Defining Comics, Graphic Novels and More
Is There a Difference Between Comics and Graphic Novels?
Comics are in high demand these days, but popular opinion has long considered them to be a juvenile form of literature. Many publishers, booksellers, and readers are now struggling to classify these works, and not just because of the target readership. Should serialized comics be shelved alongside of longer stories? Are Japanese manga and North American comics comparable? How do webcomics figure into the equation?
Essentially, the question is this: Can the scope, form, and audience of comics be defined? Maybe not, but several terms have popped up in an attempt to categorize the field of comics. Here are a few of the most popular ones:
What are Graphic Novels?
This term gained popularity in the '70s and '80s after the publication of several groundbreaking comics, including Art Spiegelman's Maus, Alan Moore's Watchmen, as well as various underground comics from the '60s.
"Graphic novel" generally applies to longer works with a sustained narrative or storyline, but can also include collections of serialized comics series (trade paperbacks, or TPBs) or short stories. The label emphasizes the literary qualities of a comic book; that is, a graphic novel is expected to be similar to a literary fiction novel.
However, the term has its critics, including comics heavyweights Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman, who dislike it because it often simply refers to the binding (more durable than traditional comic books, and therefore more expensive). Another common argument is that "graphic novel" is a fancy repackaging of what would normally be called a comic book in order to appeal to an adult readership and raise the cover price.
Nevertheless, graphic novels are booming in popularity and literary acclaim and publishers are focusing more and more on graphic novels, in hopes of producing the next big hit. Read more about graphic novels here.
What is Comic Art?
This term basically covers everything and anything to do with comics: comic books, comic strips, magazine cartoons, graphic novels, caricatures, web comics, underground and mainstream works, political cartoons, gag illustrations, comics-related artwork, etc. Comic art collections emphasize history: the history of comics themselves, and also how past events were documented by the comics of the times.
It's also becoming increasingly international in its scope; for example, the 2009 Toronto Comic Arts Festival spotlighted guests from Japan and France in addition to local Canadian headliners ("easily our strongest TCAF event line-up yet" according to the TCAF website). The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) in New York is famous for its yearly fundraising festival that features numerous international guests and exhibits.
What is Manga?
Manga are Japanese comic books, usually published serially but sometimes as a one-shot, by a comic book publisher. Chapters from different stories are typically published in a weekly or monthly magazine collection, like Afternoon or Shonen Jump. It's a huge part of the publishing industry in Japan, and growing in popularity in other parts of the world. Major Japanese manga publishers include Kodansha, Hakusensha and Shueisha; the biggest North American publishers of translated manga are Dark Horse Comics, Viz Media, TOKYOPOP and ADV Manga.
Stylistically and aesthetically, manga differs greatly from most English-language comics (big eyes, crazy hair, etc.), but a greater distinction is the cultural divide. From the food, to the styles of speech, to the subject matter, these are things that manga fans have probably grown accustomed to, but newcomers to the genre might find a bit daunting. Here are some common manga terms.
Defining Comics
In the end, graphic novels, comic art, manga—and similarly classified works, like illustrated novels or picture novellas—all fall into the category of comics. After all, what is the difference between a book that is found in the graphic novel section of a bookstore and the same book that is sold in a comic book store?
There are several solid theories about the structure, story and art of comics but the beauty of comics is its versatility. Comics and cartoons are relatively young in terms of in terms of their history as a mass medium or as a marketable product. Debates will likely continue as long as cartoonists and comics creators test the limits and conventions of their art.
Defining Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga, and More
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