The new entity of the second French publishing group will be mainly dedicated to translations of American comics.
The publishing group Editis (Vivendi) announced on Wednesday the launch of a house dedicated to “comics”, with mainly translations of American comics. Black River will be the 52nd house of the group, the fourth in comics after Kurokawa (specialized in manga), Philéas and the new publishing house of Mourad Boudjellal whose name is not yet known.
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This new house will be mainly focused on the translation of American comics, Editis said in a press release. “Often torn between superhero sagas and underground works, comic book readers today are in need of new stories with strong plots. Black River aims to renew the genre with the French readership“, commented the editorial director David Guélou, quoted in the press release.
The first of nine titles to be released in 2022 will be “Magic: The Gathering tome 1“, May 5, an adaptation of the card game of the same name (Magic: the assembly).
Editis is number two in publishing in France, behind Hachette Livre (Lagardère group). The “comics», genre marked historically by the sagas of superheroes such as those of Marvel or DC Comics, benefit from the enthusiasm of a young readership for comics in France. According to an Ipsos study published Wednesday by the National Book Center and carried out in January and February, 15% of 7-19 year olds cited this type of book among their favorites, compared to only 10% in 2016.