Last year, ComicBook began a series of interviews with local comic book shops, these wonderful places where we find like-minded people who share our passion for the art. This week in ComicBook Shop Talk, I sat down with the crew at Pulp’s Bordeaux to offer you a peek at how things work on the other side of the ocean. The European market is quite different, but Pulp’s is a classic American comic book shop, offering weekly issues both in French and English for its clientele. While there are multiple Pulp’s in France, united by a deal to import comic books and offer them on the same day they reach the shelves in the US, Pulp’s Bordeaux is the only one outside the capital, Paris. Pulp’s Bordeaux comics manager, Bruno Cosnier, and comics librarian Lisa Heboyan, explain the joys and hurdles of running an American-style store in France, sharing their invaluable insights on the industry.
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Pulp’s Bordeaux
| Website: pulps.fr | Email: [email protected] |
| Address: 56 Rue du Loup, 33000 Bordeaux, France | Instagram: @pulpsbordeaux |
| Phone number: +33 9 86 29 42 31 |
Pulp’s Bordeaux Origin Story
Marco Vito: Thank you for accepting to chat with us. To start, I’d like to hear a little more about your work here. How many years have you been at Pulp’s Bordeaux? How did it all begin?
Bruno: The shop opened in September 2012, so yeah, 14 years. We’re going to celebrate our 14th anniversary this year. I arrived in the first year as the person in charge of the comics section. We’re a shop that, from the start, was focused on both comics and related merchandise, which was a really coherent whole.
I ended up here somewhat by chance. Comic shops are not my background at all. I was a research scientist, a PhD in genetics, and I was at a point where I was looking for work. I was having some career-related difficulties finding jobs. It was complicated. I had to enlarge my research, and I had a side hustle, so to speak, where I made podcasts about comics with friends online. We’d get together every week to discuss American releases in their original language and all that, so we were pretty knowledgeable about it.
It just so happened that this shop was looking for someone who knew a bit about comics, so I took a chance. It was a bit of a leap into the unknown, but it’s something I don’t regret now, 14 years later, because it’s truly a job I’m passionate about, sharing my knowledge and what we have to offer with the public. So, there you have it. It’s been 14 years. There’s been a lot of evolution, the shop has changed a lot between 14 years ago and now, but we’ve managed to increase the range of people who might be interested in our shop.
Marco Vito: And how did you become passionate about comic books?
Bruno: I went through several phases in my life. I was a manga fan when I was a teenager, and then I began reading a little bit of Franco-Belgian comics. Comics have always been a common thread, but I really got back into American comics in the early 2000s with [Brian Michael] Bendis’ Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man. I came back to it through that door. Then, discussing comics with passionate people increases the desire to discover more and more things. And to be able to work in this field, well, in this sector, it’s something that I really enjoyed afterwards.
Managing an American Comic Book Shop in France
Marco Vito: I notice France has a much stronger culture for trades, graphic novels, and Franco-Belgian comics. Pulp’s is a bit different from other shops because there’s this focus on American comics, and you offer both translations and original English issues. How’s the business going? How do you feel about the clientele?
Bruno: When the shop opened, there was a real desire to offer American comics in English as well, because that was already the case in the shop that was here before. Before us, there was another shop called L’Antre du Dragon, which was a role-playing game shop that offered a little bit of comics, a little bit of manga. They did it in small quantities, but they still had some original versions. So, we already had a clientele who read English and who read issues. The idea was to push comics a bit stronger, to present even more products in English, and to also have all the French versions.
We were lucky enough to be associated with another shop called Pulp’s, which is in Paris. It’s a very large comic shop that has existed for a very long time, I think more than 25 years, and is a bit of a reference in Paris. Through a secondary activity, Pulp’s also happens to be an importer. They allow comic shops in France to receive English versions, dealing with all customs management and such, in order to be able to distribute them. Because when you are a standalone shop, you can’t really order from the United States. It’s far too complicated to create accounts, to get good discounts, and then it’s very risky.
