When the film adaptation of Barbarella, the French comic book by Jean-Claude Forrest, was released in 1968, America started to recognize European comics. It was not rapid widespread, though, but it began the translation of many other titles for American readers. Eventually, more French comics entered the American market, including the Tintin and Asterix series.

The biggest challenge in reaching an audience outside of Europe is definitely comic book translation. The poor quality of translations was the major reason for the slow success–or undeniable failure–of European comics in America. It opened the eyes of European comics publishers, shining the light on the importance of localization and translation.

Now, the European market for comic books continues to aim for a wider readership after facing various challenges and downfalls. With innumerable titles in the market, the region is set to maximize new opportunities.

The market status and degree of digitization are the highlights of the EUDICOM project, which is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. The project is partnered with four focus countries: France, Italy, Poland, and Spain. It aims to strengthen the market’s digital dimension by supporting European publishers to go digital.

How big really is the European comic book market? And how can comic book translation affect the success of European titles?

France, Germany, Italy, and Spain are four of the largest comic books markets in the region. The countries produce at least 3,000 titles annually, with France taking the lead. France also has the most number of publishers, followed by Germany and Italy, with 100 to 400 publishers.

Belgium and Poland are considered to be the mid-sized markets with at most 2,000 titles per year. Generally, the most popular genres are European-style digital comics and manga.

The digital comics market in Europe is also continuously growing, with Europe Comics as an emerging European e-comics catalog with the goal to spread the European graphic novel heritage across the globe. What started as an idea of Franco-Belgian comics agent Mediatoon Licensing in 2015 is now a 13-partner pan-European alliance supported by the European Commission.

With the number of active publishers and new titles, it is evident that the market is far from running dry. This also means that there is a myriad of opportunities to reach a wider audience. So if you have titles waiting to enter the markets outside your region, it is high time to make European comics in English, too.

Take inspiration from the ones that have already made history. Aside from the European classic comics mentioned earlier, there are more comics that always make it into must-read lists. To name a few, there are Corto Maltese created in 1967 by Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt and Torpedo, a Spanish comics series by Enrique Sánchez Abulí.

It is also a privilege to read Belgian comics aside from Tintin. There is Lucky Luke by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946 and The Adventures of Nero by Marc Sleen and the main character’s name. Even the popular The Smurfs came from Les Schtroumpfs et le Village des Filles (The Smurfs and the Village of Girls)!

Several German comics also help language learners in improving their German. Liebe und Monster by Adrian von Bauer is an example, greatly contributing to the introduction of European comics to the international market.

Since the market has been going digital, it is necessary to learn about successful European graphic novels. Le bleu est une couleur chaude or Blue Is the Warmest Color by Jul Maroh is a captivating triumph of a graphic novel. It is a manga-inspired French graphic novel published in March 2010 and adapted into a film in 2013.

Some other French Graphic Novels also make it to must-read lists, such as Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and The Incal Series by Mœbius and Alejandro Jodorowsky. It is important to recognize The Snowpiercer by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette as well, including its film version in 2014.

For German language learners, graphic novels in German are also a big hit. There is  Berlinoir by Reinhard Kleist and Tobias O. Meißner, and Asterix 36: Der Papyrus des Cäsar by Jean-Yves Ferri, Didier Conrad and Klaus Jöken. 

You can find a comic book translation in different languages of various comic books from Europe, especially for popular European graphic novels. But the holy grail for European comic book authors is definitely English-language editions.

Expanding your readership lies in the good quality of translation. With the richness and originality, and the variety of the European comic book market, there are certain risks that you have to consider. Your comic book may hold a lot of European history, culture, and art, and it is crucial to present the same quality to all your readers.

European comic books and graphic novels reflect the talent and skills of many European authors, illustrators, and publishers. While it is an ongoing challenge to take the American market by storm, European comic book creators should take the step of comic book translation.

You can find many translation services worldwide, but only a few might actually provide the quality you deserve. CCCI is one of them.

CCCI is an international translation company committed to delivering professional language services worldwide. We are a top manga translation and webtoon localization company, also providing services in 30 languages in various industries.

CCCI gives state-of-the-art multilingual communication to our partners and clients, and that includes sharing the enthusiasm for comic books! Since we were made to address the need for European language support, your comic book can find a home in us.

Our team collaborates with licensed manga distributors and publishers in Japan and other parts of the world. We work on translation, localization, and typesetting, making comic books and manga available in different languages. We are ready to share your European comic books with the rest of the world.

Are you ready to take that step? Get in touch with us today!

Find out more about K-dramas based on popular webtoons, and comics and webtoon to read for Christmas.