Picture by Mary Ellen Flannery
People often obfuscate between a comic book and a graphic novel. Most of them often think graphic novel is comic book. In fact, graphic novel different from comics. Now, let us find out the difference between graphic novel and comic book.
What’s a graphic novel?
Graphic novel is a type that add painting art into novel creation. It is a novel created with painting as an expression medium and art material. This kind of novel expresses the characters and plot of the novel to the reader’s vision with continuous or discontinuous image pictures.
In comic world, Maybe people prefer to use “graphic novel” as a better nickname for comics. It was first seen in comics fan magazines proposed by Richard Kyle. And the first work published in the name of graphic novels was Will Eisner’s “A Covenant with God”. But, from the publication of “A Covenant with God” in 1978 until now. There is still no industry-universal definition of graphic novels.
We derive graphic novels from comics. And they do not separate their expressions from the techniques of comics. They are also an art form combining sequential images and text. But they have a higher freedom in layout, painting style, and brushstrokes. Although it is defined as fiction, they do not limit it to fictional works. Which include Biography, travel notes, non-fiction, popular science and other types of works. From literature, graphic novels are like novels, complete, serious, and profound.
What’s a comic book?
To say it simply, comic books are journals. It regularly published them in an cheap format with pages bound together. Often, comic books do not stand on their own as complete narratives.
The earliest examples of American comics date back to the 1920s. When newspapers like Mutt, Jeff, and Joe Palooka were collected and reprinted. By the 1930s, comics starting feature original material and soon became the medium of choice for the emerging superhero genre.
Graphic novel VS comic: what’s the difference?
1. Comic book are periodically issued journal featuring serial artwork. But graphic novels can be published in serial or non-serial form.
2. Graphic novels are much longer than the average comic’s 22 pages. And tell a self-contained story. According to Bone creator Jeff Smith, the graphic novel has a beginning. Middle and end without the ephemeral quality of the comics and their static characters.
3. Graphic novel’s package is more stronger. With durable binding and better paper or color reproduction quality. Since it either collecting the comic series’ ongoing narrative. Or telling an original story, it offers some finality. While one might expect more thematic or narrative exploration than in the comics. It’s still probably worthless crap, as Moore says.
4. Graphic novels are comics with a certain content, hardcover. Because of the form of expression, the subject matter is more profound and extensive. And it is more suitable for adults to read.
To sum up, graphic novels are like comic books, but much longer. The format is larger, often with binding force, and the story has a definite ending. Comic book often suitable for children to read. But graphic novels are more suitable for adults to read.
The potential of graphic novels is actually to reverse our attitudes towards comics. Which are still a definition of subordinate comics. But enter the reader’s life with a new reading experience. It is this kind of breaking that graphic novels combine literature, film, history, non-fiction, art, and comic expression. Bit by bit overturning the original concept of comics and accommodating the wider world.
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