ABSTRACT
Since World War II, the comic book has emerged in the West as a form of popular literature that appeals to both children and adults. Due to its popularity, the comic book hero has leapt from the pages of periodicals as an icon in the art of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol as well as a celebrity of Hollywood film and television. However, it is a mistake to believe that this is purely an American obsession. In France, the comic book maintains a position of prominence as an artistic and literary medium. A survey conducted by Le monde in 1982 revealed that comics made up 7 percent of all reading matter in France. Furthermore, it showed comics are more likely to be read by those of higher education or socioeconomic status than those of lower. Indeed, the comic book in France occupies a space of public approval and popularity equaled only in the United States and Japan, and perhaps unmatched in its critical appreciation. In France, the comic book operates as an esteemed element of popular culture of literary and artistic appeal to the young and old alike. Today, there is a section devoted to comics in the Ministry of Culture, a comics commission within the National Center for Letters and an annual comics salon and archival institute for the study of comics at Angoulême. 2
