Laura Carollo
Research expert covering cinema and film
Comic books in France - statistics & facts
France has established itself as one of the pillars of the comic book industry for almost a century, both in terms of consumption and production. While the sales volume of comic books has been rising steadily since 2010, the market recorded a record-breaking boom in 2021, reaching almost 90 comic titles sold that year. In 2023, that value dropped to 75 million physical copies, which remained way above the figures recorded five years prior. Comics of all forms are still massively popular among French readers; almost half of French people reported reading comics in 2023, making it the second most read book type.
A cultural heritage
Many French readers grew up reading Franco-Belgian comics, which remain one of the most widely read comic types, especially among younger readers. The movement gained popularity after World War II thanks to publications such as “Astérix” and "Gaston Lagaffe”, whose adventures still top the chart each year. While France and Belgium each have their own authors and comic artists, both industries merged due to their shared commercial and cultural context. Some of these comics performed extremely well overseas and achieved international fame, expanding the reach of and influence of bandes dessinées beyond their countries of origin.New horizons
Although the Franco-Belgian style of comics reigned supreme in the 20th century in France, foreign productions have slowly but surely attracted the attention of the French public since the beginning of the new millennium. While most consumers were familiar with the Marvel and DC universes, the sale of American comic books exploded over the past few decades, largely driven by the success of the Avengers and Justice League movie franchises. However, the industry’s boost in popularity is not limited to the Big Two publishers nor to the superhero genre, evidenced by hit titles such as The Walking Dead (Image Comics). At the same time, manga continues to delight French readers and sales are growing, particularly thanks to franchises such as Attack on Titan (Pika Édition).New formats
While print is still the standard format used for reading comics, online consumption has been gaining traction among French readers in recent years. Although this trend can partially be attributed to French readers reading more books during lockdown, the blossoming success of digital distribution platforms such as Marvel Unlimited or ComiXology prove that online consumption is here to stay. These platforms offer access to a wide variety of comics on mobile devices for a monthly annual fee or on a single-title basis. Meanwhile, webtoons are also making waves and revolutionizing the way comics are read. Originated in South Korea, webtoons are especially well-suited for consumption via smartphones thanks to their vertical layout. New chapters are usually released every week, often for free and heavily relying on advertising. But, sometimes, consumers can pay for earlier access through a fast-pass system.
