La Revue Dessinée

Name

La Revue Dessinée

Legal name

LRD TOPO (LA REVUE DESSINEE TOPO)

Website

https://larevuedessinee.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Revue Dessinée is a Paris-based French publisher, founded in 2013, that produces a quarterly investigative journalism magazine and standalone albums entirely in graphic novel (bande dessinée) format, serving French-speaking readers and educational institutions through subscriptions, bookstores, newsstands, and mobile apps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investigative Journalism Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Publishers (513130), Other Publishers (51319)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Politics, Current Affairs & Social Commentary Publishing (MPAJAAAM)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Graphic novels
• Bande dessinée
• Documentary comics
• Magazine publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Magazine Sales: Quarterly printed magazine published approximately every 3 months. Each issue contains 212 pages and is sold for 19€ per copy. Issues distributed to bookstores and directly through the website.
2. Album/Book Sales: Special investigative albums and books published independently or in partnership with publishers like La Découverte and Le Seuil. Prices range from 22.50€ to 23.90€.
3. Subscriptions: Multiple subscription tiers: quarterly (3 issues), classic annual (4 issues), digital-only, and premium bundles that include a free album with annual subscription. Subscriptions include free shipping.
4. Gift Cards: Gift cards available in denominations of 25€, 50€, 100€, and 150€ for gifting subscriptions or purchases.
5. Digital Content: Mobile applications for iOS and Android providing digital access to content. Subscription tiers include digital-only options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

La Revue Dessinée publishes a quarterly 212-page investigative journalism magazine presented entirely in bande dessinée (graphic novel) format, priced at 19€ per issue, alongside a catalog of standalone investigative albums (22.50€–23.90€) on topics such as colonization, environmental scandals, public health, and political affairs. The content is delivered through print, dedicated iOS and Android mobile apps, and a digital subscription, with revenue generated from single-issue sales, multi-tier subscriptions (quarterly, classic, digital, premium-with-album), and gift cards.

Product overview

La Revue Dessinée is a French investigative journalism magazine published in bande dessinée (graphic novel) format. The portfolio consists of a quarterly print/digital magazine (La Revue Dessinée) offering long-form investigative reports in comic form, complemented by standalone album books that expand on specific investigations in greater depth. The company operates a subscription-based business model with multiple tiers (Classic, Premium, Digital, Quarterly) and sells individual issues and albums through its e-commerce platform. Additional offerings include a mobile application for iOS and Android, a weekly newsletter featuring editorial cartoons, and gift cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• La Revue Dessinée (Quarterly Magazine) A 212-page quarterly print and digital magazine publishing long-form investigative journalism entirely in bande dessinée (graphic novel) format, covering politics, ecology, social issues, and current affairs. Each issue is priced at 19€ and distributed through bookstores, newsstands, the company's e-commerce site, and mobile apps. Issue #52 (Summer 2026) is the most recent release.
• Albums (Standalone Investigative Books) Standalone investigative books in graphic novel format expanding on specific investigations in greater depth than the magazine. Catalog includes 'La France Empire', 'Ils nous ruinent la santé', 'Le Mal des montagnes', 'On ne parle pas de ces choses-là', 'Champs de bataille', 'Sarkozy-Khadafi', 'Capital et idéologie', 'Algues vertes', and others, priced between 22.50€ and 23.90€. Some albums are co-editions with publishers La Découverte and Le Seuil.
• La Revue Dessinée et Topo Mobile Application Native mobile applications for iOS and Android (Google Play: 'La Revue Dessinée et Topo'; Apple App Store id 1621291122) enabling subscribers to read the magazine and albums digitally on smartphones and tablets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000 pre-orders in one month for 'Le Mal des montagnes' album
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Radio France (Cellule Investigation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 March 2026First-time collaboration for special edition 'Ils nous ruinent la santé'. Joint investigative project combining Radio France's journalistic investigation unit with La Revue Dessinée's graphic storytelling. 200 pages of investigative comics on health policy and financial interests threatening public health.
• MediapartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration producing investigative albums based on Mediapart journalism. Multiple co-editions including investigations on state affairs, political scandals, and financial matters. Includes 'Les enquêtes de Mediapart en bande dessinée' series (volumes 1, 2, and 3).
• We ReportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative investigation work with We Report investigative collective. Co-founded by Robert Schmidt, who contributes investigations on police, environmental crimes, and extremist groups for various media including Mediapart and Les Jours.
• Le Seuil (Éditions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-edition partnership for select albums including 'Cent mille ans' (nuclear waste scandal at Bure) and historical investigation series with historian Florian Mazel.
• La Découverte (Éditions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing co-edition partner for investigative albums. Notable collaboration on 'Chevaliers, Moines et Paysans' with historian Florian Mazel (2019) and other historical investigations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Éditions La Découverte: Major French independent publishing house focused on social sciences, history, and critical investigations, and an established co-edition partner of La Revue Dessinée. Comparable in editorial mission on critical investigative content, although it operates primarily in academic and non-fiction book publishing rather than graphic novels.
• Mediapart: Major French subscription-based investigative journalism outlet and direct content partner of La Revue Dessinée. Operates in the same investigative journalism space but as a daily news platform rather than a quarterly print magazine, and is a recurring source of investigations adapted into LRD albums.
• Éditions Dupuis: Major French-language bande dessinée publisher with deep catalog and distribution capabilities. Relevant as a potential co-publishing or distribution partner, and as the broader incumbent in the BD publishing ecosystem in which LRD operates.

Emerging players

• Reporterre: French independent daily online magazine dedicated to ecological and climate investigative journalism. Overlaps with LRD's environmental coverage (e.g., 'Le Mal des montagnes', 'Algues vertes') and serves a similar reader segment seeking critical environmental reporting.
• Les Jours: French independent online investigative journalism cooperative focused on serialized, long-form reporting. Comparable in mission to provide 'distanced' critical journalism outside the daily news cycle, with subscription-based monetization similar to LRD's.
• Blast: Subscription-based French investigative digital media outlet focused on long-form, critical reporting on political, social, and environmental topics. Overlaps with LRD's editorial mission and audience but distributes via video and digital articles rather than graphic novels.

Direct peers

• Politis: French independent investigative magazine covering politics, ecology, and social issues from a left-leaning critical perspective. Competes for the same reader of alternative, politically engaged press and shares LRD's editorial emphasis on investigative depth.
• Charlie Hebdo: French satirical weekly magazine combining editorial illustration and investigative reporting on politics and society. Operates in the same intersection of comics/illustration and critical journalism that defines La Revue Dessinée, although at a much higher frequency and with a satirical editorial stance.
• Le Canard Enchaîné: Iconic French weekly investigative and satirical newspaper with deep roots in political investigative journalism. Closest long-running French analogue to LRD's critical, distanced approach to political and social affairs, although delivered in satirical text/illustration rather than long-form graphic novel format.
• Revue XXI: French long-form, investigative journalism magazine published quarterly on paper in a similar oversized format. Closest text-format analogue to La Revue Dessinée's editorial mission, serving the same audience of readers seeking deep critical reporting outside the daily news cycle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/larevuedessinee
• Instagraminstagram.com/la_revue_dessinee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-revue-dessine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Revue Dessinée