The history of France's Comic Con begins in 2007. The event was created by the organizers of Japan Expo, a well-known French convention on Japanese popular culture. Japan Expo's spin off event was originally named Kultima. It was dedicated to all aspects and genres of French popular culture including comics (bandes dessinées), fantasy, science fiction, films, television shows, etc. The inaugural edition of Kultima was held in November 2007, it drew about 18,000 attendees.
In 2009, the convention was renamed to Comic Con after San Diego Comic-Con International. Its programming expanded to include European and American pop culture as well. It was held under this name for a few more years. Foreign fans usually called the event Comic Con France to distinguish it from other Comic Cons held all over the world.
After the 2013 edition, Comic Con France separated from Japan Expo and was acquired by ReedPOP. The convention took a break for rebranding and was relaunched in 2015 as Comic Con Paris. Its patron is Louis Leterrier, the only French film director who contributed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2008, Leterrier directed The Incredible Hulk which became the second film in the MCU, following Iron Man.
Comic Con Paris programming is similar to that of other pop culture conventions because the majority of such events are modeled after San Diego's Comic Con. It includes panels, Q&As, photo ops and autograph sessions with celebrity guests, workshops and seminars, discussions, exhibitions, cosplay contests, film screenings, and a lot of other attractions. Each year, the organizers invite a number of special guests such as comic book authors and publishers, actors, directors and other industry professionals.
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