French Literature Reviews - 2026
B. Mouchart, De la bande dessinée au XXIe siècle
Art and Visual Culture
Benoît Mouchart, De la bande dessinée au XXIe siècle
Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 2013.
EAN 9782251444598.
96 p.
Price: €7.90
Publisher's overview:
Print culture is being challenged by screen culture. In this context, comic books serve as a bridge not only between image and text, but also between past, present, and future traditions. Inspired by personal reflection and experience, this clear-eyed manifesto offers a passionate history of the 9th art, free of nostalgia and self-indulgence, while highlighting the major role that comic books could play in the digital revolution.
Artistic Director of the Angoulême International Comics Festival since 2003, Benoît Mouchart is the author of numerous works, including Manchette, le nouveau roman noir, Brigitte Fontaine, intérieur/extérieur, La Damnation d'Edgar P. Jacobs, and Hergé, portrait du père de Tintin (co-authored with François Rivière).
The relationship between print culture and screen culture remains a central topic in contemporary media studies and cultural history. As digital platforms transform how visual and textual narratives are produced and consumed, traditional art forms continually adapt to new technological environments. Within this broader landscape, comic books have frequently been analyzed as a hybrid medium that bridges textual and pictorial traditions, offering unique insights into the shifting boundaries of modern storytelling and visual communication.
Readers interested in the history and future of the ninth art may find this volume a relevant addition to discussions on contemporary media. Benoît Mouchart, who has served as Artistic Director of the Angoulême International Comics Festival since 2003, is the author of numerous works including Manchette, le nouveau roman noir, Brigitte Fontaine, intérieur/extérieur, La Damnation d'Edgar P. Jacobs, and Hergé, portrait du père de Tintin. The work reflects on the transition from print to screen culture, considering how comic books might navigate the challenges and opportunities of the digital revolution.