A new bande dessinée, Tout mais pas Beyrouth, (“Everything but Not Beirut”) written by Mathieu Diez with art by Jibé, on sale now from Delcourt, offers a timely insight into life in Lebanon.
On sale now in all good French bookshops, and online (AmazonUK Affiliate Link), published in French, Tout mais pas Beyrouth is part travelogue, part chronicle. Mathieu Diez, co-founder of the Lyon BD Festival, shares his discovery of Lebanon, where he settled with his family in 2021. He recounts his daily life and work for four years at the French Embassy, up until the war of October 2024.
When Mathieu moved to Beirut with his family to work at the French Embassy, he discovered a city devastated by the economic crisis and the port explosion, yet full of intensity and captivating life. Through a chronicle of daily life, his work at the embassy, and the October 2024 war, he paints a sensitive and sincere portrait of Beirut and Lebanon.
You can read an extract here on the Delcourt website
Tout mais pas Beyrouth is introduced by Rima Abdul Malak, former Minister of Culture of France, now Chairwoman and CEO of the L’Orient-Le Jour group.
A few dates are planned in March to accompany the release of the album, in Paris and Mathieu’s home town of Lyon.
Although his early career in banking nearly led him astray, Mathieu Diez thankfully took control of his life and opened a bistro on the Croix-Rousse hill in Lyon. It was in the “Café du bout du monde” (Café at the End of the World) that he rediscovered the world of comics, his childhood passion, and co-founded the Lyon BD Festival. In 2021, he and his family moved to Lebanon to become the French Embassy’s book attaché. Returning four years later, he recounted this adventure in a graphic novel with the artist Jibé.
Jibé is an author and illustrator born in 1981 near Lyon. He launched his webcomic in 2005, which has spawned several books: Sans emploi (2010) and its sequel Marche ou rêve (2012), followed by Basse Def (2013) and Super Basse Def (2019), a series adapted into animation and a video game. Jibé has also worked as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator since 2010 and continues to publish most of his work on his blog, chezjibe.com.
• Tout mais pas Beyrouth, (“Everything but Not Beirut”) written by Mathieu Diez with art by Jibé, on sale now from Delcourt | ISBN: 978-2413088363 | Buy it from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• You can read an extract here on the Delcourt website
Tout mais pas Beyrouth Events
Friday, March 13, 2026
Dedication from 4pm to 7pm – La Bande Comics Bookstore in Lyon, 50 Grand Street of the Red Cross – Lyon 4 | Event details here
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Cross-dedication meeting with the king @charlberberian from 19h30 – Le Monte en l’air Bookstore in Paris, 2 Rue de la Mare – 75020 Paris
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Meeting and then signing at 3pm at the Comedy-Odéon Theater in Lyon, in association with Lyon BD, 6 Rue Grolée, 69002 Lyon | Register for this event here
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Comic Previews, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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