Japanese comics and graphic novels have long enjoyed a huge following in France. The majority of those mangas are Asian imports, but a few European artists have ventured into the genre. Our reporters went to meet Frenchman Reno Lemaire, whose series "Dreamland" has sold over 700,000 copies worldwide.

Olivia Salazar-Winspear and Dheepthika Laurent chat about the highly anticipated fifth season of Netflix series "The Crown", which is being released just weeks after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It looks at the troubled 1990s, from the queen's "annus horribilis" to the tragic death of Princess Diana. Also out this month is a BBC Two/Canal+ series with a feminist spin on Marie-Antoinette, while Sylvester Stallone's first TV show, out on Paramount+, depicts him as a mobster exiled to Oklahoma. Finally, legendary director Tim Burton makes his TV debut at the helm of "Wednesday", a new take on "The Addams Family" out on Netflix.

After the spectacular box office figures generated by “Black Panther” in 2018, the Marvel hit machine is hoping for similar success with its sequel “Wakanda Forever”. Film critic Lisa Nesselson tells us more about the franchise’s reach and the consequences for the industry overall. We also discuss “Riposte Féministe”, the French documentary following the militant groups pasting up slogans in public space to raise awareness about violence against women and systemic gender inequality. Finally, as James Gray’s “Armageddon Time” hits French screens, we take a look at this moving, thoughtful retelling of a Jewish childhood in Queens, New York on the eve of Ronald Reagan’s election.

Following a successful run in the United States, “Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight” has come to Paris’s Cave Café. The one-man show stars Jim Ortlieb as a man desperate for human connection in the post-pandemic era. In this piece written by John Kolvenbach, the audience is front and centre. Our guests tell FRANCE 24’s Olivia Salazar-Winspear what they think the audience is hoping to experience and give us a taste of the show itself.

In this week's music show, we welcome two guests. Reekado Banks is one of Nigeria's top Afropop stars, whose new single "Jeun To Da" heralds the arrival of his hotly anticipated next record. Meanwhile, Ysée is a Franco-Beninese artist who was the protégée of the late Tony Allen. She's also worked with the likes of Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn and has just released her first solo EP, a tribute to her mentor entitled "Tony Allen Makes Me High". We talk about their new releases and the influences that Nigerian pioneers still have on music that's made today.

With her powerful performances she questions gender, race and the aftermath of colonial oppression. Nora Chipaumire has forged an artistic path from Zimbabwe to New York through choreography and dance, picking up multiple awards along the way. As her piece "Nehanda: Manifesting Thinking" comes to the stage in Paris, Nora joins us in the studio to talk about Charwe Nyakasikana, who resisted British colonial rule in Rhodesia in the 19th century and how this female revolutionary hero informed her own work.

Director Lotfy Nathan joins us to talk about his latest film "Harka", a devastating take on Tunisian society a decade after the Arab Spring. We discuss the insurmountable challenges faced by protagonist Ali, as well as the existential and emotional experience of a young man caught up in the socio-economic struggles of his country.

Their pop-synth sound became emblematic of the 1980s. Scottish band Simple Minds topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with hits like "Don't You Forget About Me" and "Alive and Kicking", selling more than 60 million albums and filling stadiums around the world. Founding member Jim Kerr tells us about making their new album "Direction of the Heart" at a time of intense concentration in his home of Taormina, Sicily. We also take a look back at the band's activism against apartheid, which led to an amusing encounter with Nelson Mandela.

Lyzza started DJing around Amsterdam when she was a teenager, just a few years after she and her mother moved from their native Brazil to the Netherlands. After making a name for herself across Europe's finest clubs, she reconnected with her motherland though her new mixtape "Mosquito", which has just been released on Ninja Tunes. She popped by FRANCE 24's studios to tell Marjorie Hache more about it.

We take a trip to the Deep South thanks to an exhibition that uncovers a lesser-known part of the cultural landscape of New Orleans. "Black Indians" explores the creativity of the African American and indigenous communities through parades and celebrations. Our reporters went to check it out at the Quai Branly museum in Paris.