Lombard
Éditions Le Lombard is a Belgian comic book (bande dessinée) publisher and member of the Media-Participations group, publishing over 50 active series and one-shots across genres for general readers, youth/educational segments, and collectors, distributed across Belgium, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Canada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Lombard does
Éditions Le Lombard is a Belgian comic book (bande dessinée) publisher operating under the legal entity Dargaud-Lombard SA – Lombard SA, headquartered at 7 avenue Paul-Henri Spaak in Brussels, with additional offices in Paris, Moudon (Switzerland), and a distribution partner in Boisbriand, Québec (Canada). The company publishes a catalog of more than 50 active series and one-shots across multiple genres including heroic fantasy (Thorgal Saga, Daemon), espionage and financial thrillers (Alpha, I.R.$), westerns (Duke, Brigantus, Diable Pâle), historical and educational titles (Les Enfants de la Résistance, Chroniques diplomatiques, Liberty), and youth comics (Yakari, Didi, Lila). Le Lombard is part of the Media-Participations group alongside Dargaud, Lucky Comics, Blake et Mortimer, Kana, Urban Comics, and Urban China, and has historically collaborated with notable creators including filmmaker Darren Aronofsky on the Noé adaptation.
Revenue is generated primarily through one-time sales of physical and digital comic albums priced between approximately €13.95 and €59.90, with prestige, integral, and collector editions commanding premium pricing. The direct-to-consumer go-to-market is anchored by the 9e Store e-commerce platform (9e-store.fr), which processes virtually all album sales under dedicated terms; this is supplemented by traditional bookstore and specialized comic-shop distribution across Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, and digital reading via the Izneo platform. Marketing combines active social-media presence (Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok), press/editorial coverage, content marketing on lelombard.com, and a strong events motion anchored by festivals such as Angoulême and the Brussels Book Fair.
Operationally, Le Lombard employs 51–100 staff under CEO Christel Hoolans (Directrice Générale) and is registered as a Belgian Société Anonyme with €3,200,000 in share capital. The technology stack is modest: a content/catalog publishing platform with website operations outsourced to Reed SPRL and infrastructure hosted by Media-Participations Paris. There is no documented API, SDK, AI tooling, or proprietary technology layer beyond the content library and editorial workflow. The business model is classic publishing — high gross margin on incremental units, dependent on the continuing commercial performance of a finite number of franchise series and the cadence of new releases.
Lombard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lombard
- Legal name
- Dargaud-Lombard SA – Lombard SA
- Website
- https://lelombard.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Éditions Le Lombard is a Belgian comic book (bande dessinée) publisher and member of the Media-Participations group, publishing over 50 active series and one-shots across genres for general readers, youth/educational segments, and collectors, distributed across Belgium, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Canada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lombard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Comic Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Western Comic Books Publishing (Superhero, Indie) (MPAJAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Licensed & Franchise Comics Publishing (Film/TV/Game Tie-ins) (MPAJAGAH)
Keywords
Where Lombard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brussels
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Lombard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Comic Book Sales: Sales of physical and digital comic albums through the 9e Store e-commerce partner platform. Revenue is generated through direct product sales to consumers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard comic albums |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Prestige and collector editions |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Integral/complete editions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Lombard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lombard publishes and distributes physical and digital comic albums (bandes dessinées) across multiple genres including heroic fantasy, espionage thrillers, westerns, historical adventures, mythology, and youth-oriented titles. The catalog spans over 50 active series and one-shots, sold through the 9e Store e-commerce platform, retail bookstores, comic shops, and digital partners such as Izneo, with formats ranging from standard albums to prestige and integral collector editions.
Product overview
Les Éditions Le Lombard is a Belgian comic book (bande dessinée) publisher offering a diverse catalog of comic book series and one-shots across multiple genres including heroic fantasy, espionage thrillers, westerns, historical adventures, and mythology. The core portfolio includes flagship series such as Thorgal Saga (a heroic fantasy spin-off), Alpha (espionage thriller), I.R.$ (financial thriller), Daemon (mythological adventure), Duke and Brigantus (westerns by Hermann), and youth-oriented series like Les Enfants de la Résistance. The publisher also produces graphic novel one-shots and collaborates with notable creators including Darren Aronofsky. Albums are distributed through the 9e Store e-commerce platform and digital partners including Izneo, with video extracts powered by Westory.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Thorgal Saga A spin-off saga of the classic Thorgal franchise, featuring heroic fantasy and adventure narratives with multiple artistic teams across volumes.
