Comic & Graphic Novel Citation Generator
Cite a graphic novel, a collected edition, a single comic book issue or a webcomic in APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18. Enter the writer, artist, title, volume or issue and publisher, and get the reference, the Works Cited entry and Chicago notes with each creator's role credited. Free, no sign-up.
Comic details
One per line. If one person both writes and draws the comic, enter them here and as the artist.
One per line.
MLA and Chicago can credit a colorist or letterer you discuss.
Type it in sentence case, as APA wants: capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon and proper nouns. MLA and Chicago get title case automatically.
A number becomes vol. 2; a label such as Book 1 is kept.
MLA's form for a collaboration when you are not focusing on one creator.
Your citations
Enter the title of the graphic novel to see your citations.
How to Use the Comic & Graphic Novel Citation Generator
- 1. Choose what you are citing. A graphic novel or collected edition, one comic book issue, or a webcomic or strip you read online.
- 2. Credit the creators. The writer leads the entry and the artist is credited as illustrator. A cartoonist who does both goes in both fields; add a colorist or letterer only if you discuss their work.
- 3. Add the numbering and the publisher. The volume or book number of a collected edition, the issue number and cover date of a single issue, or the date posted and the URL of a webcomic.
- 4. Use MLA's equal-credit form when it fits. When writer and artist share the credit and you are not focusing on either, MLA starts with the title and names both by role.
How Each Style Credits Comics Creators
| Part | APA 7 | MLA 9 | Chicago 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writer | The author position | The author position, or By … after the title | The author position |
| Artist | (N. Powell, Illus.) after the title | Illustrated by Nate Powell | illustrated by Nate Powell |
| Colorist, letterer | Left out | colored by, lettered by | colored by, lettered by |
| Format | [Graphic novel], [Comic book] or [Webcomic] | Not labeled | Not labeled |
| Volume or issue | (Book 1), (Vol. 2) or (No. 1) | book 1, vol. 2, no. 1 | book 1, vol. 2, no. 1 |
APA 7 has no comics example. The generator uses APA's book format and the way APA credits the illustrator of an illustrated book — initials, surname and Illus. in parentheses after the title — plus a bracketed description of the format, which APA allows for works outside the academic literature (§9.21). MLA 9 names each contributor's role with a phrase, as in the MLA Style Center's own March example, and has two starting points: the writer, or the title when the creators share the credit. Chicago 18 cites a graphic novel or an issue like a book, with the illustrator after the title. The titles of comic strips and webcomics are italic in Chicago; an individual strip or episode title takes quotation marks.
Comic Citation Examples
A graphic novel
March, book 1, by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell (Top Shelf Productions, 2013) — the MLA Style Center's own collaborators example:
APA 7th edition
Reference list:
Lewis, J., & Aydin, A. (2013). March (N. Powell, Illus.; Book 1) [Graphic novel]. Top Shelf Productions.
In-text (parenthetical):
(Lewis & Aydin, 2013)
In-text (narrative):
Lewis and Aydin (2013)
MLA 9th edition
Works Cited, writers first:
Lewis, John, and Andrew Aydin. March. Illustrated by Nate Powell, book 1, Top Shelf Productions, 2013.
Works Cited, equal credit:
March. By John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell, book 1, Top Shelf Productions, 2013.
In-text citation:
(Lewis and Aydin)
Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography)
Footnote:
John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, March, illustrated by Nate Powell, book 1 (Top Shelf Productions, 2013).
Shortened note:
Lewis and Aydin, March.
Bibliography:
Lewis, John, and Andrew Aydin. March. Illustrated by Nate Powell. Book 1. Top Shelf Productions, 2013.
A single issue
The first issue of Saga, written by Brian K. Vaughan and drawn by Fiona Staples (Image Comics, March 2012):
Comic book issue in three styles
APA reference:
Vaughan, B. K. (2012, March). Saga (F. Staples, Illus.; No. 1) [Comic book]. Image Comics.
MLA Works Cited:
Vaughan, Brian K. Saga. Illustrated by Fiona Staples, no. 1, Image Comics, Mar. 2012.
Chicago footnote:
Brian K. Vaughan, Saga, illustrated by Fiona Staples, no. 1 (Image Comics, March 2012).
A webcomic
Randall Munroe's xkcd strip “Exploits of a Mom,” posted October 10, 2007:
Webcomic in three styles
APA reference:
Munroe, R. (2007, October 10). Exploits of a mom [Webcomic]. xkcd. https://xkcd.com/327/
MLA Works Cited:
Munroe, Randall. “Exploits of a Mom.” xkcd, 10 Oct. 2007, xkcd.com/327/.
Chicago footnote:
Randall Munroe, “Exploits of a Mom,” xkcd, October 10, 2007, https://xkcd.com/327/.
Common Mistakes
- Crediting only the writer. In comics the art carries the story. Name the artist; all three styles have a place for them.
- Mixing up the issue and the collected edition. A single issue and the trade paperback that reprints it have different numbering, dates and pages. Cite the one you read.
- Putting a series title in quotation marks. Graphic novels, comic book series and strips are italic; quotation marks are for one story or one webcomic episode.
- Guessing at the date of an issue. Use the cover date printed on the issue, which can differ from the day it went on sale.
- Restyling a webcomic's name. Write it as its creator does: xkcd, not Xkcd.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do you cite a graphic novel in APA?
- Use the book format with the artist after the title, as APA credits the illustrator of an illustrated book, and a bracketed description: Lewis, J., & Aydin, A. (2013). March (N. Powell, Illus.; Book 1) [Graphic novel]. Top Shelf Productions. In text: (Lewis & Aydin, 2013). If one person wrote and drew it, APA credits them in both places.
- How do you cite a graphic novel in MLA?
- Start with the writer, give the title in italics, then credit the artist and add the publication details: Lewis, John, and Andrew Aydin. March. Illustrated by Nate Powell, book 1, Top Shelf Productions, 2013. If you treat writer and artist as equal creators, start with the title and write By … before the writers' names.
- How do you cite a single comic book issue?
- Cite the series title in italics with the issue number and the cover date. In APA: Vaughan, B. K. (2012, March). Saga (F. Staples, Illus.; No. 1) [Comic book]. Image Comics. MLA puts no. 1 before the publisher, and Chicago puts it after the illustrator in a note.
- How do you cite a webcomic?
- Treat each comic as a page on the comic's website: the creator, the comic's title, the site, the date posted and the URL. MLA writes Munroe, Randall. “Exploits of a Mom.” xkcd, 10 Oct. 2007, xkcd.com/327/. APA italicizes the comic's title and adds [Webcomic].
- Do I have to credit the artist?
- It is the best practice in all three styles, because the artist is a co-creator of the story. APA puts the artist after the title with Illus.; MLA and Chicago write illustrated by. Colorists and letterers are worth naming in MLA and Chicago when your discussion concerns their work.
- How do I cite a page or panel in a comic?
- Give the page number in the in-text citation or note, as for any book: (Lewis and Aydin 74) in MLA, (Lewis & Aydin, 2013, p. 74) in APA. If the comic has no page numbers, describe where the panel falls — the chapter or how far through the book it appears.