#ReadBD

The term bandes dessinées is derived from the original description of the art form as “drawn strips”. It was first introduced in the 1930s, but only became popular in the 1960s, by which time the “BD” abbreviation was also in use for its book, or album, publications…

Wikipedia (“Franco-Belgian Comics”)

This coming weekend is FIBD 2019 — Festival international de la bande dessinée d’Angoulême –– or what we simplify down to “the Angouleme Festival” here in the States because it’s easier on our nasal passages.

It’s the best weekend of the year to celebrate the comics coming out of France, Belgium, and the rest of the European countries on the other side of the Atlantic.In fact, there has never been a better time to start reading BD books.

We live in an amazing time when there are more of those books available in English today than there have ever been.  They’re super easy to find, thanks to digital distributors like Comixology.com and Izneo.com, and the translating work of EuropeComics. More publishers are including them in their lineup, too, including the likes of Dark Horse, Lion’s Forge, Fantagraphics, IDW, Image Comics, Titan, and more.

Digital editions are super affordable, with sales going on that lower their prices to the same as the 22 page stories we pay Marvel and DC for here today. (See the front page of this very site for some examples at the top.)

I know there’s more people out there who read BD (les bandes dessinees) than I’m seeing out there today.

I want you all to show yourselves. Raise your hand. Shout about what you like to read. Share the love. All that good stuff.

And if you aren’t reading them yet, this is your chance to find a new world of comics reading, and become part of the conversation.

I’m creating the hashtag #ReadBD now.

#ReadBD

When you’re reading a Franco-Belgian album, tell the world about it.

Have a short review?  Want to link to your own review?

Or maybe you’re just looking for a reading suggestion, or had a question about where to start reading a long-running album series?

Did you see a piece of exciting news coming out of Angouleme?

Tweet it, Instragram it, Facebook it, let the world know. When you do, add #ReadBD to the end of it.

I’ll be watching for the hashtag on Twitter and amplifying your voices. The retweet is a powerful megaphone, and we can use it to start new communities, create more awareness, and amplify our voices.

Tell the North American world (outside of Montreal, that is) more about the comics they may not know exist. Find others who are reading the same kind of material as you are. Discover new books to read. Find more people who read the books that the Direct Market shuns.

Use the #ReadBD hashtag everywhere you go.

Let’s start today! Alea jacta est!