Comic Strips, Manga and Comics: Differences and Influences

In France, comic strips have long been perceived—including by “specialists”—as an almost exclusively Franco-Belgian and American form of cultural output. Today, however, the comic strip market essentially revolves around traditions of three different origins: Franco-Belgian comic strips, American comics and Japanese manga. But the enormous popularity of manga among today’s readers should not obscure the fact that historically, comics have evolved very differently in the three cultural areas in question, especially in terms of economic publishing models and target readerships. Bringing a fresh perspective to bear on these specificities, this article shows how manga, in just twenty years, have come to compete irresistibly with Franco-Belgian and American comics.