Editing Comics (section)

===Franco-Belgian and European comics===

{{main|European comics|Franco-Belgian comics}}

The francophone Swiss [[Rodolphe Töpffer]] produced comic strips beginning in 1827,{{sfn|Gabilliet|2010|p=xiv}} and published theories behind the form.{{sfn|Harvey|2010}} [[Wilhelm Busch]] first published his [[Max and Moritz]] in 1865.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/culture/arts-architecture/150-years-of-max-and-moritz | title=150 years of Max and Moritz | date=22 October 2015 }}</ref> Cartoons appeared widely in newspapers and magazines from the 19th century.{{sfn|Lefèvre|2010|p=186}} The success of ''[[Zig et Puce]]'' in 1925 popularized the use of speech balloons in European comics, after which Franco-Belgian comics began to dominate.{{sfnm|1a1=Vessels|1y=2010|1p=45|2a1=Miller|2y=2007|2p=17}} ''[[The Adventures of Tintin]]'', with its signature [[Ligne claire|clear line]] style,{{sfnm|1a1=Screech|1y=2005|1p=27|2a1=Miller|2y=2007|2p=18}} was first serialized in newspaper comics supplements beginning in 1929,{{sfn|Miller|2007|p=17}} and became an icon of Franco-Belgian comics.{{sfnm|1a1=Theobald|1y=2004|1p=82|2a1=Screech|2y=2005|2p=48|3a1=McKinney|3y=2011|3p=3}}

Following the success of {{lang|fr|[[Le Journal de Mickey]]}} (est. 1934),{{sfn|Grove|2005|pp=76–78}} dedicated comics magazines{{sfnm|1a1=Petersen|1y=2010|1pp=214–215|2a1=Lefèvre|2y=2010|2p=186}} like ''[[Spirou (magazine)|Spirou]]'' (est. 1938) and ''[[Tintin (magazine)|Tintin]]'' (1946–1993), and full-colour comic albums became the primary outlet for comics in the mid-20th century.{{sfn|Petersen|2010|pp=214–215}} As in the US, at the time comics were seen as infantile and a threat to culture and literacy; commentators stated that "none bear up to the slightest serious analysis",{{efn|{{langx|fr|"...&nbsp;aucune ne supporte une analyse un peu serieuse."}}&nbsp;– Jacqueline & Raoul Dubois in {{lang|fr|La Presse enfantine française}} (Midol, 1957){{sfn|Grove|2005|p=46}} }} and that comics were "the sabotage of all art and all literature".{{sfn|Grove|2005|pp=45–46}}{{efn|{{langx|fr|"C'est le sabotage de tout art et de toute littérature."}}&nbsp;– Jean de Trignon in {{lang|fr|Histoires de la littérature enfantine de ma Mère l'Oye au Roi Babar}} ([[Hachette (publisher)|Hachette]], 1950){{sfn|Grove|2005|p=46}} }}

In the 1960s, the term {{lang|fr|bandes dessinées}} ("drawn strips") came into wide use in French to denote the medium.{{sfn|Grove|2005|p=51}} Cartoonists began creating comics for mature audiences,{{sfnm|1a1=Miller|1y=1998|1p=116|2a1=Lefèvre|2y=2010|2p=186}} and the term "Ninth Art"{{efn|{{langx|fr|neuvième art}} }} was coined, as comics began to attract public and academic attention as an artform.{{sfn|Miller|2007|p=23}} A group including [[René Goscinny]] and [[Albert Uderzo]] founded the magazine ''[[Pilote]]'' in 1959 to give artists greater freedom over their work. Goscinny and Uderzo's ''[[Asterix|The Adventures of Asterix]]'' appeared in it{{sfn|Miller|2007|p=21}} and went on to become the best-selling French-language comics series.{{sfn|Screech|2005|p=204}} From 1960, the satirical and taboo-breaking ''[[Hara-Kiri (magazine)|Hara-Kiri]]'' defied censorship laws in the countercultural spirit that led to the [[May 1968 events in France|May 1968 events]].{{sfn|Miller|2007|p=22}}

Frustration with censorship and editorial interference led to a group of ''Pilote'' cartoonists to found the adults-only ''[[L'Écho des savanes]]'' in 1972. Adult-oriented and experimental comics flourished in the 1970s, such as in the experimental science fiction of [[Jean Giraud|Mœbius]] and others in ''[[Métal hurlant]]'', even mainstream publishers took to publishing prestige-format [[adult comics]].{{sfn|Miller|2007|pp=25–28}}

From the 1980s, mainstream sensibilities were reasserted and serialization became less common as the number of comics magazines decreased and many comics began to be published directly as albums.{{sfn|Miller|2007|pp=33–34}} Smaller publishers such as [[L'Association]]{{sfn|Beaty|2007|p=9}} that published longer works{{sfn|Lefèvre|2010|pp=189–190}} in non-traditional formats{{sfn|Grove|2005|p=153}} by ''[[Auteur theory|auteur]]''-istic creators also became common. Since the 1990s, mergers resulted in fewer large publishers, while smaller publishers proliferated. Sales overall continued to grow despite the trend towards a shrinking print market.{{sfn|Miller|2007|pp=49–53}}