In France, we are used to what is called the “law of the book,” which is something that protects booksellers somewhat, with the possibility of buying books and being able to return unsold copies, to get refunds to buy other things, and also to have a fixed price—which means that we have the same price for books everywhere in France. That’s something that doesn’t exist in the United States, or maybe it’s a little different. But that’s something that protects booksellers. It doesn’t make them invulnerable, but it protects them. With American comics, on the other hand, it’s totally different, because it’s an imported product. We can’t make returns. We can sometimes take advantage of certain cases of damage—we can indeed get credits, have exchanges, there’s no problem with that. But when it comes to, for example, returning hundreds of comics to get credits, that’s something we can’t really manage.
But there you go. The idea from the start was to offer English copies, and to offer them in a larger quantity than before, in order to be able to open it up to other people.
Marco Vito: There’s something I love about the store. Of course, I read DC and Marvel, but I’m a bigger reader of indies, of productions that come from Image Comics, Boom! Studios, Mad Cave… And I find it here, in the original version. I was here last week, and I saw that you already have the first trade volume of Exquisite Corpses.
Bruno: That was the goal from the start, because we sensed there was a real boom. In fact, when we opened, it was just as Black Science and Saga were coming out—those were the big indie titles that were killing it and had a huge impact on French readers, both in the original language for people who started reading in English, and later when they were published in French and became huge hits. We indeed have an appetite for independent comics, which makes us like to seek out hidden gems.
It’s sometimes a bit risky because you never really know if it will work, but what’s also great is that in the indie scene, more titles aren’t translated into French. We know that with some titles, we’re testing the waters because there’s very little chance they’ll be translated. So we still want to offer them, so people can read them, discover them in English. Lately, for all the big successes, whether indie or the Big Two, there are always publishers who translate them. But there is still always this delay, which can range from six months to a year or two to get them in French. I know that the novelty is something quite important, with social networks, spoilers, and such, and it is true that we have a clientele who like to be able to read them in English to follow the new developments.
It’s still a bit of a niche market. It’s not the majority of our readers, because we have more readers who read in French, but 30-40% of our comic book customers buy the original version. So, it’s still quite significant.
Marco Vito: How do you see the changes in the industry? For example, we discussed this before the interview started. We have Amazon allowing people to buy from home. Here, do you have a slightly more faithful clientele? How’s it going?
Comic shops like ours, which are really specialized in American comics and sell a few manga—we did sell some manga at one point, but in terms of space, we were really forced to limit ourselves to American comics, with a few Franco-Belgian titles sometimes that bridge the gap with comics too. Because of our specificity, there are very few shops like ours in France, and they are in the big cities. There are maybe 10 that really only do American comics and that offer original versions. Maybe even a little more, but very few. Because of this originality, we have customers who have really identified us as the place to be for comics, so that’s great. We have our customers, they are loyal, they were there 14 years ago, and they continue to come to see us now.
There’s quite a bit of competition in the French market. We have a lot of bookstores in Bordeaux, large and very well-known ones, like Mollat, which is a huge bookstore. So we try to make the most of our resources by offering as many American comics as possible, so that people can find what they’re looking for. And then we try to organize events. For example, we were among the first to offer Free Comic Book Day in Bordeaux, and it was something that worked well in the big comic shops—in France, in Paris, and elsewhere. We did it right from the start, 14 years ago. It was an event that made its mark, that grew over time.
In addition, we brought in artists for signings. We had some very nice signings at the shop, with big names, during those 14 years of history. We had names like Humberto Ramos, we had Tim Sale, Matteo Scalera, who came to the shop, and those were really big events. It’s sometimes difficult, because as we work with American comics, the authors are still largely abroad. It’s more difficult to organize book signings than with French authors for Franco-Belgian comics. Still, we always try to have people come to the shop to present their work. In addition to that, we also benefit from the help of Pulp’s in Paris, who can give us information on authors who can come, and also arrange interviews for us to have with them. Last year, for example, we had Kevin Nowlan at the shop. He was also in Paris, and it was a real pleasure to have him.
