Editis' Buyout Of Graphic Novel Publisher Delcourt Has Been Approved

Article Summary

• Editis completes buyout of Delcourt, France's third largest graphic novel publisher.
• Delcourt continues under Guy Delcourt's leadership, with no staff layoffs promised.
• The acquisition strengthens Editis' position in the graphic novel and manga market.
• Delcourt boasts a catalogue of 13,000 books, including popular comics like Walking Dead.

Last August, Bleeding Cool reported that Editis, the second largest French book publisher, was to buy Delcourt, France/Belgium's third largest graphic novel publisher, behind Média-Participations and Glénat, which produces around five hundred graphic novels a year. However, the purchase had to be approved by competition authorities. Now the French Competition Authority approved the takeover on Christmas Eve without any conditions attached, and the sale has now gone ahead. In a joint statement by the publishers. they say that the deal strengthens Editis' position in the buoyant sector of graphic novels and manga and gives Delcourt the resources to continue its development.
Guy Delcourt, who founded the publisher 40 years ago, remains at the helm. The value of the takeover was not disclosed. Delcourt itself recently invested in the American comic book boutique publisher Dsltry.

Guy Delcourt, created the publisher 38 years ago, in 1986, through the fusion of the magazines Charlie Mensuel and Pilote. Guy Delcourt, chief editor of the latter, named the new publishing house Guy Delcourt Productions. He stated that he was selling the company because none of his three children wanted to follow in his footsteps, and he was interested in Editis' "humanist values" and that Editis had pledged to him that Delcourt would remain independent and not lay off any of its 145 staff. Guy Delcourt will continue to run the company for several years. It reported sales of €104.2 million in 2023, down from €108.4 million in 2022. As well as five hundred graphic novels a year, it also published another two hundred volumes of children's books and fiction titles and has a catalogue numbering 13,000 books.

After general literature, with sales of €627.8 million, graphic novels are the second most popular publishing sector in France, despite almost a 5% drop in manga sales last year, with a total revenue of €466.8 million. Delcourt is best known for publishing comics such as Beowulf, Baker Street, Okko, Les Legendaires, Showergate, and Carmer + Travis. As well as French translations of From Hell, Hellboy, Invincible, Love And Rockets, Sandman, Spawn, Savage Dragon, V For Vendetta, Swamp Thing, Supreme, Jinx, Wanted, Walking Dead and more, and a large manga library.