Intro to Manga

Manga:

Manga (pronounced with short "a"-- like mahn-guh), is the Japanese word for comic, and in the American understanding, has come to mean both comics that are originally produced in Japan and those produced elsewhere but still in the Japanese art style and format. As with American comic GNs by Marvel and DC, manga GNs are produced as series with multiple volumes (with many, but not all, as collections of previously published separate issues).

One of the main format differences between manga and American GNs is that manga are read from back-to-front and text and action frames are read from right-to-left. This follows the standard reading format of all traditional Japanese language texts. Though some very popular manga series and Western produced manga are reformatted/formated for Western front-to-back reading, back-to-front and right-to-left is considered more authentic by fans and not a drawback once one becomes used to it. Also unlike American GNs, manga by current publishers are by-and-large standard in size/dimensions (this uniformity can make for easily recognizable and visually appealing shelving in the library).

Manga art style itself is distinctive, the most commonly recognizable features being the "big eyes;" large heads, hands, and feet,;and slim bodies. Of course, as with all art styles, these are any number of distinctive differences or variations depending on the artist/author (often the same person, called a "mangaka"). The vast majority of manga titles' art is reproduced in black and white, with color art collections available for select series.

When adding mange to the YA collection, it is important to consider a series' genre and age/grade appropriateness. Some manga is produced for a strictly adult audience, often including explicit and even deviant sexual behavior. Such manga are called seijin ("adult") for men and josei ("woman") for women and are not usually available at major bookstore chains or library vendors, but are some are available though Amazon and other websites. Descriptions or titles should help tip you off
The following are some important manga terms to know for teen series:
shōnen manga--Targeted to boys up to 18 years old--Usually a combination of various "male" genres, including action/adventure, martial arts, military robots, space sci-fi, action fantasy, and characteristically includes slapstick comedy and "fan service" (gorgeous women with cleavage, tight outfits, and who flash their panties--ranging from very mild to strong based on the series--level will be indicated in reviews on this site).
shōjo manga--Targeted to girls up to 18 years old--Usually some a romantic version of fantasy, sci-fi, historical, and school-life, and characteristically includes beautiful, slightly feminine boys, gender-benders, and comedies of misunderstanding. Most are usually a mix of comedy and drama, some with a darker edge than others. Yaoi (pronounced “ya-oy”) is a sub-genre of shojo where boys love boys/boy love (BL).

Publishers' Ratings:
Though ratings are not yet standardized, most publishers now give some indication of age appropriateness of titles. The following are the most common:
A= All Ages
Y = Youth (10+)
T = Teen (13+)
T+= Older Teen (16+) or
OT = Older Teen (16+)
M= Mature (Adult, 18+)
Just like with MPAA movie ratings, there is a range of content within each rating bracket, so ratings alone should not be the soul factor used for collection development decisions.
Note: Though some series may carry one rating (say. OT), a particular volume may come with a "Parental Advisory" warning. This may be for mature theme (e.g. cutting, suicide), language, sexuality, or nudity. This a challenge because the questionable material may only in one volume, so it often is a choice by the librarian (especially school librarians) about just how objectionable the material is and to judge whether to not have the series at all, to not have that volume, or to circulate that volume with the series anyway.
If a series is know to have a volume with a Parental Advisory warning, it will be noted in its review on this site.

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."