Bande Dessinée - French manga

Unknown to me for a long time, French not only loves Japanese manga, but are avid comic readers. In fact, France has a thriving comic industry, that I wouldn't be too surprise if they give the Japanese and US comic industry a run for their money.

Bande Dessinée is comic book in French. Unlike Japanese manga, they come in hard cover and A4 size, fully coloured. Price wise, they're definitely more expensive, each issue costing over 10 euros. However, unlike manga, they don't seem to run into ten over issues.


Step into a French comic shop and you'll be spoilt for choice. There is a comprehensive selection of creators, styles and genres, so much so that beginners would have difficulty in finding where to start.

The biggest problem perhaps is the language barrier. Most French comics are not translated into English and it's hard to find English editions, unfortunately. Maybe that's why many comic fans are unfamiliar with French comic. The most familiar French comic series to the English world could possibly be Asterix. Tin Tin is in French, albeit originating from neighbouring Belgium, which has a pretty robust comic industry as well, or so I heard.

So, it's a pity I'm still a far way to mastering French beyond bonjour and merci to enable me to read their comics.