Graphic novels are defined as “a fictional story that is presented in comic-strip format and published as a book”. While this is a decent definition, it does not fully encompass how graphic novels have changed and grown over the years to include biographies, history stories, re-tellings of classic novels, and even science information. At their core, graphic novels are just books published in comic strip format, regardless of the content displayed in the book. Many notable artists and writers of the format have objected to the term graphic novel yet it remains in use for a majority of the public.

In this guide, we’ll go thru the different types of graphic novels, the major publishers, recommended lists (by topic and age range), and also library resources for the history and art of graphic novels.

In short: everyone. Graphic novels are for everyone, and they do count as books and reading no matter what anyone has ever told you. Everyone learns differently and some people retain information better when it’s presented in a comic format. So if there is a graphic novel in a topic or character you are interested in, it’s meant for you.

Traditionally, graphic novels have been used by comic book publishers. A company like DC will do something like take a storyline that ran over four issues of a Batman comic, and bind them together in either one or multiple books to facilitate easier reading of the story. For many people, this is how they prefer to read comic books as it means you do not have to go looking for one particular issue and you know you get the entire story arc.

As the format grew, people realized that graphic novels were a great way to retell classic stories (think Charles Dickens or Jane Austen) in a format that people understood. From there it continued to grow to depict historical events, biographies, and all kinds of other information.

Graphic novels are now recognized as their own format of books, with growing collections in bookstores and libraries all around the world, and their own awards.