Best European Comics: A Bande Dessinee Starter Kit
Tintin, Asterix, Moebius, Blacksad and the bande dessinee classics worth starting with.
By Web Admin
Ask a French or Belgian reader about “comics” and they will not picture a floppy superhero pamphlet. They picture the bande dessinee (literally “drawn strip”, usually shortened to BD): a large, hardcover album with lush color, printed on heavy paper and treated as a proper book. Europe has quietly produced some of the finest comics on the planet for nearly a century, and most English-language readers have only met a fraction of it.
This guide is a starter kit. We have picked the albums that travel best in translation, cover the widest range of moods, and reward a first-time BD reader without demanding you learn a whole new canon. Prices are approximate US figures for new English-language editions; libraries and secondhand shops make almost all of them cheaper. If you want the broader picture first, our graphic novels hub is a good companion read.
What makes European comics different
Three things set the BD tradition apart. First, format: the standard album runs roughly 48 to 64 full-color pages, published as a hardcover and collected into long-running series. Second, the school of “clear line” (ligne claire), pioneered by Herge, where every object gets a clean, even outline and flat color. Third, respect: BD is shelved in ordinary bookshops next to prose novels, and its best authors are household names. If you are coming from monthly American comics, the pace feels slower, denser and more painterly. Lean into that.
Start here: Tintin
Herge (Georges Remi) began The Adventures of Tintin in 1929 and produced 24 albums over five decades, published by Casterman. The boy reporter and his dog Snowy travel the globe solving mysteries, and the clear-line art still looks impossibly clean today. Skip the earliest, dated volumes and start with a mid-run classic like The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure, or the two-part moon adventure. English editions sell as single albums (~US$15) or money-saving 3-in-1 hardcovers (~US$20). It is the friendliest possible entry to the whole tradition, and a great pick for our beginners crowd too.
The other giant: Asterix
Where Tintin is earnest adventure, Asterix is comedy. Written by Rene Goscinny and drawn by Albert Uderzo, it debuted in 1959 and follows a village of indomitable Gauls holding out against the Roman Empire with the help of a magic potion. The wordplay is dense, the puns fly, and the satire of national stereotypes is affectionate. There are nearly 40 albums; start with Asterix the Gaul or the beloved Asterix and Cleopatra. New albums run ~US$12 each. It is one of the best-selling comic series in the world for good reason.
The visionary: Moebius
Jean Giraud, working under the pen name Moebius, changed what comics could look like. Two career strands matter most. As Gir, he drew the gritty western Blueberry (written by Jean-Michel Charlier). As Moebius, he produced surreal science fiction like the wordless Arzach and, most famously, The Incal with writer Alejandro Jodorowsky. The Incal collected edition (Humanoids, ~US$35) is a psychedelic space epic whose influence runs through Blade Runner, The Fifth Element and countless films. Content note: mature themes and some nudity throughout the Moebius and Jodorowsky material.
The modern crowd-pleaser: Blacksad
If you want to hook a friend on European comics in one book, hand them Blacksad. Written by Juan Diaz Canales and painted by Juanjo Guarnido, it is a hardboiled noir set in 1950s America where every character is an anthropomorphic animal and the private eye is a black cat. Guarnido, a former Disney animator, produces some of the most beautiful watercolor art in the medium. Dark Horse collects it in English (~US$30 for the main collection). Content note: violence, racism themes and adult situations fitting its noir setting.
More essential albums worth owning
- Corto Maltese (from 1967) — Hugo Pratt’s romantic, globe-trotting sailor-adventurer, rendered in gorgeous loose ink. Start with The Ballad of the Salt Sea. ~US$30 per volume from IDW/EuroComics.
- Valerian and Laureline (1967-2010) — Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres’ time-and-space series that visibly shaped Star Wars. Cinebook collects it affordably (~US$15).
- Persepolis (2000-2003) — Marjane Satrapi’s black-and-white memoir of the Iranian Revolution, a modern French-language landmark. Complete edition ~US$25.
- The Rabbi’s Cat (2002) — Joann Sfar’s witty, philosophical fable set in 1930s Algeria. ~US$22.
- Aya of Yop City (2005) — Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie’s warm slice-of-life set in 1970s Ivory Coast. ~US$20.
- Snowpiercer (1982) — Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette’s chilly post-apocalyptic train saga, later adapted to film and TV. ~US$30.
Picks at a glance
| Series | Creators | Genre | Approx. price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tintin | Herge | Adventure | ~US$20 (3-in-1) | Absolute beginners |
| Asterix | Goscinny and Uderzo | Comedy | ~US$12 | Fans of clever humor |
| The Incal | Jodorowsky and Moebius | Sci-fi | ~US$35 | Ambitious sci-fi readers |
| Blacksad | Canales and Guarnido | Noir | ~US$30 | Art lovers and noir fans |
| Corto Maltese | Hugo Pratt | Adventure | ~US$30 | Literary readers |
Should you buy the deluxe editions?
Pros
- Oversized hardcovers show off painted art like Blacksad and Corto Maltese properly
- Coordinated album spines look superb on a shelf
- Heavy paper stock does justice to the color work BD is famous for
Cons
- Hardcover albums cost more per page than American trades
- Some classic series are only partly translated into English
- Older Tintin volumes carry dated, occasionally offensive depictions
Our take: buy the art-forward books (Blacksad, Moebius, Corto Maltese) in the largest edition you can find, and read the adventure and comedy series in cheaper standard albums. Cinebook and Humanoids both run frequent sales worth waiting for.
AmazonCheck price on AmazonWhere to go next
Once the BD bug bites, it does not let go. If the Moebius material lit you up, the British sci-fi anthology tradition is a natural next stop, so browse our best 2000 AD comics guide. If Blacksad hooked you, our horror and Halloween comics list has more moody, atmospheric picks. And for creator-owned discoveries generally, our indie comics hub is full of kindred spirits.
Frequently asked questions
What does bande dessinee mean?
It is French for “drawn strip” and it is the umbrella term for Franco-Belgian comics. In practice it means large-format, full-color hardcover albums treated as serious books, from Tintin and Asterix to Blacksad and Moebius.
Which European comic should an absolute beginner read first?
Tintin, in one of the 3-in-1 hardcovers. It is cheap, universally loved, and Herge’s clear-line art is the easiest possible introduction to the style. Asterix is the next stop if you prefer comedy.
Are these comics suitable for children?
Tintin and Asterix are all-ages classics. Blacksad, The Incal and Corto Maltese are written for adults and contain violence, nudity or mature themes, so check individual titles before gifting to younger readers.
Do I need to read European series in order?
Mostly no. Tintin, Asterix and Blacksad are episodic, so you can start with any well-regarded album. Longer sagas like Valerian read better in order, but even there the first volume is a fine place to begin.