- Alpha
- I.R.$
- Daemon
- Duke
- Les Enfants de la Résistance
- Noé
- Liberty
- Brigantus
- Les Nouvelles Aventures de Bruce J. Hawker
- Cartagena
Companies that use Lombard
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lombard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Lombard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- GallmeisterminorCollection event partnership launching a special collection collaboration between Le Lombard and Gallmeister.
- 9e StorecorePrimary e-commerce sales channel. All album sales conducted through the 9e-store.fr platform with dedicated conditions.
- Media-Participations GroupcoreLe Lombard is part of the Media-Participations group which includes Dargaud, Lucky Comics, Blake et Mortimer, Kana, Urban Comics, and Urban China.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lombard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Glénat: French BD publisher with deep catalog including Astérix (later volumes) and strong manga distribution in France via Glénat Manga. Comparable in album publishing, manga-adjacent content, and festival presence.
- Dupuis: Major Franco-Belgian BD publisher (Spirou, Largo Winch, Gaston Lagaffe, Boule & Bill). Directly comparable in album format, price points, and reader segments, with similar distribution into France, Belgium, and Switzerland.
- Delcourt: Independent French-language BD publisher with a broad catalog across genres. Comparable in target market, format, and pricing tiering, with similar presence in French-language bookstores and festivals.
- Kana: Sister company under Media-Participations specializing in manga publishing in French. Comparable as a group peer and increasingly relevant given manga's growing share of European comics consumption.
- Dargaud: Sister company under Media-Participations and a flagship Franco-Belgian BD publisher (Astérix, Lucky Luke, Blake et Mortimer, Corto Maltese). Direct comparable in product category, target audience, distribution model, and group economics.
- Casterman: Belgian BD publisher best known for Tintin and a growing graphic novel catalog. Directly comparable in Franco-Belgian BD publishing, prestige editions, and international rights management.
- Urban Comics: Sister company under Media-Participations publishing DC and other US comics in French. Comparable as a Media-Participations group publisher and on cross-publishing/screen-adjacent IP monetization, though focused on translated US content rather than original BD.
- Soleil Productions: French-language BD publisher specializing in heroic fantasy, sci-fi, and licensed/fantasy IP. Comparable in genre mix (fantasy, adventure), price points, and use of franchise-driven series.
Broad incumbents
- Panini: Global comics publisher (manga, Marvel, DC in many regions, sticker/collectibles). Comparable in catalog breadth and direct-to-consumer retail, but operates at much larger global scale and is broader in product scope.
- Marvel Comics: Global superhero comic publisher with deep franchise IP and screen-driven merchandising. Comparable in serial comic publishing and IP exploitation economics, but a much larger and globally distributed incumbent.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lombard social profiles
Digital presenceLombard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lombard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Lombard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lombard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lombard
What does Lombard do?
Lombard publishes and distributes physical and digital comic albums (bandes dessinées) across multiple genres including heroic fantasy, espionage thrillers, westerns, historical adventures, mythology, and youth-oriented titles. The catalog spans over 50 active series and one-shots, sold through the 9e Store e-commerce platform, retail bookstores, comic shops, and digital partners such as Izneo, with formats ranging from standard albums to prestige and integral collector editions.
Is Lombard a public or private company?
Lombard is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Lombard founded?
Lombard was founded in -1. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Lombard based?
Lombard is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Lombard make money?
One revenue line is on record: comic Book Sales.
Who are Lombard's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Glénat, Dupuis, Delcourt, Kana, Dargaud, Casterman, Urban Comics and Soleil Productions. Broad incumbents are Panini and Marvel Comics.
Does Lombard have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lombard.
What industry is Lombard in?
Lombard's product category is Comic Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAGAB, Western Comic Books Publishing (Superhero, Indie), with a secondary code of MPAJAGAH, Licensed & Franchise Comics Publishing (Film/TV/Game Tie-ins). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.