Franco-Belgian comics (French: Bande dessinée franco-belge; Dutch: Franco-Belgische strip) are comics that are created for a Belgian and French audience. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bandes dessinées (literally drawn strips) in French and stripverhalen (literally strip stories) in Dutch. Flemish Belgian comic books (originally written in Dutch) are influenced by francophone comics, yet have a distinctly different style.
In Europe, the French language is spoken natively not only in France but also by about 40% of the population of Belgium and about 20% of the population of Switzerland. The shared language creates an artistic and commercial market where national identity is often blurred.
Read more about Franco-Belgian Comics: Vocabulary, History, Formats, Styles, Foreign Comics, Conventions, Impact and Popularity, Notable Comics