We try to promote our work through events and social media, because it’s a big part of our job to show people what we receive and make them want to come. All of this means we’re quite well established in Bordeaux, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
Lisa: On top of that, we’re developing our Pulp’s exclusives initiative together with French publishers, which focuses on French translations.
Bruno: That’s precisely our advantage, having a large shop in Paris, which also has a website, which sells well. We have agreements with publishers for special editions of comics in French. For example, this week [the week of February 9th], we will receive Absolute Batman with an exclusive cover by Jae Lee, which will be available only at our comic shop. A bit like they do in the United States for singles, and so that’s a chance. Pulp’s Paris, they are also big enough to, on an event basis, once a year, or two or three times, have a special edition in English as well, with an exclusive cover, because they have enough volume sometimes. So we try to offer original things in the shop. It’s very interesting.
The American Comic Books That Are Popular in France
Marco Vito: I’d now like to know a little bit about your reading habits, what you’re reading now, and what you find interesting.
Lisa: Aside from Absolute Batman! Absolute Batman doesn’t count! [Lisa jests]
Bruno: Personally, I just want to say that last year we were spoiled. Because it wasn’t a given. Until 2024, it wasn’t easy. There weren’t really any big titles coming out, and you could feel Marvel and DC were kind of searching for their footing. But then came a real renaissance, with Marvel’s Ultimate universe coming back strong, and Absolute being a real success story. I was saying this—somewhat jokingly—often last year, but I was saying that’s what saved comic shops last year, and whether it was in the US or France. I think it helped a lot.
Marco Vito: I think we all agree.
Bruno: What’s more, the thing is, these are titles we really enjoy, titles we love following. As for the Ultimate line, I’ve always been a fan of the original Ultimate line, and I was very happy to return to that world. I’m also a fan of Jonathan Hickman, so I had high hopes. We’re nearing the end now. There have been ups and downs, but it’s still been very effective. Absolute, we won’t talk about it too much, but it’s a gem. We devour it every time. It’s practically a religion!
Personally, if I had to pick a favorite, I’m a huge fan of what Image is doing right now with the Energon universe. We have a great Transformers community in Bordeaux, a fan base that really loves this universe. What they’ve done is really make this franchise truly comprehensive, with tons of crossovers between different series, like G.I. Joe, Void Rivals, and so on. That’s really fantastic. It’s taken off quite a bit in English, and we have a good number of subscribers. We weven on a competition with a window display design. We created a Transformers-themed display with Urban Comics [official publisher of Image titles translated into French]. So, we got quite a bit of attention on it, and we had a signing with a special edition.
I’m really, really excited about it. I’d like it to catch on more in France, but it still has a bit of an American connotation, with GI Joe and all that. The Transformers titles are doing well. The GI Joe titles, a little less so. We’ll have to see later, once the two are more closely linked, if that will help. And then when the animated series comes out, because apparently, they’re working on an adaptation.
Marco Vito: Yes, it will be an animated series with both.
Bruno: That’ll be a gem. I’m all for it. There’s a Transformers issue coming out this week. It’s the first thing I read. I always jump over it.
Marco Vito: What about you, Lisa?
Lisa: In French or in the original version?
Marco Vito: A bit of everything, if you will.
Lisa: In French, my latest favorite was the Doctor Strange I read in the Deluxe edition. That was pretty good. Or the hardcover edition of Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell, which I really enjoyed. We were lucky enough to get a Pulp’s edition for it with a cover by Gabriele Dell’Otto, with prints signed. It was a very, very good one-shot with an old Daredevil returning to action in a version of Hell’s Kitchen that’s completely dead. So, I really enjoyed it.
