The signal is strong. On Saturday October 31, the four authors, sponsors and godmothers of “BD 20►21”, a comic book promotion operation organized by the Ministry of Culture and launched in January during the Angoulême Festival by Emmanuel Macron, decided to collectively resign from their functions, to protest against the closure of bookstores decided by the government in order to fight against the Covid-19 epidemic.
“To continue to bring this celebration of wealth and creativity to comics while the decision to close bookstores shows an unforgivable indifference to what makes the heart of our society beat, seems ridiculous to us today”, explain, in an open letter, Florence Cestac, Catherine Meurisse, Régis Loisel and Jul. Authors will no longer take part in “No liability” in connection with “BD 20►21”, qualified as “Masquerade emptied of its meaning”.
Our collective resignation after the closure of bookstores # bd2020 #jesoutiensmalibrairie # catherinemeurisse… https://t.co/q7o1Lq5TW9
Support Drawings
Like these four stars of the 9e art, many authors have decided to mobilize to support independent booksellers, who had to lower their curtain when the reconfinement was announced. On social networks, comic book designers but also illustrators, such Joann Sfar, Riad Sattouf, Alexis Dormal, Rebecca Dautremer, Benjamin Lacombe or even Nob, have published support drawings and called for signing petitions to reopen bookstores.
Others have decided to help professionals directly. The multi-awarded Cyril Pedrosa, whose L’Age d’or, tome 2, co-written with Roxanne Moreil, released Friday November 6, has therefore decided to send 1,000 original drawings to booksellers, so that they can offer them to customers who will buy the comic book in “click and collect”. “We are transforming the signing sessions initially planned (…) in drawings on free paper which will be sent to the booksellers who were to welcome them ”, explains the Belgian publisher Dupuis, who fears “A particularly difficult month”.
The government’s decision to close the cultural spaces of hypermarkets and specialized brands like Fnac, announced on Friday, October 30, did not calm the anger of the authors. On the contrary, they denounce an additional risk of impoverishment of their profession: nearly half of sales of comics in France are made by supermarkets and specialized chains, according to the GFK institute. The editors are not mistaken there and are wondering about their next releases. Glénat has already announced the postponement of the publication of all its new albums scheduled for after Wednesday November 4.
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