The 100 Best European Comics in Chronological order

[@nessus47]

'Valhalla', a Danish cartoon telling the stories of the Norse gods..not the American style Valhalla, but the God realm as the Vikings imagined it.

[@GS-yg9wk]

I highly recommend Rafał Mikołajczyk's comic "Invincible" is a graphic adaptation of Stanisław Lem's hard science fiction novel, published in 1964

[@raffaelecagnazzo4062]

From an Italian, very good content and youtube channel!

[@kbar4462]

Awesome list, a subsection I admittedly have next to no knowledge of. Cool to see how a lot of the themes and genres paralleled those of America at the times. Also interesting to see so many Euro books about American subjects lol

[@suicidalkangarooz]

Man, the thoroughness of your content continues to amaze me.

[@sportyeight7769]

Sometimes i forgot that as a franch speaking individual, i have access to so much graphic novels. Almost Everything gets traduced in french, but french "bande dessinée" almost never gets traduced in other languages. And there is so much more than what's shown here. Titles that are sooooo great.

[@comicbelief]

There really are. I was in the middle of making a 100 Franco-Belgian comics video but I didn’t have the heart to cut so much good stuff, so I had to split the video into two and make a list of 200 comics. Coming soon.

[@Darwaxion]

Probably my favourite youtube channel! Hope you don't mind if I ask more X-Men related videos. I'd love to see your Top 100 X-Men Ancillary/Side teams' stories (X-Force, X-Factor, New Mutants, Alpha Flight etc.)

[@comicbelief]

I’ve been toying with the idea of a video showing how every X-title/team connects to each other. Probably coming soon. I was thinking about focusing on individual X-Men, like best of Cyclops or Storm, but we’ll get to every spin-off team eventually 😊

[@comicbelief]

I’m also preparing some short “where to start reading…” videos, more directed to situating new readers.

[@hachimaki]

A shame you didn't mention Valhall/Valhalla by Peter Madsen, though admittedly I have no idea if it's available in that many languages.

[@RenghisKhan]

Jean Giraud, a.k.a. Moebius, his series called 'Lieutenant Blueberry' shows his development as a comic artist beautifully. I had my mom on the phone once when she told me she read one of my comic books and found it very 'disconcerting'. I immediately knew she'd picked 'The walls of Samaris' by Schuiten & Peeters. An absolute must read. I have soooo many of these comics.....😁

[@lisetteeliseparis7070]

Great list, thank you!

[@DirkWeag]

I miss MacCoy, Dan Cooper, Michel Vaillant, Tango, Sisco, Barracuda, Julie Wood, Durango, Comanche, Jim Cutlass, Bruno Brazil, Bruce J. Hawker, Barbe Rouge, Le prince de la nuit, Turi & Tolk, Pittje Pit, Masquerouge, Les 7 vies de l'Epervier, Rick Master, Ringo, Roderic, Les Tours de Bois-Maury, Gentlemen GmbH, Giacomo C., Le scorpion, Buddy Longway, Jonathan Cartland, I.R.$, L'Épervier, Tanguy & Laverdure, Andy Morgan, Apache Junction, Vasco, Lady S., Mémoire de Cendres, Kai Falke, Sven Janssen, Agent Alpha, Les chemins de Malefosse, Ramiro, Jhen, Cubitus, Valhardi, Howard Flynn :-)

[@flitsertheo]

Except for "Suske en Wiske" the whole Flemish School is missing. The first generation which besides Willy Vandersteen included comics such as "Nero" (Marc Sleen) "Jommeke" (Jef Nys) "Piet Pienter & Bert Bibber" (Pom) or more recent comics such as "Kiekeboe/De Kiekeboes" (Merho) or even "Urbanus" (Willy Linthout & Urbanus). Many of which have never been translated. Willy Vandersteen and his heirs turned his studio into a factory, still churning out "Suske & Wiske" and many other albums such as "De Rode Ridder" at regular intervals. Of some comics an "adult" (not x-rated) version was created, drawn by other authors in a more realistic fashion .

[@Zardoz4441]

Fantastic, comprehensive list, with almost all of my favourite artists/albums (even some often overlooked dutch titles)! The only one I really missed was Jacques Tardi - but I am impressed by this presentation none the less.

