Graphic Novels - Introduction

By definition “graphic novels” are “ novels whose narrative is conveyed through a combination of text and art, usually in comic strip form.”                  - Eisner,W (1978) -

The term “ graphic novel” is now generally used to describe any story book in a comic format that resembles a novel in length and develops as one piece of narrative work. Novels are presented as books in linear form; picture books tell a story with text accompanied by illustrations; films work with moving images and dialogue but graphic novels combine all these elements as a medium for story-telling.

“They are like prose in that they are written in printed form, but they are also like films in that they tell a story through visual images.”      - Smith. J(2005) -

In a graphic novel, readers derive information visually from pictures which are presented in sequence. Facial expressions and physical movements are relayed visually so much so that they, “… graphic novels are literature in cinematic format .”