Bruno: And the French edition is truly beautiful. I don’t think there’s an American equivalent in this genre. With a cloth spine.
Marco Vito: I usually collect original language editions. But sometimes I see French editions that tempt me.
Lisa: And besides, it arrived just before Christmas. So, it was perfect timing.
Bruno: Speaking of guilty pleasures, I’m really into DC K.O. right now. It’s hilarious. So, I’m waiting to see what they’ll do with the conclusions of all this. And in the indie scene, we’re big fans of Álvaro Martínez Bueno. He came to the shop. He doesn’t live very far away. He’s in San Sebastián, I think. He came as a tourist once or twice; we noticed him, and we managed to get him to sign copies of The Nice House on the Lake. He works with an agency called The Green Room. They have lots of Spanish artists who are really incredibly talented. There are some truly amazing Spanish comic book artists right now, and we’re hoping to maybe bring some of them to the shop, too, to take advantage of our proximity to Spain.
Lisa: For me [when it comes to indie favorites], it’s Phantom Road.
Bruno: Yes, Phantom Road is great.
Lisa: It’s an ongoing independent title that is coming out slowly, but it’s coming out well. I devoured the first three trades. I’m absolutely loving it. I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel.
Bruno: And then, among the titles they’ve made their mark on and that will be making headlines this year… I really like Tom King.
Lisa: Yes, me too!
Bruno: His Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is really great. With a Brazilian artist, I think.
Lisa: Yes, that’s it, Bilquis Evely.
Bruno: She is extraordinary. I hope she’ll do something new soon. Because it’s been a moment since we saw her. Oh, there was Helen of Wyndhorn. That was a real gem. And it worked very well. Perhaps the Supergirl movie will also help to refocus attention on DC titles.
Marco Vito: Before we finish, I’d like to ask you why it’s important to have comic book stores like Pulp’s?
Lisa: Well, we already have many bookstores here [in Bordeaux] that focus on Franco-Belgian comics. So, having an American comic book store helps diversify the book market and makes international titles accessible in France.
Bruno: And the American comics market on a global scale is still quite small. It’s perhaps 2% of the overall comics market. On top of that, American comic book shelves are shrinking in stores like FNAC stores and places like that. There are fewer and fewer of them. So, it’s true that customers who like this world are happy to still have a store that showcases it and respects it. Furthermore, Pulp’s is also a meeting place. We have clients who have been here since I started. I have clients I see every week. There’s a really important social aspect to it.
However, it’s not all sunshine and roses. Because the book market isn’t easy. There have been ups and downs. And we’re fortunate to also have the spin-off products, which sometimes help compensate when the book sales aren’t going very well. It also allows us to reach a wider audience. As a result, we’re quite proud in the shop to have such a wide range of people who come in. Because we often say that comic shops are very male-dominated, that American comic book readers are mostly geeky people, and so on. But we are really very open to all kinds of audiences. Some people aren’t at all attracted to comics initially. They’re curious because they’re going to buy toys. And then, afterwards, they’ll look at comics and say, “My son might like this. My husband might like this. I might like it.”
Marco Vito: I can understand that. When I come with my girlfriend, I check the comics while she looks at all the Pokémon products.
Lisa: And then there’s also a growing female audience interested in comics.
Bruno: Yeah, that’s something we’ve been feeling in recent years. And that’s great.
We find motivation to keep it going. It’s a fascinating job. We do it for the love of it. I’ve been here for over 14 years. And every week, I still have the pleasure of opening my boxes that arrive from the United States, discovering the books in advance. I throw myself into the new issues.
Lisa: Yes, we all do!
Bruno: It’s nice, discovering the covers and all that. Or complaining when it’s a little damaged. But honestly, I’d say that American books always arrive in better condition than ours. French books, when delivered by our French couriers, are less well packaged. And we have far more problems with damage to French books than to American ones. Thankfully.
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