During the Angoulême International Comics Festival in January 2025. ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP
Storm clouds have been gathering over the Angoulême International Comics Festival (FIBD), whose 53rd edition, scheduled for January 29 to February 1, 2026, has never seemed so close to being canceled. The boycott by authors and illustrators, launched several months ago and firmly reaffirmed in November, has now been joined – at least in theory – by a partial boycott from publishing houses. Facing the greatest crisis in its history, the event seems unlikely to withstand the unanimous protest from the industry, which no longer wants it to be organized by the company 9eArt+, the target of countless criticisms regarding its management.
The initiative by public partners to regain control of the FIBD by placing its parent association under supervision and setting new rules for awarding its management contract from 2028 onward did not calm the unrest. On Tuesday, November 18, nine organizations and unions representing authors and illustrators reiterated their intention not to attend the event in Charente this January.
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