Casterman

Casterman is a Belgian publishing house headquartered in Tournai, approximately 90 kilometres southwest of central Brussels. Founded in 1780 by Donat-Joseph Casterman, an editor and bookseller from Tournai, it began as a printing and publishing business and developed over more than two centuries into one of the most recognizable names in Franco-Belgian comics and illustrated children's publishing. The company's decisive transformation came through its relationship with Hergé and The Adventures of Tintin. In 1934, Casterman took over the editions of Le Petit Vingtième, the publication associated with the early Tintin albums. It subsequently published Tintin albums from Cigars of the Pharaoh onward and, beginning in 1942, issued revised and colored versions of earlier albums. The commercial success and international reach of Tintin gave Casterman a major position in the European comics market and created a publishing platform for additional authors and series. After the Tintin relationship strengthened the company, Casterman expanded its comics catalogue with works by creators including Jacques Martin, François Craenhals, and Carla and Vilhelm Hansen. Its catalogue came to encompass adventure comics, historical series, humor, children's comics, and literary graphic novels. Important series associated with the house include The Adventures of Alix, Yakari, Corto Maltese, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, Inspector Canardo, Le Chat, and Chninkel. Some series were later continued, transferred, or developed by other publishers and creative teams, so association with Casterman can refer to an original publication, a period of publication, or a continuing catalogue relationship. Casterman moved into children's books in 1954. The children's list included the highly successful Martine books, created by Gilbert Delahaye and Marcel Marlier, as well as Cadet-Rama titles by Alain Grée. This expansion made the company more than a comics specialist: it became a publisher with an important illustrated-book and family-reading portfolio. The company also pursued a more mature and formally ambitious comics readership. In 1973 it published the first Casterman albums of Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese, helping establish a place for European comics aimed at older readers. In 1978, Casterman launched the monthly magazine À Suivre, a publication that became influential in the comics revival of the 1980s and was discontinued in 1997. Through this magazine and related album publishing, the house supported longer-form, author-driven, and literary approaches to comics. Casterman's publishing activity has included magazines and translated or internationally distributed works in addition to albums and children's books. Its manga catalogue is published under the Sakka imprint. The company is now part of Groupe Flammarion, linking the historic Casterman name to a broader French publishing group while preserving its identity as a comics and illustrated-literature imprint. Its positioning rests on editorial heritage, creator-led European comics, enduring children's characters, and the ability to publish both mainstream series and more mature graphic works.

Casterman traces its origins to 1780, when Donat-Joseph Casterman, an editor and bookseller from Tournai, established the business that became the Casterman publishing house. The company initially operated as a printer and publisher, reflecting the traditional connection between book production, retailing, and publishing in the early modern European book trade. Its best-known historical development began in the twentieth century through its involvement with Hergé's Tintin. In 1934, Casterman took over the editions of Le Petit Vingtième associated with the publication of Tintin albums. The relationship covered the series from Cigars of the Pharaoh onward. From 1942, Casterman also published reworked and colored versions of earlier Tintin albums. Tintin's popularity gave Casterman substantial visibility and helped establish it as a central publisher of French-language comics. The company used that position to broaden its list. It published or became associated with works by creators such as Jacques Martin, François Craenhals, and Carla and Vilhelm Hansen. The catalogue developed across adventure, history, humor, and children's comics. The Adventures of Alix, Yakari, Inspector Canardo, Le Chat, and Chninkel are among the series associated with the publisher, while the house also became connected with major creator-led works such as Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese and Jacques Tardi's The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec. Casterman entered children's literature in 1954. Its children's programme included Martine, written by Gilbert Delahaye and illustrated by Marcel Marlier, as well as Cadet-Rama books by Alain Grée. Martine became one of the publisher's most successful children's properties and reinforced Casterman's presence in illustrated family publishing. During the 1970s, Casterman deliberately expanded toward older and more demanding comics readers. The publication of Corto Maltese albums from 1973 demonstrated an interest in sophisticated European adventure and literary comics. In 1978, the company launched the monthly magazine À Suivre. The magazine played an important role in the comics revival of the 1980s by giving space to longer-form and more author-centered work. Casterman ended its publication in 1997. Casterman's later publishing identity has included comics albums, graphic novels, children's books, periodicals, and manga. Its manga output appears under the Sakka imprint. The company is now part of Groupe Flammarion. Although its corporate setting has changed over time, Casterman remains identified with a durable European comics heritage, a strong children's list, and a catalogue that spans popular series and more literary graphic storytelling.

• 2016

  Pandora is listed among Casterman's magazines

  [1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Pandora appears among the magazines associated with the Casterman catalogue.

• 2003

  Bang! is listed among Casterman's magazines

  [1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Bang! appears among the periodicals associated with Casterman's publishing activities.

• 1997

  À Suivre publication ends

  [1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Casterman ceases publication of the influential monthly comics magazine À Suivre.

• 1978

  À Suivre is launched

  [1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Casterman creates a monthly magazine that later influences the comics revival of the 1980s.

• 1973

  Corto Maltese enters the Casterman catalogue

  [1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Casterman publishes the first albums of Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese as it develops a stronger mature-comics programme.

• 1954

  Children's publishing becomes a major activity

  [1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Casterman expands into children's books, including the Martine series and Cadet-Rama titles.

