"Whenever scientists discover a new element or material that can be industrialized, workers are exposed first," she says. "At first there are one or two cases. Then, after many deaths, it becomes headline news. And then it disappears again, until the next material comes along."

To reconstruct the story, she immersed herself in archival research, reading victims' diaries, and studying the details of early 20th-century factories, down to industrial locks and machine parts.

Not all of Cy's work centers on historical events, but she intentionally engages with social themes. She believes artists should remain actively involved in society rather than stand apart from it.

In France, comics artists typically work as freelancers, a lifestyle that often brings financial instability. But for Cy, autonomy outweighs insecurity. It is one reason she has no desire to return to office work.

When publishers take on a project, they usually provide an advance against future royalties. If a book performs poorly, the author keeps the advance. If it succeeds, royalties are paid on top.

The arrangement, she says, allows creators to keep working without being financially crushed by a single setback.

"If a book doesn't sell well," she says pragmatically, "I just move on to the next one and find another editor."

At the festival's Beijing stop, Yang and Cy joined French comics artist Catherine Meurisse and Chinese comics artist Yu Kun onstage for a conversation with readers. One audience member asked whether commercial projects sharpen an artist's voice or slowly wear it down.

Neither Yang nor Cy seemed especially enthusiastic about working for others.

Yang says she has always wanted to tell her own stories, but struggled for years simply to begin. She recalls making bets with friends: if they failed to finish a script outline within a week, they would owe each other 50 yuan. "In the end," she says with a laugh, "we each ended up owing the other 500."

Cy says commercial projects often move in circles. An idea approved at the start can be revised repeatedly, only to return months later to its original form.

Recently, a new phrase has gained traction online: "one-person company" — the idea that a single creator can build an audience, produce work, and distribute it independently. Social media, AI tools and digital platforms have made that kind of independence feel increasingly attainable.

Both artists also offer advice to younger creators, drawn from their own experiences.

"When I want to make something," Yang says, "I don't calculate the cost first. I don't start by asking whether it will make money."

Cy echoes the sentiment: trust the value of your own work and never underestimate it.

Contact the writer at baishuhao@chinadaily.com.cn