Pictures have been used to communitcate for centuries. There have been cave drawings and paintings for hundreds of years. In fact drawing was used as a means to communicate, because most people were illiterate in the early 1700's and 1800's. 
Benjamin Franklin wrote the POOR RICHARD ALMANIAC that printed in 1732 , it used comic relief to help the cause of the American Revolution. In the United States the first major graphic novel had been published in 1842: THE ADVENTURES OF OBADIAH OLDBUCK by humorist Rodolphe Toffler.Soon after the first character began to be published called THE YELLOW KID. This appeared in 1895. It was rumored that the addition of this character increased newspaper sales.
Fast forward to 1938. The first publication of ACTION COMICS #1, which feature a well known superhero; SUPERMAN! The Superman comic book paved the way for all sorts of comics to appear in the United States.
In the 1940's comic books were on fire! They were appealing to readers of all ages, including many adults. During the 1950's that all changed. The rise of the television and growing concern from parents over the horror and crime in comics caused sales to drop. It also caused the comics that remained to be bland and boring.
One of the most famous graphic novel series of all time was from Walt Disney, they have been constantly published since the 1970's, all around the world.
In the 1970' - 1980's retailing changed (malls and mass merchandisers), allowing comic creators to single out a target audience and market to them. Mom and Pop stores were on the decline.
1978 Marvel Comics produces their first original graphic novel, THE SILVER SURFER by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. And the story goes from there.
Currently their are millions of Graphic Novels and the demand for them is growing. Some of the most favorite titles include series that were originally novels. The Babysitters Club, and Boxcar Children both have Graphic Novel Versions of the book.
Find Resource information in the Resource page
