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I think they are books, but they just express what it happening through pictures, not words. Calling them "comic books" is not fitting their description at all, because comic books are what i would think are in magazines (unless they are graphic novels), and tend not to have a long storyline like a book does. Manga are not what you would call normal comics. They have a proper plot, chapters and interesting story. And they are much deeper than your average comic.

I think it depends on the book.
I mean, Azumanga Daioh? Definately not a book.
But Darkside Blues? I'd call that a light novel.
When you've got those little four panel comics, and there's about 200 of them in a book, and half of them are visual jokes...it's hard to call that anything more than a graphic novel. But I've seen some manga that are really text heavy and could probably qualify as short books.


I'm noticing a lot of people saying that comic books are what you would see in magazines...
Most manga originally was run in magazines. Pick up any Japanese magazine, and it will have a comic in there, and the comics continue throughout the issues. More than half of manga do not go straight to book. That's why there are recaps at the begining of each chapter, because it's been a few weeks since most people have read the last one.


Not to mention, has anyone here read a Marvel comic? Those things can have mega long plot lines with various twists and turns and character after character, but no one would call them books. Heck, most comic books last years and years going on the same plot.

I wouldn't count them as books. Graphic novels :3

It really depends on the series of manga you are referring too.. Some with no plot or very light like short stories I would call a comic.. Ones with a main plot, and character development I would consider a book. Because just like a book the people and story take a lot of thought and development.. I know I am a novelist in the making..