How to choose a graphic novel

A graphic novel can be a complete book or a collection of a longer series. Check which before you compare price and size.

Tell a standalone book from a collected series

Some graphic novels are written as one complete work and need nothing else. Others collect issues of an ongoing comic and are numbered as volumes. The description and the spine usually say Volume 1 or Book One when a book is part of a longer run.

If you want a story with an ending, look for a single standalone title, or check how many volumes the series runs to and whether it is finished.

Paperback, hardcover and deluxe editions hold the same story

The same graphic novel is often available as a paperback, a hardcover and sometimes a larger deluxe or anniversary edition. They usually contain the same pages; larger editions may add sketches, notes or extra material.

Compare page count and what the description lists as extra content. A larger trim size shows the art at a bigger scale, which matters most for detailed artwork.

Check the intended audience

Graphic novels range from picture-book stories for children to work written for adult readers. The publisher's age guidance and the description's subject are better guides than the illustration style.

For a first graphic novel, a complete single volume is easier to judge than the first book of a long series.

Before you choose an edition

• I know whether this is a complete book or part of a series.
• I have compared the paperback and hardcover contents and page counts.
• Any extra material in a special edition is listed in the description.
• The intended age and subject suit the reader.