[@comicbelief]

Glad you liked it. About Tardi, I wanted this list to focus on series, and the best works by Tardi are standalone comics, which is why he features in the Best Graphic Novels video, but not here.

[@comicbelief]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHialo2DZpiKmq8si=ZXBdef1DBw_v_5Rw

[@Zardoz4441]

@@comicbelief Thank you, i'll check out that video too!

[@teghem6723]

Top ten not Biased at all , as long as it's about antifaschism.

[@ObscureBookAdventures]

That's a great list. Are all of these translated into English? I've also recently started to post European comic and graphic novel videos on my channel.

[@comicbelief]

They are. Though some might be out of print, I imagine. The Achilles heel of the video are the more recent works that are still to be translated.

[@comicbelief]

Great to know about your channel. I’ll be sure to check it out

[@johnpanicker7590]

good stuff, great recommendation

[@jenslindblad]

No mention of Graton’s Michel Vaillant? Vance´s Bruno Brazil? Weinberg’s Dan Cooper?

[@suicidalkangarooz]

How does Thorgal rank among these for you? That one sounds really cool to me. Trying to decide which ones I'm most interested in reading first, besides your top 10.

[@comicbelief]

It would easily rank in the top 20… alongside XIII, Blake and Mortimer, Luther Arkwright, Blueberry, Valerian and Laureline, Adele Blanc-Sec, End of the Century, Aldebaran, and Kane. Keep in mind that some of these series take time to hit their stride. Tintin deserves the top spot but the first few albums are… problematic… with some racist stereotypes… but when it gets good, it’s like fine wine. Thorgal is pretty consistent throughout, and I love the mix of sci-fi and fantasy.

[@suicidalkangarooz]

@Comic Belief Oh awesome! Thank you! Yeah I checked out the first volume of Tintin after you posted this and it was pretty rough. I'm selling to power through the first few to see what makes this series so special. Hope do you like Judge Dredd overall? I read some early stuff a while back but it also seems like a series that probably takes a while to really get good.

[@comicbelief]

@@suicidalkangarooz I’d say the first great Tintin album is Blue Lotus, while the best one is Tintin in Tibet. There’s no law that says you have to read them by order of publication, I think. Although that’s how I did it. I’m a little ambivalent about Judge Dredd. Unlike most of the list, it’s a character that have had many writers, including some of the best, like Grant Morrison and Garth Ennis. The best stories are probably the ones by John Wagner himself.

[@cedrigo]

@@comicbelief I agree about Tintin. I would say that the moment Tintin meets Chang is the turning point. The very first conversation they had is about stereotypes and prejudice that European and Chinese have for one another. That is when Tintin became a true humanist. Their friendship is a symbol of fraternity without border. That's also why Tintin in Tibet is the most moving album. By the way Chang was named after a real person, a Chinese artist who helped Hergé on the Blue Lotus. They became close friends and that relationship had a deep impact on Hergé.

[@danigomb]

Most needed content... since most of US comics fans and specialists perspective is the whole comics world is about US

[@jackpopo4673]

Or japan yeah totally true

[@jackpot42]

Big fan could you kindly do a video on the best legion of superheroes comics?

[@comicbelief]

I’ve been meaning to, but it’s tricky. No other series has been hurt more by the DC reboots than the Legion. It’s kind of a mess, but I’ll try to untangle it.

[@jackpot42]

@@comicbelief its probably the series where a top 100 would least resemble a comprehensive reading order too

[@comicbelief]

@@jackpot42 very true

[@raulduran394]

There are a lot of "best comics" not mentioned, for example: ARKÉ, of "CAZA", "CHOSES DE LA VIE", of LAUZIER, "HOMBRE" of José Ortiz, "Las 7 vidas del gavilán", "VALERIAN", "Le vagabond des limbes" , "EL MERCENARIO" de Segrelles, "GIPSY" of Marini, and a lot more.

[@comicbelief]

@@raulduran394 I am painfully aware of that. There will be videos on specific countries coming soon

[@jrmouton5523]

"VALERIAN" - 5:30 "Le vagabond des limbes" - 6:30 I agree with the rest

[@sonicgoo1121]

I might be prejudiced due to Dutchness, but I would add Hanco Kolk's Meccano series. The style is just too unique to ignore.

