Intro to Graphic Novels

Graphic Novels:

The "graphic" here means visual in format. Graphic Novel (GN) is a format, not a genre, so there can be romance, sci-fi, fantasy, realistic, and even non-fiction books at are graphic in format. Almost all combine text and art, though some titles are more "text heavy" than others.
Manga are, simply put, GNs that orignated in Japan or that use Japanese style art and formating (for more info, see the Intro to Manga entry).

Traditional American comics are a familiar example of the GN format. However, individual 30-some-page comic books are not considered a GN unless or until they are republished collectively in book form (e.g. Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power and Responsibility is a collection of individual issues). Also under the GN heading are the non-comic book titles often labeled "Graphic Novel Literature" or just "Graphic Literature," which is comparative to calling some fiction books literature, an attempt to differentiate between the mass market, pop culture bestsellers and high quality literary fiction. Unlike comics, most Graphic Literature (GL) was not first published in serial form but rather written as a complete, self-contained novel. On the whole, most GL is aimed at adult audiences with complex plot and character development. This is one reason GL titles are more often reviewed in professional journals and other book review sources than the more popular teen interest Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse titles.

Many libraries have built their GN collection on these lauded GL titles, but this is not a strategy I recommend when it comes building a specifically YA GN collection. For one, most are not geared towards your average teen reader either in story or art, and many of ones that are for or about teens just do not appeal to the teens who are interested in graphic novels to begin with. There are notable exceptions to this, such as Bone, American Born Chinese, and I Am Legend, which generally see heavy circulation by boys. Some GL would certainly circulate, but have very adult content (think Sin City), even when the characters are teens or young adults. Investing in all critically acclaimed GL would be like just stocking the YA fiction collection strictly with the classics teen usually have to read in school or adult-chosen award winners. Sure, most of these are wonderful books, quality literature, but don't expect them to fly off the shelves.

The thing to remember when choosing what to order is that teens have specific interests and are just as attached to certain genres in GN as in fiction. Most will not read anything and everything that comes in a GN format no matter what it's about. Teens who like romance GNs will not be likely to go for Maus. Also remember that popular, high-interest, "comic" GNs can also be high quality and be well worth the money. These are the kinds of titles I hope to highlight on this site as well as warning against the true "junk."