Graphic novel

A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format.^[1] The term is employed in a broad manner, encompassing non-fiction works and thematically linked short stories as well as fictional stories across a number of genres.^[2]

The evolving term graphic novel is not strictly  defined and is sometimes used, controversially, to imply subjective distinctions in artistic quality

The digest-sized "picture novel" It Rhymes with Lust (1950), one precursor of the graphic novel. Cover art by Matt Baker and Ray Osrin.

The 1940s saw the launching of Classics Illustrated, a comic-book series that primarily adapted between graphic novels and other kinds of comics. It suggests a complete story that has a beginning, middle and end, as opposed to an ongoing series. It can also imply a story that is outside the genres commonly associated with comic books, or that deals with more mature themes. It is sometimes applied to works that fit this description even though they are serialized in traditional comic book format. The term is sometimes used to disassociate works from the juvenile or humorous connotations of the terms comics and comic book, implying that the work is more serious, mature, or literary than traditional comics. Following this reasoning, the French term Bande Dessinée is occasionally applied, by art historians and others schooled in fine arts, to dissociate comic books in the fine-art tradition from those of popular entertainment, even though in the French language the term has no such connotation and applies equally to all kinds of comic strips and books.
In the publishing trade, the term is sometimes extended to material that would not be considered a novel if produced in another medium. Collections of comic books that do not form a continuous story, anthologies or collections of loosely related pieces, and even non-fiction are stocked by libraries and bookstores as "graphic novels" (similar to the manner in which dramatic stories are included in "comic" books). It is also sometimes used to create a distinction between works created as stand-alone stories, in contrast to collections or compilations of a story arc from a comic book series published in book form.^[3][4][5]
Whether manga, which has had a much longer history of both novel-like publishing and production of comics for adult audiences, should be included in the term is not always agreed upon. Likewise, in continental Europe, both original book-length stories such as La rivolta dei racchi (1967) by Guido Buzzeli,^[6] and collections of comic stripsalbums", since the end of the 19th century (including Franco-Belgian comicsThe Adventures of Tintin" and "Lieutenant Blueberry", and Italian series such as "Corto Maltese"). have been commonly published in hardcover volumes, often called " series such as "

Zig and Wikki: Something Ate My Homework

Will Zig and Wikki learn about the food chain, or become part of it? Science and comics combine in this fun early reader from Toon Books.

Amelia Rules! The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular

Amelia McBride returns in a new adventure that sees her trying to gain popularity but only managing to alienate herself from, well, just about everyone.

Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye, Vol. 1: Hamster and Cheese

A pet shop filled with cranky, quirky, mislabeled animals is the setting for this goofy detective story that gets its humor from the pets’ strong personalities and the dim-witted owner’s silly mistakes.

that's also a prequel to the story! 

Blood+ Kowloon Nights

Police officer Nishi meets a strange man while investigating a series of murders that seem to have been perpetrated by vampires.

A Home for Mr. Easter

A high-school student adopts a rabbit who turns out to be the Easter Bunny. Now everyone wants the rabbit, and she’s determined to get him to the North Pole.

Halo: Helljumper

In a tale that runs tangentially to the universe envisioned by the Halo series of video games, Peter David and Eric Nguyen explore the human aspect of a violent alien invasion with surprising success.

See all adult fiction reviews

Rough Justice

Go behind the scenes of the beautifully painted superhero artwork of Alex Ross, as the artist details his experiences with some of the most popular comics characters of all time.

Pedro & Me

Pedro Zamora was the young, gay, HIV-positive man who touched a generation’s lives when he appeared on MTV’s The Real World. Here, his fellow castmate pays loving tribute to Pedro’s inspiration.

Alec: "The Years Have Pants"

Eddie Campbell has spent decades documenting his life both in and out of comics. This massive omnibus collects them all.

Smile

Raina Telgemeier documents her teen years, good times and bad, after a chance accident leaves her two front teeth severely injured. Years of surgeries and other treatments follow, making her high-school years awkward and sometimes painful…yet always hopeful too.

Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons

For more than half a century, Gahan Wilson has been producing comic commentary for Playboy. Now this massive three-volume set collects all that work, plus tons of extras, in one extravagantly beautiful place.

See all adult nonfiction reviews

Angel Diary, Vol. 1-10

The princess of Heaven runs away from her engagement to the King of Hell and hides out on Earth disguised as a boy.

Resistance, Book 1

Paul, his sister Marie, and their Jewish friend Henri decide to join the French Resistance to fight back against the Germans during World War II.

Bokurano: Ours, Vol. 1

Fifteen middle school students are offered the chance to play a game using a giant robot to fight invading aliens, but the cost of that game is greater than they know.

Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 1-3

It used to be that Riiko couldn’t get a boyfriend. Now, when she orders herself one in a box, she gets more than she bargained for, including a very high bill.

See all teen reviews

Prince of Persia

Full of passion and horror and flashing steel, Prince of Persia effortlessly blends action and big ideas in a way that’s rare for the adventure genre in any medium. With its haunting treatment of its themes of prophecy and courage in the face of certain doom, it’s a thinking person’s yarn.

City of Spies

With the world at war, even kids have to watch out for Nazi spies. Two intrepid kids have an adventure in WWII-era New York City in the gorgeous City of Spies from First Second.