Graphic Novels

The term graphic novel is a composition of the noun novel—from Italian novella—and the adjective graphic, from Greek graphein (to draw/write). Graphic novels share many technical aspects as well as sequential art’s languages with comics, but in the 21st century, a separation between the two forms has occurred.

Described in the mainstream press as distinct from the comic strip and the comic book, the graphic novel is a literary genre and an expression form. It is also a commercial label with which the comics industry has expanded into new markets and distribution channels; for example, narrative arcs from comic book series, or even entire comics or Japanese manga cycles, may be collected as omnibus paperbacks and marketed as graphic novels, so as to be sold in ...