They call them BDs in France, it stands for bandes déssinées. In English they're called comic books, which seems a bit derogatory to me. Graphic novels is probably better.
Browsing in a bookshop the other day, I happened upon a BD on the subject of Led Zeppelin, a group I have admired since I was young, that is to say, for a long time. So I bought it, and am enjoying reading it.
It works on the well-tried presentation principle: "tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em; then tell 'em, then tell 'em what you've told 'em". Each chapter starts with a short text explaining the theme of the chapter. This is followed by several pages of BD, and the chapter ends with two pages of fuller, textual explanantion of what has been shown. Different artists are used for the BD sections of each chapter.
I like the format, and note with pleasure that the series includes books on several other well-loved artists: David Bowie, Pink Floyd, and others. I will buy more. I see that Amazon UK sell what I presume to be English versions; the one I have is in French.
Interesting way to tell a story, that’s for sure.
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