Eric Kleefeld wrote: Maybe I'm wrong and "graphic novel" will work, and in a generation or so people will refer to them as such with a bit more sense of legitimacy.  I doubt it, but we'll see.

The newspapers now often refer to things as graphic novels, even when they aren't.

I don;t think manga would catch on at all as a word for anything other than Japanese comic books. 

I don't know, words often hurt a lot.  I see children who are very hurt by words-so I don't think they "know" it so well. 

Brendan Howard wrote: Remember when the board experimented with giving comics the nickname of CBs? I still like the idea...

Breaker, breaker, what's your 20?

Jacob P Secrest wrote:  Todd Hembrough wrote: Comics are comics, and calling them something else, like manga, graphic novels, or whatever is ludicrous. Especially if your goal is not to more precisely describe the art form, but to 'trick' people into respecting the medium. But that is the point, part of the reason people don't respect comics is because they are misnamed, comic book implies something comical, and if changing the name to something more appropriate will also boost comic's respect, then so be it.

You can try to change the name, but they will still be comics to people.  If they like it, or its the basis for the movie they like, they will consider it more adult and thus a graphic novel. 

Ed Deans. wrote: What's with the explosion in Manga readership?  Can what's left of the comics industry learn anything from it or leverage it?

Cause kids love the things and buy them in extremely large quantities. Teens and adults, too. Plus, women like it, too.

I think American comics would do well to stop pandering to the 30-year-old basement dwellers and start taking notes.