• 1942

  Earlier Tintin albums receive revised color editions

  [1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Casterman begins publishing reworked and colored versions of earlier Tintin albums.

• 1934

  Tintin publishing relationship begins

  [1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Casterman takes over the editions associated with Le Petit Vingtième and publishes Tintin from Cigars of the Pharaoh onward.

• 1780

  Casterman is founded in Tournai

  [1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Donat-Joseph Casterman establishes an editing, bookselling, printing, and publishing business in Tournai, Belgium.

A heritage European publishing house centered on Franco-Belgian comics, illustrated children's literature, author-led graphic storytelling, and selected manga. Casterman combines mass-market recognition from long-running characters such as Tintin and Martine with a reputation for mature, literary, and artistically ambitious comics.

• Franco-Belgian comics · 1934

  The Adventures of Tintin

  Casterman became a principal publisher of Hergé's Tintin albums after taking over the editions associated with Le Petit Vingtième in 1934. It published the series from Cigars of the Pharaoh onward and later issued revised and colored versions of earlier albums. Tintin's commercial success was central to Casterman's twentieth-century prominence and helped establish the publisher's international profile.

• Children's illustrated books · 1954

  Martine

  Martine is a children's book series written by Gilbert Delahaye and illustrated by Marcel Marlier. Casterman began publishing children's books in 1954, and Martine became one of the most successful properties associated with that expansion. The series strengthened the publisher's position in illustrated family reading alongside its comics catalogue.

• Mature graphic adventure · 1973

  Corto Maltese

  Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese represents Casterman's move toward sophisticated, mature-oriented European comics. Beginning in 1973, the publisher issued albums featuring Pratt's sailor-adventurer character and helped position its list around longer-form, literary, and visually distinctive graphic storytelling.

• Historical adventure comics · 1949

  The Adventures of Alix

  The Adventures of Alix is a historical comics series by Jacques Martin associated with Casterman's European comics catalogue. Its ancient-world setting and adventure format exemplify the publisher's longstanding interest in richly researched, serialized Franco-Belgian comics.

• Children's comics · 1973

  Yakari

  Yakari is a children's comics series associated with Job and Derib and later creative contributors. Its inclusion in Casterman's catalogue reflects the publisher's work across younger-reader comics and its broader portfolio of enduring European characters.

• Graphic adventure comics · 1976

  The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec

  Jacques Tardi's The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec is among the author-driven European comics associated with Casterman. The series combines historical settings, fantastical elements, and a distinctive visual style, illustrating the publisher's mature graphic-fiction identity.

• Manga imprint

  Sakka

  Sakka is the imprint under which Casterman's manga series are published. It extends the brand's activity beyond Franco-Belgian albums into translated and contemporary manga publishing.

• 1978

  Launch the À Suivre magazineProduct launch

  Background

  Casterman wanted a periodical platform capable of presenting new forms of European comics and longer-form storytelling.

  Action taken

  The company established À Suivre as a monthly comics magazine.

  Aftermath

  The magazine influenced the comics revival of the 1980s before publication ended in 1997.

  Source

• 1973

  Target a more mature comics readershipStrategy

  Background

  Casterman sought to move beyond primarily youth-oriented and mainstream album publishing.

  Action taken

  It published the first Casterman albums of Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese.

  Aftermath

  The decision reinforced Casterman's reputation for mature, author-led, and literary European comics.

  Source

• 1954

  Diversify into children's literatureStrategy

  Background

  Casterman had built a strong comics identity but sought additional reach in illustrated and family publishing.

  Action taken

  The company began publishing children's books, including Martine and Cadet-Rama titles.

  Aftermath

  Children's publishing became an important complementary activity and broadened the audience served by the Casterman name.

  Source

• 1934

  Build a major comics publishing position through the Tintin editionsStrategy

  Background

  Casterman took over the editions associated with Le Petit Vingtième at a time when The Adventures of Tintin was becoming a major European comics property.

  Action taken

  The company published Tintin albums from Cigars of the Pharaoh onward and later reissued earlier albums in revised and colored forms.

  Aftermath

  The relationship with Hergé strengthened Casterman's market position and provided a foundation for expansion into other comics and children's series.

  Source

• 1978

  À Suivre launches as a Casterman monthly magazine[1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  Casterman established À Suivre, a monthly comics magazine that became influential in the European comics revival of the 1980s before ending publication in 1997.

• 1973

  Casterman publishes Corto Maltese[1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The house began publishing albums of Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese as part of its effort to reach a more mature comics readership.

• 1954

  Casterman expands into children's books[1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Casterman entered children's publishing, including the Martine books and Cadet-Rama titles, creating a major second pillar alongside comics.

• 1942

  Casterman begins publishing revised and colored Tintin albums[1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  The publisher started issuing reworked and colored versions of earlier Tintin albums, broadening the presentation and catalogue life of the series.

• 1934

  Casterman takes over the editions associated with Le Petit Vingtième[1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Casterman assumed responsibility for the editions through which it published The Adventures of Tintin, beginning with Cigars of the Pharaoh and strengthening its role in European comics publishing.

• Casterman publishes manga under the Sakka imprint[1]Castermanen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Casterman's manga publishing is organized under the Sakka imprint, extending the group's catalogue beyond European comics.

1. 1Castermanen.wikipedia.org