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Fabrice Sapolsky was born and raised in France and the French comics scene, and quickly became one of its most internationally-minded editors with stints at Atlantic BD's Steinkis Groupe and Humanoids, and also work with Glenat and Delcourt. Along the way he co-created Marvel's Spider-Man Noir, and is now head of his own publishing company, FairSquare Graphics. We sat down and talked to him at Emerald City Comic Con 2026 about his work and the fascinating intersection of American, French, and Japanese comics.

Fabrice Sapolsky was born in Paris, but he was always aware that there was a big world of comics out there beyond the French bande-dessine. In fact, he always preferred the American comics he read to those from France.

“I was never into French comics,” he told Popverse's Graeme McMillan at ECCC 2026. “I thought that French comics were not my thing. And if you look at how French, American, and Japanese comics are laid out, you understand that the differences in storytelling and the differences in pacing and the differences in how the story relates to the characters and how the characters drive the story.”

That is a very big picture view of the differences, but Sapolsky has a handy metaphor to help explain things.

“I always dig this metaphor; imagine you’re in this theater. If you’re at the back of the room, and you’re watching the big screen from the back, you’re watching French comics. It’s very contemplative. It’s beautiful. But you barely hear the dialogue and the voices of the characters. It’s art-driven. If you are in the first two rows, [you’ve got] your bucket of popcorn, and you’re enjoying it with a big grin on your face, you’re American comics. If you’re in the screen with the characters, you’re manga. Because you’re in the screen, seeing the emotions the same way the characters do.”

So if you’ve ever wondered what the difference between French, American, and Japanese comics is, just picture yourself in a movie theater, and it will all become clear.

Get ready for what's next with our list to upcoming comics and how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to all the free comics you can get with this year's Free Comic Book Day and Comics Giveaway Day.