Book Cover from Amazon.com
I'll confess. I am a recent graphic novel convert. Two years ago I would have said I hated graphic novels and comic books and Japanese manga. I would have argued that there wasn't much of a difference between graphic novels and comics. As it would turn out I didn't hate graphic novels, I just hadn't read the right ones.
So what is the difference between graphic novels and comics and manga? Truth is, there isn't really big difference. They are all done in the same format called sequential art: the combination of text, panels, and images. The biggest differences are shelf life and book length. Comic books typically have a month on the shelf and usually tell the story in 30 pages or so. Graphic novels are published like books and can be up to 600 pages long. The difference between Japanese manga and American comic books is that American comics are often about superheros while mangas can be more complex with stories about romance and historical fiction. Manga is published in both weekly and monthly installments. Japanese manga is also read from right to left (or from the end of the book to the front) while most graphic novels and comics are read left to right.
If you aren't already a fan of graphic novels and manga, you might enjoy these:
Young Adult:
Boys Over Flowers by Hani Yori Dango
Absolute Boyfriend by Yuu Watase
DramaCon by Sveltlana Chmakova
Girl Stories by Lauren Weinstein
Blankets by Craig Thompson
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Plain Janes and Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci
Adult:
I Love Led Zeppelin and Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads by Ellen Forney
The Complete Persepolis by Majane Satrapi
Three Days in Europe by Antony Johnston
Slow News Day and Dumped by Andi Watson
Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story by Frederick Peeters
Shortcomings and Summer Blonde by Adrian Tomine
French Milk by Lucy Knisley
For more recommendations for teens, adults, and children, go here.
Comments
Might I throw a few additional ones in the hat.
Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson
Fun Home by Alexis Bechdel
Thanks for your suggestions Brian!
My son's high school class read 'Persepolis' - the girls loved it, the boys had mixed reactions. :-)
Don't forget Maus by Art Spiegelman, which most deservedly won the Pulitzer.
And do not forget one of the most complex graphic novels of all time with The Watchmen by Alan Moore.
Houston Video Game Examiner
Just saw "The Watchmen" film yesterday and now I'm dying to re-read the book. Haven't read it in over 15 years and loved it when I did. That and "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" were both recommended to me by a young adult librarian (and my boss at the East Branch Library in Somerville MA.) who was starting a new "controversial" graphic novel section.
By the way, I don't like the term "graphic novel"...too high-falutin'. "Comic book" suits me fine. Or even just "book".
Oh yes, Spiegelman's "In The Shadow of No Towers" about the attack and aftermath of the World Trade Center and great comic I found in "The Anthology of Graphic Fiction" by Seth called "It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken" about a cartoonist alienation with the present and his wish to escape into the past. "Ghost World" by Daniel Clowes is also great.
Thank you.
Oops, sorry...I didn't notice this was about recommending for girls specifically BUT "Ghost World" by Clowes fits the bill I think.
Thank you.
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