While both formats lean heavily on the use of illustrations or other images to tell a story, there are some differences between graphic novels and comics.
Comics tell a story in a series of small stories, often small issues that resemble magazines. Comics traditionally have more casual language with conversational vocabulary. Comics are published on a regular basis such as weekly or monthly, releasing installments to the story, creating a plot with lots of twists and turns to keep the reader interested.
A monograph is a book that is published one at a time. There could be a sequel to a monograph publication, but it doesn't have a serialized publication timeline the way a comic, magazine, or newspaper does. Graphic novels have the reputation of being more literary because they use more elevated language and can tackle intense topics. Authors such as Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore have published graphic novels that have gained traction in the literary world for the graphic novel, winning awards and other recognition.
This format is serialized and published on a regular basis as with other comics. Manga are written in a wide range of genres such as detective, comedy, historical, horror, or romance, but manga is usually separated by audience type. These types are "shonen" for young boys, "seinen" for men, "shojo" for young girl, "josei" for adult women, and "kodomomuke" meaning exactly "directed at children."
