Possibilities of mind and matter

A fan of the Shaw Brothers Studio movies known for their kung fu fights and historical epics, he is attracted to stories about the detective Di Renjie from the Tang Dynasty (618-907). At the age of 7, Delcourt's parents accidentally took him to watch a Frankenstein film which opened a new door for Delcourt.

Raised in the 1960s in northern France, Delcourt says he grew up wanting to be part of something different from the culture of the previous generations. He started collecting comic books in the 1970s. He went to business school, worked as a financial analyst in Los Angeles and returned to France as a journalist. Setting up a publishing company specialized in comics as a "means to an end", because he always wanted to edit comic books.

"Comics are an excellent way to discover the world, as they are a form of language where you can do anything you want," he says.

His group has grown as comics have become more diverse in recent years, attracting wider audiences, especially female readers. He says Chinese society is dynamic and full of energy. "Hopefully, the Liu project will help us find more good artists and storytellers here, and attract more Chinese readers to international projects like this."