What is the difference between Graphic Novels and Comics?

Let me clarify and/or refute the points everyone else made.

"Novels have a realistic story, comics are about superheroes or talking animals." No, it's not exclusive to either. Graphic novels can be about superheroes, and comic books can be realistic!

"Graphic Novels are for adults, comics are for kids." In a sense, this is true - books like Sandman, Violent Messiahs, The Watchmen should not be read by kids - however, this doesn't mean that there aren't any novels that kids can't read, and that adults don't read comic books!

Billtucker is correct in his assessment.

"The two words mean the exact same thing." Oh, no they don't. There are lots of subtle differences between the two, and some have already been mentioned.

jcmahal is also correct.

And now, my two cents: It is true that graphic novels are self-contained stories and that they can be stand alone, but keep in mind that sometimes graphic novels can be a reprint of a storyline in a comic book. Like say, the "Maximum Carnage" story that spanned 12 issues of various Spider-man titles. The graphic novel would have all 12 issues bound into one book - thus making it simpler to read the story; saving you from having to grab all 12 issues to find out what happened! I also have to point out that in this case it's not self-contained - obviously, there were other issues of Spider-man before the Maximum Carnage story, and there are more issues that came out afterwards.

Sometimes Graphic Novels can be of comic books that were printed; but the comic book was a limited series or had a small series of issues. Case in point - "Preacher" or "Watchmen". While these graphic novels did indeed come out in comic book form, they had a beginning and they had an end in their print run. If you had bought the graphic novel, you would have the entire story. (Or 8 books in the case of "Preacher".) You couldn't do that with a comic book-based graphic novel like those of Spider-man or Wolverine.

As far as I can tell, a Graphic Novel (not to be confused with a Novel, which is an actual book) is a compination of a series of Comic books. I personally can attest to this because I have several. Including the Wolverine: Origin series. They take the individual comics and put them all in one easy to find, buy and read book which they call a Graphic Novel. So, in short, a comic is just that. Shorter than a Graphic Novel.

They are pretty much the same in terms that Graphic Novels can be Comics, and Comics can be Graphic Novels.

Graphic Novels are ussually self sustained and longer comics. It could be a unique title like MAUS or it can also be a stand alone taken from an established series, like Sand Man graphic novels.

There is a great deal of confusion about exactly what a graphic novel is...

Graphic novels can be unique..a book in comic form...or can simply be a stand alone, detailed story based on a normal comic book..

They do not have to be more mature than comic books at all...simply longer and self-contained in many instances...

Novels have a realistic story. Comics are usually about like super heroes or talking animals.

graphic novels are for adults comics are for kids

the two words mean the EXACT same thing.