Franco-Belgian comic wins Best Manga Award

Belgian comic book artist François Schuiten and French writer Benoît Peeters have won first prize in the Manga category for their graphic novel Les Cités Obscures (The Dark Cities) at the Japan Media Arts Festival in Tokyo. The Cités Obscures series was started 30 years ago by the pair, and depicts a fictional universe made of independent cities, each with a distinctive architectural identity. The ceremony will take place at Tokyo’s National Arts Centre in February. Les Cités Obscures also won number one translated graphic novel at this year’s Gaiman Awards, beating Mark Millar’s acclaimed Superman: Red Son.