Poland’s comic book publishing output more than quadruples over 15 years, new report finds

Publishers in Poland released 2,294 comic book editions in 2025, an increase of 250 from the previous year, with translations accounting for nearly 78% of the total. The findings come from a new study by Polish comics platform Komiksopedia, which also highlights the strong presence of Asian comics and the growing role of self-published works.

The report, “Rynek komiksu w liczbach 2025” (“The Comics Market in Numbers 2025”), published on Oct. 30, is Komiksopedia’s first annual analysis of Poland’s comics publishing industry. Of the editions recorded, 272 were revised reissues, leaving 2,022 new titles.

The study found that annual comics publishing output has increased more than fourfold since 2010, recovering from a brief slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Komiksopedia’s figures exceed those recorded by Poland’s National Library, which received 1,579 comic book titles in 2025. The researchers attribute the difference to their broader methodology, which includes small-run independent publications, zines, and collectors’ editions that may not reach the library through the legal deposit system.

Western comics, including works originating in Europe, the Americas, and Australia, accounted for 1,473 editions, or 64.21% of the total. Asian comics made up the remaining 821 editions, or 35.79%.

Japanese manga accounted for 780 editions, or 34% of all comics published in Poland in 2025, followed by American comics with 437 editions (19.05%) and Franco-Belgian titles with 335 (14.60%). Italian comics represented 3.27%, while German and South Korean titles each accounted for 1.66%.

Comics originally published in Polish accounted for 506 editions, or 22.06% of the total. Nearly half of these — 245 editions, or 48.42% — were independently self-published, up from 38.46% in 2024 and 37.28% in 2023.

Fantasy was the most widely represented genre, with 719 editions (31.34%), followed by comedy with 644 (28.07%) and adventure with 545 (23.76%). Action, drama, romance, superhero stories, science fiction, and horror were also among the leading categories. Because individual comics could belong to several genres, the percentages overlap.

Children’s and young adult comics represented a substantial part of publishing output. A total of 923 editions, or 40.24%, were intended for readers under 18. The largest category was shōnen manga, primarily aimed at teenage boys, with 384 editions, followed by 199 titles for children aged 8–12.

The report also recorded rapid growth in South Korean comics, known as manhwa. Their number rose from just six editions in 2024 to 38 in 2025, with publisher Waneko responsible for 25 of them.

Poland’s comics publishing industry remains concentrated among a relatively small number of companies. Five publishers accounted for more than half of total output, led by Egmont with 439 editions, followed by Waneko with 302, Studio JG with 274, Hachette with 92, and J.P. Fantastica with 77.

Overall, 153 publishing entities released at least one comic in 2025, excluding individual self-publishers. Four new specialist comics publishers also entered the market: Shock Comics, TitansGroup, Krogulec, and Los Kraba.

Publishing activity was particularly strong around major comics events. September saw the highest number of releases, with 261 editions, coinciding with the International Festival of Comics and Games in Łódź. May and June each recorded 218 editions, around the time of the Komiksowa Warszawa and Pyrkon festivals.

The study covers printed comics published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025. Its figures are based on publications cataloged by Komiksopedia and verified through publishers, distributors, bookstores, and comics festivals. Additional print runs and alternative cover variants were not counted separately.

The expansion of Poland’s comics publishing output comes amid wider international interest in the format. As reported earlier, NielsenIQ BookData found that graphic novels, including manga and superhero comics, reached record sales levels in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2025.

Poland has also become a market for translated Ukrainian graphic novels. A Polish edition of “A Brief History of a Long War,” created by Ukrainian artist and cultural historian Mariam Naiem and illustrators Yulia Vus and Ivan Kypibida, was published by Timof. The graphic novel has also been translated into several other European languages.

Main photo: rynek-ksiazki.pl