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Concept

Graphic Novel

Media Industry

A book-length narrative told in comic-strip format. Fan historian Richard Kyle first used the term in a 1964 fanzine essay, but it entered wide use only after it appeared on the cover of the 1978 trade-paperback edition of Will Eisner's A Contract with God, which Eisner is popularly, though not originally, credited with coining. The broader application of the term to nonfiction and anthologized comics work remains contested among scholars and industry professionals.

Facts
Disputed
Formulated Year
1964 1
Richard Kyle first used the term in a 1964 fanzine essay; it did not enter wide circulation until Will Eisner's A Contract with God (1978) put it on a trade-paperback cover. This entity records 1964 as the earliest documented use, not the year of popularization.
Domain
Domain (category)
Publishing 1
Concept Domain
Comics publishing and terminology 1
Connections

Associated With

Will Eisner, Figures

Eisner popularized the term with A Contract with God (1978); he did not coin it.

Source Wikipedia

In Medium

Comics, Media Forms
Source Wikipedia
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Graphic novel, terminology section
    The term graphic novel began to grow in popularity months after it appeared on the cover of the trade paperback edition of Will Eisner's A Contract with God (October 1978).
  • In Category: Concepts
  • In Medium: Comics
  • Associated With: Will Eisner
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