Comics v. Graphic Novels?

I’m taking a summer class on multi-cultural comics, and that (along with a rather heated discussion in a children’s lit class last spring) got me thinking about labels for this particular form of media.

Do we call ‘em comics or graphic novels?

When I was first introduced to the concept of graphic novels, the term was used to refer to collected comics. Marvel takes six or so issues of X-Men, binds them together, and voilà! A graphic novel. Or a trade paperback. But it’s still comics.

So what the heck do we call this stuff?

Wikipedia defines a graphic novel as “a type of comic book, usually with a lengthy and complex storyline similar to those of novels, and often aimed at mature audiences.” The problem with this definition is that many comic books (single issue-based magazines with sequential art-based storylines) often have lengthy and complex plots. Hell, anyone who’s spent a year reading the X-Men comics can tell you that the plotlines are complex sometimes to the point of obscurity. Wikipedia acknowledges the mutability of the term “graphic novel” and also brings up a point that I think is incredibly important.

Some people use the term “graphic novel” to try to set apart certain titles on the basis of so-called artistic value. Now, this is a slippery slope on the best of days. Artistic value is incredibly subjective; each person is going to have a different view of what defines art. Remember that guy at the museum, bitching about Jackson Pollock? “My three-year-old could make that!” Or the woman who turns her nose up at anything that isn’t modern, because it’s passé?

Though I often use the term, it feels to me that many people do call ‘em graphic novels out of a sense of snobbery. “I don’t read comics. They’re for basement-dwelling fanboys. I read graphic novels.” Gee, you think that term might have been invented by publishers who were just dying to sell more comics, but wanted to paint on a veneer of respectability? Really, whatever the subject matter, it’s the same thing. It’s sequential art. Words and images juxtaposed to create a story. As with any storytelling form, there is an enormous variety of content, and each person is responsible for deciding what floats their boat, what’s valuable to them as a reader. Is it high art? Is it low art?

Who the hell cares? It’s all comics.

For further reading:

• Neil Gaiman’s thoughts on the matter. (scroll a bit to get to the question about comics v. graphic novels)
• Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud

Some recommended comics/graphic novels/whatever the heck you want to call them:

• Bill Willingham’s Fables series
• Maus by Art Spiegelman
• Wolverine: Weapon X by Barry Windsor Smith

Also check out my Comics/Graphic Narrative shelf on my GoodReads profile. Graphic narrative! Ooh, how wanky! ;)