[@tusk3260]

was about to yell "where is Astérix" but its there.

[@maricallo6143]

I can understand that Metabarons may be considered Franco-Belgian because of the original publisher, but the fact that Hermann's Comanche and Bernard Prince were dropped is surprising.

[@richardkujo]

Do you recommend European comics about adventure, action, sci-fi, fantasy, or superheroes other than the ones you mentioned in the top 10?

[@comicbelief]

Well, the entire top 100 is worth reading, but let's see... For adventure and action, there's Blake and Mortimer, which could easily had been in the top 10, For sci-fi, try Luther Arkwright, Nemesis the Warlock or anything by Moebius For fantasy, there's Thorgal, Slaine, the Quest for the Time Bird Super-heroes are more rare in Europe, so your best bet in British comics... Captain Britain, Zenith... I wouldn't call Judge Dredd a super-hero but that's probably the best genre for him. Hope it helps.

[@sportyeight7769]

Best Sci-fi in the european market right now is : Carbon & Silicon.

[@richardkujo]

​@@sportyeight7769 this comic looks very beautiful

[@Rostrevor8]

Scy-fy: Harry 20 on the high rock (Alan Davis/Finley-Day), sillage (Morvan/Buchet), Golden City (Pecqueur/Malfin) Superheroes: iberia inc (Marín/Pacheco), Freaks' Squeele (Maudoux) 17:48

[@flitsertheo]

The Belgian part of Franco-Belgian is actually 2 distinct "schools". Of one the editor is located in Brussels, and is considered producing the more "serious" comics with leading comic "Tintin", the other one is located near Charleroi and produces more "unhinged" comics, think "Gaston Lagaffe". It's leading comic is "Spirou".

[@comicbelief]

@@flitsertheo I’m aware. Herge’s Ligne Claire style vs the overly busy School of Brussels. I’m working on videos about specific countries. While I don’t think I can separate French and Belgian traditions, there’s more than enough for two “100 best” videos. Coming soon.

[@flitsertheo]

@@comicbelief The Flemish school is almost completely separated from the French speaking schools. Though Vandersteen improved his drawing style by working for Hergé. Resulting in some of the best Suske & Wiske comics. The Flemish comics are often very "home-based" with typical Belgian situations and humour which do not lend themselves easily to other countries or languages.

[@analogcomics]

Absolutely F A N T A S T I C video! I´m always cheering for European Comics and love to see channels giving them spotlight. Your Must Read-list in the description reminded me how bad I am at making any Top Something lists. I tried to do my own version here but ended up arguing with myself. For me the difficulty is not putting certain comics on that list. The problems start when I realize I have to leave something out. Your list showcases well the diverse topics and genres of European Comics. Three Moebius works is also a bonus in my world!

[@comicbelief]

My deep dark secret is that I use the Top 100 format as a means to show the evolution and diversity of a particular character or genre. The Top 10 in particular is absurdly subjective. Another comment here mentioned Blake & Mortimer as a contender for the top spot. And they very much are. Here, they didn’t make the top ten, because I wanted to show off other comics and because of personal taste. But someone else could build a different ranking and be equally right.

[@analogcomics]

@@comicbelief Top 100 is still quite die hard! I openly admit I couldn´t do it. It makes your vids quite special. Lists being personal makes them good points for discussion. Like if I was a salesman for European Comics with the intention to lure people in to have a taste and preferably stay, I wouldn´t put Blake & Mortimer on Top 10. It´s a bit demanding for new readers as it´s so "wordy". Having said that it is a Classic and I would offer it later once the reader has already accustomed to European way of doing comics. But then again this is easy for me to say as Blake & Mortimer wouldn´t be on my Top 10:)

[@piotrproszewski3977]

The Metabarons are way more then the spin off of Incal...also Thorgal is a Belgian-Polish comic book

[@fuligem_escarlate]

Alack Sinner?

