Hi People,
I was curious to know what is a serialized graphic novel?
I was under the assumption that a original graphic novel (ogn) is one complete self contained story.
but lately I been noticing graphic novels in volumes ex. walking dead vol1 , vol2 etc
any takers
Thanks for any assistance with this

A "graphic novel" is just a format, it's not a specific kind of comic, a genre or whatever. It's a comic book that isn't stapled, has a soft or hard cover, and enough pages to justify having such a cover.
One issue of Walking Dead isn't a graphic novel, but a collection of several sure is. It's called "serialized" so people won't expect it to have a definite beginning and ending, because it doesn't. It's a series, it can't fit in one book.

Thanks iaviv for the feed back. So from if I am understanding you correctly the walking dead is not a graphic novel,but its listed as one on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Dead-Coll ... KI0S20B6L6
I do understand that a standard graphic novel can contain set number of issues (ex #1-8),
wolverine origins ( issues #1-6) with the an issue being first published in saddle-stitch form
Ender in Exile (issues #1-5)
I understand the above are standard graphic novels based on a collection of issues put together that tell a complete story
but my question is what are "serialized" original graphic novels (stand alone's) not having been published as an issue. For example if I have
a story that ran 40 chapters or issues (non published)
is common or acceptable to combine chapters 1-8 in graphic novel format as one book, place 8-16 in graphic novel format as one book ..etc to tell one complete story over several books ? or is it more acceptable for all 40 chapters to be in one book?

A serialized graphic novel will not be just one complete story in one book, it will have at least two books, regardless of its previous incarnations, if it even has any. For example, the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi wasn't collected, it's printed as a series of books, just like that. That's a serialized graphic novel. The Walking Dead collections? Also serialized graphic novel. My own collection of my webcomic in three books? Serialized graphic novel. It just needs to be a series of books with comics that relate to each other in story form.

Unless it can fit into one physical volume, all comics/graphic novels are "serialized" in that sense. And I doubt that 40 chapters could be physically crammed into one book. Breaking it up into multiple volumes could be called "serialized," but I don't usually see the term used that way. I've never heard of Lord of the Rings referred to as "serialized" because it was split into three books.

Where I have seen the term used most often is when a longer work appears in short installments in a regular publication, especially in an anthology. As in, "The Nausicaä manga was originally serialized in Animage magazine."

Thanks iaviv and Arioch for the reply,

So if I understand you right, from the example below could be thought of as a serialized graphic novel:

a series of issues #1-8 tell beginning of complete story arch is volume 1

a series of issues #8-16 tell middle of a complete story arch is volume2

a series of issues #16-24 tell end of a complete story arch is volume2

volume books 1,2,3 tell complete story arc

Is this what your meaning?

Yes and no. It will do you good to stop thinking about comics in these terms. You just need to know that some books are standalone (could be one story or several short stories) and others are a part of a series. A series isn't necessarily one story arc, though. Example: Dungeon by Joann Sfar & Lewis Trondheim is a series of comics, all taking place in a specific fantasy world. They're not even drawn by the same cartoonists (Joann Sfar & Lewis Trondheim started the series, but many others have contributed since) and there isn't one definite story arc. But it's still a series.

I personally call these "a series of graphic novels," by the way. I hardly ever seen "serialized graphic novels" anywhere. It's too confusing. Most people wouldn't understand what you're talking about.