Graphic novels vs comic books

It’s only a pet peeve, but for want of a better forum to spout off about it, I’m going to subject you to my geeky vitriol.

Almost every day, in my role as a bookseller, I hear someone exclaim “Oh, look!  They have comic books!”  From my lofty perch behind the counter, I try to patiently explain that the display of reasonably-priced product they are looking at is not, in fact, one of comic books but graphic novels.

Sometimes I’m ignored.  Occasionally, people will shrug and say “whatever.”  Most often, however, I am asked to explain the difference between the two.  To date, my answer has been consistent and based on nothing but my own personal opinion that the difference lies in the binding.  I hold that comic books are the traditional saddle stitched (held together with staples in the spine) comic magazines, while graphic novels are bound like books — either in a hardcover or tradepaper book format.

Although this answer satisfies most curious individuals, I’ve decided I need someone with more authority to back me up on this argument.  I also want to slap down the “whatever” people to make them realize that there is indeed a fundamental difference.

It might not matter to them, but it matters to me.

Thus begins my search for support for my thesis (sure, I could look for counter-arguments, but I come from the Michael Moore school of debate). 

When searching for THE voice of graphic novels, comic books and all things wild and wonderful, the first and often only person to look to is Neil Gaiman.  Trust Neil.  He’ll have something to say.  In fact, he says it in answering a question:

I’ve been trying to figure out if there’s actually some meaningful difference between a “comic book” and a “graphic novel.” Sandman started off its life as 76 comic books, but now it seems almost univerally referred to as a series of graphic novels. Are graphic novels just comics that someone, somewhere believes are art? Does a comic become a graphic novel when its collected? Is it just an arbitrary term that people can feel free to use however they please?

Yes.

No, there’s no meaningful difference. For some reason the term “big thick collected or original comic published in book form” has never really caught on, while “Graphic Novel” did.

It’s a sales category, and a clue to where in the bookstore (or comic shop) you can buy the story. Sandman was indeed 76 comic books, and you can still find those issues on eBay, and on the walls and back-issue bins at comic stores. But if you want to read the story now, the easy way is as a series of ten graphic novels. That’s how they stay in print.

Then there are weirder things. My book with Dave McKean, “THE WOLVES IN THE WALLS”, is a children’s book in Barnes and Noble, but it’s a graphic novel in Borders. This is because it was bought by the children’s buyer (who decides what goes into the children’s section) at B&N, but by the graphic novel buyer at Borders.

There you go.  It’s a “big thick collected or original comic published in book form.”  That seems to imply that it is the format that is the important aspect to consider when trying to determine if something is a comic book or graphic novel.  Thus, I am able to forego purchasing my, say, Spider-Man monthly comics with the idea of purchasing the same story arc bundled into a sturdier tradepaper format at some point down the road.

Simple.  But, as with anything worth knowing, there’s more to the story…

Diamond Comics is the world’s largest distributor of English-language comics, graphic novels, and related pop-culture merchandise.  According to their website:

A comic book or “pamphlet” is the traditional periodical form most people are familiar with. A comic book can stand on its own or be a part of a series. A series is also sometimes called a “title,” which refers to the entire series, not a single, discrete unit.

Sometimes, multiple issues of a series are collected into one volume. It can be hardcover or softcover. Softcover editions are often called “trade paperbacks,” or just “trades,” regardless of size. A hardcover or a softcover can also be called a “graphic novel.”

When a story is published in the hardcover or soft cover format first (that is, without periodical serialization), it is referred to as a graphic novel and only a graphic novel.

Many of these terms are inter-changeable, as you can see. A “graphic novel” can refer to a hardcover or soft cover, to a reprint collection or an original story. Similarly, all of the formats referenced can be called “comics” or “comic books.”

Sigh.  I was sure that this blurb would back up my argument — and it did, right up to the last sentence.  But I think they threw that in there just to make sure they didn’t offend any geeks who might have differing views on the issue.

Next up:  “geeks” vs “nerds”.