Bande dessinée

Some people make special comic books.

They are called bandes dessinées. This name means "drawn strips." People in France and Belgium love them.

Some stories use speech bubbles for talking. Others use text under the pictures. Famous stories include The Smurfs and Tintin. These books are like a "ninth art." They are very special to read.

People in France and Belgium love a special kind of comic.

They call these comics bandes dessinées. This name means "drawn strips." Many people call them BDs for short. These comics are very popular in French-speaking places. This includes parts of Switzerland and Luxembourg. They are even loved in Quebec, Canada.

Some of these stories are very famous. You might know The Smurfs or Asterix. Other stories like The Adventures of Tintin are classics.

Some artists draw in a simple way. Others use a more realistic style. Because they are so special, people call them the "ninth art."

In the past, comics were short. They often appeared in newspapers or magazines. Early artists used text under the pictures. Later, they began using speech balloons.

This helped tell the stories in a new way. Today, these books are a big part of culture. They bring people together through art and stories.

Bandes dessinées are a special kind of comic art.

People often call them BDs for short. This name literally means "drawn strips." These comics are very popular in France and Belgium. They are also loved in French-speaking parts of Switzerland and Luxembourg. Many people in Quebec, Canada, enjoy them too. This is because Quebec has strong cultural ties to France. These stories bring many different people together through art.

Reading a BD is a wonderful experience. Some stories use very simple and cute drawing styles. Other artists use a more realistic style for their plots. You might read about the Smurfs or the funny adventures of Asterix. Some people enjoy the classic stories of Tintin. There are also more serious books called graphic novels. These often have mature themes or experimental art styles. Some scholars even call these comics the "ninth art." This title shows how much people value them.

Long ago, comics looked very different. In the 1800s, artists drew short cartoons for newspapers. These were usually just one page long. Most of these early works used captions under the pictures. They did not use speech balloons like we do now. In the early 1900s, comics were mostly found in magazines. Some were even made by the Catholic Church for children. These early stories helped lead to the modern BD. They were the building blocks for the art we see today.

Many famous stories began in the early 20th century. For example, Tintin first appeared in 1929. This was in a magazine called Le Petit Vingtième. Another famous artist, Alain Saint-Ogan, created Zig et Puce in 1925. He was one of the first to use speech balloons. This was a new technique from the United States. In the 1960s, the term "BD" became very popular. A writer named Claude Beylie first called them the ninth art in 1964. This helped people see comics as real art.

Language plays a big role in this world. Most BDs are written in French. Belgium has many different languages, including Dutch and German. Some Belgian artists, like Hermann, even changed their names to sound more French. This helped them reach more readers. In the Flemish part of Belgium, comics have their own unique style. There are also special publishers in places like Brittany. They translate comics into regional languages like Breton. This helps keep those local languages alive and breathing.

Bandes dessinées, often shortened to BDs, are a distinct form of comic art.

This term literally translates to "drawn strips." These works are primarily created in French for readers in France and Belgium. This tradition is separate from the English-language comic traditions found in other countries. Because French is spoken in Monaco, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, a large shared market exists. This shared language blurs national identities and creates a massive commercial space for artists.

Even in Quebec, Canada, the influence of Franco-Belgian BDs is strong. This is due to close historical and cultural ties with France. This differs from the English-speaking parts of Canada, which focus more on American comics.

The medium functions through various formats, ranging from magazine episodes to bound albums. In the early 20th century, comics were rarely stand-alone books. Instead, they appeared as short gags or serialized episodes in newspapers and weekly magazines. Some were even distributed by the Catholic Church to provide "healthy" content for children. Over time, these strips evolved into the "album" format. These are collected books that allow for longer, more complex storytelling. This transition allowed artists to move from simple one-page cartoons to deep, multi-chapter narratives.

There are several distinct styles within the world of BD. Some works are known for being lighthearted and popular with children. Examples include *The Smurfs* by Peyo, *Asterix* by Goscinny and Uderzo, and *Spirou and Fantasio* by Franquin. Other creators focus on highly regarded, realistic art and complex plots. Artists like Moebius, van Hamme, and Hermann are known for these more serious works. There is also a category often called the "graphic novel." In Europe, this term describes comics with mature themes, literary subject matter, or experimental styles. Scholars point to works like *Barbarella* (1962) and *Corto Maltese* (1967) as early examples of this type.

The history of the medium began with 19th-century cartoonists. These artists used sequential panels but often relied on captions under the pictures. They did not use the speech balloons we see today. In the 1920s, artists like Alain Saint-Ogan began using speech balloons. This was a technique popularized in the United States. A major turning point occurred in 1929 with the debut of *The Adventures of Tintin* by Hergé. Tintin first appeared in the magazine *Le Petit Vingtième*. While early works like *Bécassine* or *Les Pieds Nickelés* were important, they mostly stayed within their home countries. The modern era truly took shape as these techniques became standardized.

The significance of BD is reflected in its cultural status. In 1964, Claude Beylie wrote an article asking if comics were art. This led to the term "le neuvième art," or the "ninth art." This designation was popularized through a series of articles in *Spirou* magazine from 1964 to 1967. The term was further established by Francis Lacassin in his 1971 book, *Pour un neuvième art*. This shows that BD is viewed not just as entertainment, but as a serious artistic discipline. It holds a unique place in the hierarchy of human expression alongside painting and music.

Language creates interesting dynamics within the Belgian market. Belgium is a trilingual country with French, Dutch, and German speakers. Flemish comics, written in Dutch, have their own distinct style and spirit. Since the late 1940s, they have evolved separately from French-language BDs due to increasing cultural self-awareness. While French BDs are frequently translated into Dutch, the reverse is less common. Some artists even changed their identities to fit the market. For example, the artist Didier Comès "Frenchified" his name to reach more readers. Similarly, the artist Hermann dropped his Germanic surname, Huppen, for his professional credit.

Finally, BD connects to broader movements of language preservation and regional identity. In areas like Brittany, small publishers release albums in the Breton language. Their goal is cultural rather than commercial, helping to keep a language alive. In Catalonia, publishers like Norma Editorial release Catalan versions of famous works like *Tintin*. These efforts show how comics can serve as tools for maintaining local heritage. Whether through massive commercial successes or small regional translations, the art form remains deeply tied to the people who speak and live in these diverse cultures.