge Dredd, Preacher and Punisher is being celebrated with a posthumous show of his remarkable legacyThere are few artists who exemplify the anarchic, irreverent and anti-authoritarian British take on the comic book the way Steve Dillon... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-06-30 13:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #executive producer #comic book


Hitting the Books: Summer reading list

More than a million new titles are published annually in the US, far more than even the most bibliophilic secret agent could get through. Even with a weekly publishing schedule, we can only bring you 52 Hitting the Books each year. To help shine a spotlight on all the fantastic stories that... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-06-22 17:30:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john scalzi #bestselling author


Tim Sale, Comic Book Artist Who Reimagined Batman, Dies at 66

Series like “Batman: The Long Halloween” influenced big-screen images of the hero, while “Superman for All Seasons” was another fan favorite. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-06-18 01:12:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fan favorite #comic book


Meet Linda Sunshine, Groundbreaking Book Trade Comics Editor

Linda Sunshine established comics reprint imprints at both Harmony Books and Fireside in the 1970s that produced some of the earliest hardcover and trade paperback comics collections in the book trade. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book trade


U.S. Book Show: Oscar Isaac Enters the World of Comics

The actor and producer spoke with Heidi MacDonald about the graphic novel 'Head Wounds: Sparrow,' out from Legendary in June, which he codeveloped with a team of writers, artists, and friends. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book show #heidi macdonald #head wounds #graphic novel


Free Comic Book Day is Back!

Free Comic Book Day is back!! Before you head to your local comic book store, check out our faves and remember to support your local. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-05-06 10:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #comic book


Book Biz Stocks Take a Hit

A tough year for the stock market got worse in April, leading the Publishers Weekly Stock Index, now down to only six companies, to drop 8.8%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tough year #stock market #publishers weekly


Comic Book Legend Neal Adams Has Died at 80

From creating iconic superheroes and groundbreaking storylines to fighting for creator rights, Neal Adams was a legendary comic book artist. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-05-02 13:00:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #neal adams #comic book


Hitting the Books: Dodge, Detroit and the Revolutionary Union Movement of 1968

After decades on the decline intro, America's labor movement is undergoing a massive renaissance with Starbucks, Amazon and Apple Store employees leading the way. Though the tech sector has only just begun basking in the newfound glow of collective bargaining rights, the automotive industry has... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-05-01 14:00:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #male counterparts #book club


Rare proof sheets of first Harry Potter book expected to sell for £20,000

The ‘fascinating insight into what was to become an iconic work’ is the only known surviving copy of its kind and is to be auctioned along with a first edition signed by RowlingA prepublication version of the first Harry Potter book by JK Rowling is expected to fetch at least £20,000 when it is... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-04-26 09:29:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #printed version #advance copy #marketing manager #children’s book #independent bookshop #bloomsbury children’s #harry potter


First Issue of Captain America Comic Book Sells For $3.1 Million

With the sale, Captain America joined Superman and Spider-Man in having debut issues that topped $3 million at auction. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-04-08 13:21:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #comic book


The 20 Best Comic Book Movies You Can Stream Right Now

A lot of caped crusaders are hitting theaters this year. Here are a few you can catch at home. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2022-03-03 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #comic book


Hitting the Books: Lab-grown meat is the future, just as Winston Churchill predicted

From domestication and selective breeding to synthetic insulin and CRISPR, humanity has long sought understand, master and exploit the genetic coding of the natural world. In The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology authors Amy Webb, professor of strategic... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-02-19 16:30:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trader joe #detective work #wide variety #good chance


George RR Martin to team up with Marvel for new comic book series

Game Of Thrones writer says opportunity to produce comics based on his superhero series Wild Cards is a ‘privilege’George RR Martin will team up with Marvel to produce a new series of comic books, it has been announced.The Game Of Thrones writer said working with the superhero franchise titan... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-02-19 12:39:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #comic books #comic book


A Chance to Own a Rare Batman Comic Book (or a Fraction of It)

Shares of a copy of Batman No. 1 will be sold by an online collectibles company in mid-March. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-02-18 19:18:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #comic book


Hitting the Books: 'Miracle Rice' fed China's revolution but endangered its crop diversity

Feeding the planet's 8 billion people is challenge enough and our current industrialized commercial practices are causing such ecological damage that we may soon find ourselves hard-pressed to feed any more. For decades, scientists have sought out higher yields and faster growth at the expense... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-02-05 16:30:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book written