US EditionBam! Pow! Bubbles Burst as Angoulême Comics Festival Is Cancelled
The cancellation follows withdrawal of €200,000 in public subsidies and a boycott by dozens of authors and publishers citing mismanagement and transparency issues.
- On Monday, organisers confirmed the 2026 Angoulême International Comics Festival has been cancelled, after informing public partners by letter last week; the 53rd edition was scheduled for 29 January to 1 February 2026.
- After funders recommended scrapping the edition on 20 November, the French government withdrew €200,000 in subsidies next year, and dozens of authors and leading publishers staged a boycott.
- Evidence of governance and safety failures shows: local reporting revealed that 9e Art+ dismissed an employee shortly after she reported being raped at the 2024 event, and a 2021 report criticised its opaque structure, prompting industry opposition, including Anouk Ricard and Art Spiegelman.
- With 47 per cent of funding gone, 9e Art+ warned of the “human and economic consequences” of cancellation and said the 2027 edition faces significant uncertainty after public partners recommended scrapping on 20 November.
- For the first time since 1974, the Angoulême Comics Festival faces potential governance change, with industry figures urging to `turn the page on 9eArt+` amid ongoing disputes and uncertain future from 2028.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Despite the economic disaster it represents, the cancellation of the 2026 edition of the event was welcomed with "relief" by the professionals of the sector, who reflect on its future. The authors played a major role in the mobilization. And allowed to put an end to a harmful system.
After the cancellation of the 2026 edition of the International Festival of Comics (FIBD), the mayor of Angoulême, Xavier Bonnefont, spoke this Tuesday, in the City Council, to detail the reasons that would have led to this unprecedented crisis. He assures that the City will not give up the organization of the event.
Le Huffington Post
Laminute.infoÉlise Bouché-Tran, who denounced the lack of support of 9th Art + after the rape of which she was victim, testified for the first time under her true identity.
Bam! Pow! Bubbles burst as Angoulême comics festival is cancelled
With the 2026 edition of the Angoulême International Comics Festival now officially cancelled, we take a look at what went wrong and who's to blame. We dig into what pushed authors to massively boycott the 53rd edition of the festival, despite the economic losses for them and the southwestern French city.
At the microphone of France inter, Élise Bouché-Tran denounces the "toxic management" of his former employer, the 9th Art + company, and hopes that the festival will be able to restart "with a new management, a new functioning".
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources lean Left, 43% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
