Graphic Novels

Sources of information

At SWAN, individual volumes of graphic novels get a single bibliographic record per volume. Consistency in the title construction directly impacts indexing and discoverability in the public catalog. 

When entering records for graphic novels, information can be gleaned from the cover, title page, and title page verso: 

We recommended consulting outside resources to verify series titles, subseries, and story arcs. Aside from OCLC, the following resources may help:

• Fantastic Fiction
• Fiction DB
• GoodReads
• Comic Vine
• Comixology 
• Grand Comics 

Title statements (245 field)

Catalogers often construct graphic novel title statements in multiple styles. For consistency, SWAN records should contain series, volume, and numbering information in the 245 field. We have found that patrons expect to see series information in the title line and that the title of the volume itself is often unrecognizable.

Example 1

In this example, the series title, volume numbering, and volume title are all present: 

245 14 The Invincible Iron Man.|nVolume 4,|pStark disassembled /|cMatt Fraction ; Salvador Larroca.

Punctuation notes: 
Precede subfield |p following subfield |n by a comma.
Precede subfield |n by a period. 

Consistency in numbering

RDA states that the words "volume", "part", and "book" must be spelled out in the 245 tag.  The word "number" can be abbreviated to "no.".

If you notice inconsistencies in series numbering and abbreviations, please submit a ticket.  

Example 2

This example is challenging because the volume title (Force Works) is given more emphasis than the series title (Iron Man 2020). There is also no series numbering.

245 10 Iron Man 2020.|pRobot revolution.|pForce Works /|cChristos Gage.

Title page versos (the fine print) can be helpful when determining what the volume and series titles are. You can also check for other volumes. For example, looking at Iron Man 2020: Robot Revolution - iWolverine makes it easier to figure out the context:

Punctuation note: Precede both subfields |p by a period when no series numbering is present.  

Precedent

Aim for consistency. Look for precedent to see if there were other volumes of the graphic novel previously entered in the catalog. If you find previously cataloged issues, pay attention to the title construction.

Series within a series

Graphic novels may have subseries within series, with the subseries having their own numbering. 

In these cases, subfields |p and |n can be rearranged, and both are preceded by a period:

245 10 Plants vs. zombies.|pTimepocalypse.|n1 /|cPaul Tobin and Ron Chan.  

Series Statements

Even if the series title is in the 245 field, the insertion of the 490/8xx is necessary for authorized series. 

However, for every rule, there is at least one exception. In the example below, the "DC Universe Rebirth" series is a very important piece of information.

The subseries Wonder Woman belongs in the 245 tag. The larger series, "DC Universe Rebirth" warrants the need for 490/8xx. This is because "DC Universe Rebirth" refers to a publication event and is not the name of a single comic book/graphic novel series. This can be extremely confusing if you are not very familiar with the content of graphic novels and this is why we recommend looking at outside sources and other publications to orient yourself.

The bibliographic record contains the 490/8xx fields: 

245 00 Wonder Woman.|nVolume 1,|pThe lies /|cGreg Rucka, writer ; Liam Sharp, artist.
490 1_ DC universe rebirth
830 _0 DC universe rebirth.  

You can also search authority records on the LC Authorities website. 

Manga Titles

Manga refers to the Japanese comics that read right to left.

Manga titles were originally published in magazines like Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat. This information is often captured in authorized series statements: 

490 1  Shonen jump manga 
830  0 Shonen jump manga.

490 1  Shojo beat manga                    
830  0 Shojo beat manga.

These series should always be added when present on the item.

Manga is also an authorized Library of Congress genre heading. Enter it in the 655 field, followed by second indicator 7, and a subfield 2 "lcgft" (Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials).  

655 _7 Manga.|2lcgft

Series, subseries, or story arc?

These terms refer to the portions of titles you will see when cataloging graphic novels. Here is some information on distinguishing between them.

Series

Series refers to the complete catalog of titles under the series umbrella. Different series are split into different volumes.

Subseries

Subseries is a series within a series and often have their own numbering.

Story arc/crossover

Story arcs or crossovers, also known as event or narrative arcs, can be thought of as a "superseries". These often tell stories across multiple series titles. For example, "Civil War" was a crossover arc that spanned multiple Marvel series: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, etc. Depending on how these are published, story arc/crossover titles may not have a comfortable home in a bibliographic record.

Example 1

A single volume may be a part of a story arc. In this example, the story arc "Ring of Fire" is neither a series nor volume title.

The best place for this is in a quoted note:

245 10 Buffy the vampire slayer.|nVolume 4,|pFrenemies [...]
500    "Ring of fire"--Cover.

You may opt to give a story arc a title added entry.

Example 2

Sometimes crossover events are published in collected editions. When this happens, the crossover title can become the main title or volume title. As before, title page versos, publisher websites, and third-party websites can help sort this out.

245 14 The Joker War saga [...]

245 10 Batman.|nVol. 2,|pThe Joker War [...]

Selecting a main entry

Graphic novels can be very "wordy" when it comes to attributing credit. There are creators, authors, adapters, artists, and others. 

Writers take precedence over creators

As a rule of thumb, the person(s) credited as writer, or whose name is preceded by "written by..." should appear in the 100 tag. 

If not specified, use the first listed author in the 100 tag (Green Arrow example above). Additional contributors will go in 700 tags. 

Adaptations

In the case of adaptations, the adapter is considered the author. List original author(s) in 700 tags. 

100 1    McCaughrean, Geraldine.
245 14   The Odyssey /|cHomer ; retold by Geraldine McCaughrean. 
700   0  Homer.