Technically European comics were inspired by the American layouts of the classics of the Golden Age. However, their stories, characters and book construction were mainly original. This led to a development of comics in Europe that was very different from the American path during the 40's and 50's, as costumed heroes and superheroes did not inspire European comics creators of the mainstream publications.
Very strict control and censorship in Europe was banning all excess of violence and feminine sex-appeal in the comics, as these were reputed to be reading material for the youth.
More realistic stories, in settings similar to hard-boiled mystery novels came later on, around the 70's, due to the apparition of comics dedicated to an adult readership. This was a consequence of a more realistic censorship that was then finally allowing for youth and adult comics as two separate media, both with teir own limits in violence, realism, and sex.
This gave finally the right grounds for real hard-boiled crime stories to appear in the European comics.
In the today comics publishing scene in Europe, real hard-boiled crime stories almost vanished, as it is the case in the USA as well. However a lot of typical elements of Noir and HB are still to be found in other settings of the European comics of the end of the 90's.
Higher diversification in subjects and characters, stories with longer development and deeper analysis, higher cares in the printing and distribution of European comics in Europe, an adult redership asking for novelties, all seem to give a better chance to the European comics to survive than their American counterpart in the present crisis this popular art is facing in both regions.
This should insure enough room for a possible resurgence of the HB genre in this media, as it is already valued by the European public in literature and cinema.
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Most recent revision: 14 August, 1997