Introduction : French strippers viewed from afar -- Definitions and component parts : how a BD works -- Formal specificity : novel novel or nouvelle nouvelle vague? -- Pre-history : from Bayeux's tapestry to Töpffer's teachings -- The nineteenth century : photos, funnies and films -- The twentieth century : the rise, fall and rise of the BD -- Contemporary BD : innovators, best-sellers and prize-winners -- Pop art or business park? : Barthes-ering for the market -- Consecration of the ninth art : meaningful ecos or circus clones -- Cultural studies and beyond : cases in point and further reading -- Conclusion : Dick Turpin rides again.