View Full Version : Graphic Novel vs. Trades vs. Comic Books
sillyemoboi
11-08-2007, 07:16 PM
What is the difference between these three? Is there a difference? Please enlighten me.
trsjeff
11-08-2007, 08:04 PM
Not really. A "trade paperback" is a collection of monthly "comics" into a bookshelf format volume. A "graphic novel" is just a fancy word for trade that was put into use in the 80's to try to get some mainstream legitimacy for comics. Rarely, there are graphics novels that were never monthly comics releases, and were only ever published as a single, bookshelf-format volume. But most of the time it is all really referring to the same basic thing.
Hope that helps.
-Jeff
esophagus
11-08-2007, 08:13 PM
What is the difference between these three? Is there a difference? Please enlighten me.
Comic Book - A comic is one single issue of a book. Generally around the 22 page mark, they'll usually be released as part of a series.
Trade Paperback - The actual definition is a collection of previously printed issues. Generally a trade paperback will be reffered to as a collection of part of a series.
Graphic Novel - A graphic novel is a book that, generally, hasn't been printed anywhere else. For example, Capote in Kansas. It was released like a book. A hundred or so pages of comic, that hadn't ever been released before, in issue form. There are, however, exemptions to this, as there are to most rules. Watchmen is the prime exemption. Despite being released as a limited series in 1986 it now stands alone, with no continuation in sight, and is considered to be a graphic novel.
comhcinc
11-09-2007, 01:49 AM
Watchmen really isn't considered a graphic novel. esophagus kinda right in the fact that Watchmen is refered to as a graphic novel nowadays.....which brings us to Jeff's point of it just being a fancy word for comic. which is what it is becoming and what i am fighting against. basicly advertising executives think "graphic novel" is more sophisticated than "comic book" and of course everyone knows that advertising executives are just a bunch of evil lairs. and you should never, NEVER, buy into what advertising executives are trying to sell you.
bogotoko
11-09-2007, 03:09 AM
Graphic novel is a term you use when people ask what you read... sounds better then, "I read comic books" :rolleyes:
I agree with TRSJeff... the term "graphic novel" tried to make comics sound more sophisticated.
For me, I usually buy TPB for titles that I don't buy monthly but the title had a series that was interesting and the TPB collects them all very nicely.
7h0m45
11-09-2007, 06:22 AM
i just always referred to a graphic novel as something that has never been printed in comic format. then a trade is a collection of issues. that is just my opinion and obviously everyone does not think like that.
darthender
11-09-2007, 07:08 AM
I always just used Graphic Novel to describe anything that wasn't a single issue. Either it was a whole "book" or a collection of issues.
comhcinc
11-09-2007, 05:21 PM
i just always referred to a graphic novel as something that has never been printed in comic format. then a trade is a collection of issues. that is just my opinion and obviously everyone does not think like that.
that's not a opinion, that's the correct use of the words. don't apologize for being correct :p
atomicfox
11-10-2007, 12:09 AM
Graphic novels are hard cover, trades are paperback... duh.
comhcinc
11-10-2007, 01:18 AM
^^^^wrong.
atomicfox
11-10-2007, 02:47 AM
it was the comedic answer
darthender
11-10-2007, 03:02 AM
In that case, I totally laughed.