BD Market Watch

The Rendez-Vous de la Bande Dessinée d’Amiens strengthens its educational outreach by launching the Prix Diversité et Égalité alongside its existing...

• €1.6 million debt forces judicial liquidation after 2026 festival cancellation eliminated all revenue streams
• Exhibitor and sponsor pullouts...

Le Lombard schedules six events across May 2026.

• Simon Spruyt dedication for Le Marche-Lune set for 21 May.
• Giuseppe Liotti joins BD FEST at...

The 15th edition of the Festival BD de Montréal will run May 15-17, 2026, highlighting the event's established role in Quebec's francophone comics scene.

The fifth edition of Festival du LÀC runs 5-7 June at Collonge-Bellerive, gathering over 100 authors at the ferme de Saint-Maurice under the theme of...

AIE has committed €35 million in purchases out of €60 million planned, directed at independent bookstores and publishers outside major groups, with...

Veteran retailer Greg Walker, active since 1974, offers a living record of the Franco-Belgian BD market's transformation from flea-market roots to...

Lucky Luke IP drives tourism in francophone Switzerland:

• Château de Saint-Maurice hosts grande exposition originale et ludique around the iconic...

May 2026 BD Festivals

• 🔥 Festival BD de Puteaux: The 19th Festival BD de Puteaux returns on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May 2026 under a 'bleu...

France's decentralized BD festival circuit energizes spring 2026 with local talent showcases and anniversaries:

• Lyon BD marks 20 years in June,...

The French bande dessinée market, after a post-COVID boom, now suffers with a glum outlook. Brittany, a key BD hub, faces the same woes.

Franco-Belgian BD faces crisis signals: collections have tripled in just a few years, but borrowing figures remain unremarkable for adult readers, where BD stays a niche.

A comprehensive bilan traces the main developments in French bande dessinée over the past 15 years.

Cartagena is Hermann's ultime album and dernier chef d'œuvre, released after his death in March. This posthumous work, resembling him in key ways, underscores his enduring cultural impact in Franco-Belgian publishing.

Digital Publishing Updates

• Bubble Basic Plan Change: Bubble's Basic plan will be limited to 500 albums starting from the 4th, priced at...

Bubble caps its Basic plan (€17.99/year, roughly one BD album price) at 500 albums starting May 4, as the BD market contracts 8% in 2026 vs. 2025 – signaling tighter digital access in a shrinking market.

• Feminization trend: Women now 36% of BD authors, up from 27% in 2015
• Harsh realities: They publish fewer works, receive less royalties, and earn less
• Reveals labor precarity in contracting French BD market

Chambéry BD festival is rebranding with a new logo ahead of its 50th edition, celebrating five decades in comics comparable to Astérix's timeline—a strategic refresh signaling milestone momentum.

The Puteaux BD Festival is back May 23-24, hosting over 40 authors and artists from varied genres including youth bande dessinée, graphic novels, manga, and historical BD.

The collectible bande dessinée market has held up in a globally satisfactory manner since the April 2017 BDM Echo special issue.