Matteo went on to ask the panelists about the feedback they receive from readers living outside Europe as well as non-European publishers buying translation rights. Thomas suggested that the art always comes first, and its strength is in its detail and generosity. Pawel pointed out that not that many Polish comics have yet been translated and published in countries outside Poland. The feedback Pawel often gets when showing works of Polish artists outside Poland is that the stories might be quite unusual for certain markets, but with very high-quality art. This, according to Pawel, is one of the reasons many Polish artists go on to work for American or Franco-Belgian publishers. Meanwhile Mike, as a rights buyer, noted that when promoting one of Lion Forge’s translated books, not much emphasis is put onto where the book came from. As Mike explained, Lion Forge wants the work to stand on its own, without highlighting its country of origin.

Matteo continued on that premise by asking the publishers whether they considered the translation aspect and the sale of rights when working on new projects. Klaus responded by saying that he would love to, however it all comes down to the vision of the author as was discussed at the very beginning of the panel. However, Klaus also pointed out that there are now a number of accomplished creators who work in that mindset. He gave an example of German comics creator Reinhard Kleist, who took his work into a more international direction instead of creating stories based in Germany. Thomas shared Klaus’s sentiment by pointing out that there are so many aspects to consider when creating a book (story, art, production, distribution etc.) that the international appeal of the work is not always the first thing editors consider. Although editors are very aware, especially with non-fiction graphic novels that are trending at the moment, that international appeal is what the foreign rights department of each publishing house is expecting from creators and editors. As a comics writer, Thierry stated that he works in two opposite directions. With titles such as Gypsy or Ghost Money that have been translated abroad Thierry created adventure sci-fi stories which were not necessarily geographically marked. On the other hand, the graphic novels Thierry created with Alexandre Clérisse (Atomic Empire, Diabolical Summer) take place on the French Riviera or in a small French village, so as to give the books a certain “French touch.” And while being specifically based in France, these stories still enjoy international success.