12 bis

12 bis was a French publishing house focused primarily on bande dessinée, manga, and related graphic books. It began operating on 3 August 2007, founded by Dominique Burdot and Laurent Muller, two publishing executives with previous experience at Glénat. Burdot had served as Glénat's managing director of publications, while Muller had been the group's editorial director. Their background helped position 12 bis within the professional French comics publishing ecosystem from its inception. The company's catalogue combined new and established comics material. Among its notable publishing activities were reprints of works by François Bourgeon, including Les Passagers du vent and Le Cycle de Cyann. It also published Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux, a satirical comic centered on the American wine critic Robert Parker. More broadly, the house served the French-language market with European comics and manga rather than operating as a general-interest publisher. 12 bis established a website in December 2009, but the company later encountered serious financial difficulties. A judicial reorganization procedure, known in France as redressement judiciaire, began in April 2013. The procedure was intended to address the publisher's liabilities and preserve the business, but it did not prevent liquidation. Reported liabilities totaled €2,902,928, including €1,196,753 in unpaid copyright fees. In September 2013, Glénat acquired the remaining assets. The transaction included the 12 bis catalogue, with the exception of works by François Bourgeon. The brand remained associated with Glénat during a subsequent period of integration and is described as having been absorbed by Glénat on 1 August 2017. Because the available reference material does not establish a detailed post-acquisition operating structure, 12 bis is best treated as a defunct independent publisher whose assets and catalogue were incorporated into Glénat rather than as an active standalone company. Its principal historical significance lies in the movement of experienced Glénat executives into an independent comics imprint, its publication of reprints and satirical graphic works, and the eventual transfer of its catalogue following insolvency proceedings.

12 bis was established in France on 3 August 2007 by Dominique Burdot and Laurent Muller. Both founders had previously held senior editorial or publishing positions at Glénat, a major French comics publisher. Burdot had been Glénat's managing director of publications, while Muller had served as its editorial director. Their decision to launch 12 bis created an independent imprint led by executives already familiar with the French bande dessinée market, its authors, and its catalogue economics. The publisher concentrated on comics and manga for French-language readers. Its programme included both original or contemporary graphic publications and reprints of recognized material. The company undertook new editions of François Bourgeon's Les Passagers du vent and Le Cycle de Cyann. It also issued Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux, a satirical work involving the American wine critic Robert Parker. These titles illustrate a catalogue that combined established intellectual property with genre and topical publications rather than attempting to compete as a broad-based book publisher. 12 bis created a website in December 2009, reflecting the growing importance of online catalogue presentation and direct information for comics readers. However, the company later experienced financial losses. In April 2013 it entered redressement judiciaire, a French legal procedure designed to give a financially distressed business an opportunity to continue operating while addressing its debts. The attempt was unsuccessful. The reported liabilities amounted to €2,902,928, of which €1,196,753 represented unpaid copyright fees. The scale and composition of the liabilities made liquidation necessary. In September 2013, Glénat acquired the remaining assets of 12 bis. The acquired assets included the publisher's complete catalogue except for the works by François Bourgeon. This transaction connected the failed independent imprint back to the publishing group from which its founders had originally come. The available account does not provide a full description of how individual titles, contracts, staff, or rights were administered after the transaction. 12 bis is reported as having remained in an integration process until 1 August 2017, when it was absorbed by Glénat. It is therefore no longer an active standalone publisher. Its historical record is defined by a relatively short operating period, a specialist comics catalogue, the involvement of former Glénat executives, financial distress involving substantial unpaid copyright obligations, and the transfer of its remaining assets to Glénat. The exact distinction between the 2013 asset acquisition and the later 2017 absorption reflects two stages in the end of the independent 12 bis entity: the former concerned the transfer of assets after liquidation, while the latter marked the reported completion of the brand's incorporation into Glénat.

1. 201712 bis is absorbed by Glénat

   The independent publisher is reported to have been absorbed by Glénat on 1 August.

   Source
2. 2013Judicial reorganization begins

   The company enters redressement judiciaire in April amid financial losses and unpaid obligations.

   Source
3. 2013Glénat acquires remaining assets

   After liquidation, Glénat acquires the remaining 12 bis assets and catalogue, excluding François Bourgeon's works.

   Source
4. 2009Publisher website is created

   12 bis establishes its website in December as an online channel for its publishing activity.

   Source
5. 200712 bis is founded

   Dominique Burdot and Laurent Muller establish the French comics publisher on 3 August.

   Source

French-language comics and graphic publishing imprint

• Bande dessinée albumsEuropean comics2007

  Bande dessinée formed the core of 12 bis's publishing programme. The imprint issued French-language European comics albums, including both established properties and other graphic works. Its catalogue was aimed at the specialist comics market rather than the general book trade.

• MangaJapanese-style comics2007

  12 bis also published manga for readers in France. The available reference material confirms manga as a principal category but does not provide enough verified catalogue detail to identify particular series or creators comprehensively.

• Les Passagers du ventComic-book reprint

  12 bis undertook reprinting of François Bourgeon's Les Passagers du vent, a recognized work in the French comics tradition. Bourgeon's works were excluded from the catalogue transferred to Glénat after the liquidation-related asset transaction.

• Le Cycle de CyannComic-book reprint

  The publisher also reprinted François Bourgeon's Le Cycle de Cyann. Like Les Passagers du vent, this work is specifically identified in the available account as part of 12 bis's reprint activity and as outside the catalogue acquired by Glénat.

• Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteuxSatirical comic

  This satirical comic addressed the public persona of American wine critic Robert Parker. It represents 12 bis's interest in topical and humorous graphic publishing alongside its more conventional comics catalogue.

• 2013Entry into judicial reorganizationOther

  Financial losses left 12 bis unable to meet its obligations. The company entered the French redressement judiciaire procedure in April, which is intended to give a distressed business an opportunity to restructure and continue.

  What changed. 12 bis sought legal protection and restructuring under the French judicial reorganization process.

  Aftermath. The restructuring did not restore the business. Reported liabilities reached €2,902,928, including €1,196,753 in unpaid copyright fees, and the company was ultimately liquidated.

  Reported liabilities. €2,902,928 total liabilities, including €1,196,753 in unpaid copyright fees (April 2013)

  Source
• 2013Transfer of remaining assets to GlénatM&A

  Following liquidation, 12 bis no longer had the capacity to continue as an independent publisher.

  What changed. Glénat acquired the remaining assets, including the 12 bis catalogue except for François Bourgeon's works.

  Aftermath. The transaction returned much of the imprint's publishing portfolio to the Glénat group and preceded the reported absorption of 12 bis in 2017.

  Source

• 201712 bis absorbed by Glénat

  The publisher's independent existence ended when 12 bis was absorbed into Glénat.

  M&A
  Source
• 201312 bis enters judicial reorganization

  The comics publisher entered a French judicial reorganization procedure after experiencing financial losses and difficulty meeting its obligations.

  BankruptcyRegulation
  Source
• 2013Glénat acquires 12 bis assets

  Following liquidation, Glénat acquired the publisher's remaining assets and catalogue, excluding works by François Bourgeon.

  M&ABankruptcy
  Source

1. 12 bis