[@teogriff866]

Blake and mortimer top one

[@subsecretinc]

No tintin is the goat of all comics

[@teogriff866]

@@subsecretinc ok 🥸🥸

[@platinaatje6134]

Absolutely (the Edgar Jacobs albums)

[@elquixotedelascanarias]

Correction: 3:18 Asterix is French, not Belgian. Astérix was originally serialised in Pilote magazine, debuting in the first issue on 29 October 1959. Iznogoud is also French. Désolé. Love the video though.

[@Faolan_Lunaris]

Quite a few titles displayed here are either French or belgian, Franco-belgian is just a covering term.

[@AA-ux6gg]

European: almost French and Belgium 😂

[@Lugtor]

Where is Tardi?😢

[@comicbelief]

7:10.

[@gabrielesanti7812]

Andrea Pazienza

[@ThW5]

Comment??? Who would call a decent FLEMISH series like Suske & Wiske or a FRENCH one like Asterix FRANCO-Belgian? That language border is a thing in comics, you know... Calling all French and Belgian series Franco-Belgian is either a demonstration of being lazy or one of being ignorant.

[@Faolan_Lunaris]

No, Franco-Belgian is just a covering term. There's quite a few titles that are displayed here that are either French or Belgian specifically.

[@stevansha1515]

i'm searching France Comic, but i dont know the pronouns comic creator Pe Louse or Peluse, and comic is Picle Nicle 😅 i dont know how to spell the words may be someboy can help me- thank you ❤

[@sumipto6186]

Could it be "les pieds nickelés" drawn by Pellos ??? :)

[@solisoliveira1733]

The best mangá too please

[@gabrielesanti7812]

Lauzier

[@reginaldforthright805]

What a dumb list. Too much Moebius, too much Alan Moore. Too many modern books. Too many drab realist books. You left out Requiem, Maser, Beano, barbucci, Marini, Lauffray

[@skeezaworkan]

Instead of calling someone's work "dumb" (especially if it's a work made as a hobby), just make your own list and show it as a counterpoint. Otherwise your comment will sound kinda dumb.

[@namelesswhocares8648]

Barely any Milo Manara or Michel vaillant

[@CarloGoiff666]

Considering everything is going to crap in the usa with so much woke content, it's in europe where you can find good quality comics nowadays.

[@terry5646]

"Considering everything is going to crap in the usa with so much woke content" Can you not, that just a lame way of saying not interested in modern western comic books by chud who have a low level understanding of the media there plenty of really good comic books out there from both the big two and especially indie publishers that keep up with them so no need to dump on one continent of the same medium for another. Here a few I recommend: IDW Sonic, Montress, Marvel: Demon Days, Boom: Coda, Radiant Black, I Hate Fairyland, Echolands, Kroma, Deadly Class, Once and Future, Boom: Grim, Fire Power, Arcade King, Everlasting Love, The Sacrifices, The Hunger and the Dusk, Skybound Transformers, TMNT Last Ronin, Middle West, and East of West.

[@alexgomez6723]

@@terry5646IDW Sonic????? Good one 😂

[@subsecretinc]

Fun fact : In Europe, you don't say comics, you say BD.

[@comicbelief]

Well, in France it’s BD, in Italy it’s fumetti, in Spain it’s historieta… and so on… since I was covering multiple countries, comics seemed as appropriate a name as any

[@suicidalkangarooz]

@@comicbelief Huh, I always thought fumetti was when you use real pictures (even if edited) in comic form. Maybe the people I heard that from were wrong.

[@comicbelief]

@@suicidalkangarooz In Italy, fumetti are any kind of comics. Outside of Italy, it is also a name for photo-comics. I wish I knew how these things happen. Graphic novels are supposed to refer to standalone comics of novel-size, but people started to use it to mean any comic paperback. Go figure.

[@suicidalkangarooz]

@Comic Belief I think the graphic novel thing just happened to appeal to people who don't normally read comics and to avoid confusion. Most people aren't going to read single issues so when they're at a bookstore they're not going to know to distinguish between which volumes would be graphic novels or which ones are collected issues of comics. We then got Original Graphic Novels (OGN) for us lol.

[@comicbelief]

@@suicidalkangarooz You are right. It’s been on my mind because it just puts me in a bind for my next video. Not one super-hero to be found in it.