At a time when book sales figures are falling and booksellers are gloomy at the evolution of consumption patterns towards online purchases, there is one publishing sector that is still smiling: that of the comics. Thus the bubble sector generated a turnover of 60 million euros in 2022. A real breath of fresh air for these booksellers when we learn that “Of all the comics that are sold, the bookstore is for 2/3 the essential point of purchase”remarks Benoît Dubois, Director of the ADEB, theAssociation Des Epoured out Belges, “The bookstore is therefore essential for the sale of comic strips” he observes.
No need for major studies to explain the Belgian’s attachment to the world of Bubbles: we all grew up with works from the Franco-Belgian school at hand, whether it’s Tintin, Spirou, Gaston or Asterix. Today the world of comics has evolved, young people are turning more to Manga, but the so-called comics “classic” is still there.
