Graphic? Or Novel? Or Graphic Novel?

What is the difference between a novel and a comic?
One is text heavy (or should I say text only), and the other might not be.
One describes the imagination, and the other pictures it.

So, which one do you like?
Graphic novels, just like regular traditional novels, can give the reader a new dimension where the imagination can run free, but rather than giving the completely let the reader's mind go wild, it limits the mind, and gives it an outline of what the author/artist wants the reader to see.

As a reader, this is an advantage. I want people to know that I am thinking of, and not completely go wild with their version of my character. I want my creations to be known in a certain way. I want my style of drawing to be an iconic version of my creation. I want to let the others know what is in my mind. I can show scenes "in silence" where not even a thousand words could describe.

As a reader, this is a disadvantage. I don't want Batman to look so grumpy and old in Dark Knight. I don't want Superman to look young and proud and handsome. I don't want my image of a character to be limited to just this kind of art style. I want to have my space. And reading into the scenes "with a thousand words" can be tiring and I might not always get it.

Which one is better? I really can't tell. Could the story have been told better in the Mysterious Underground Men? Could there be a more thorough understanding of Good-bye? Could I have guessed the ending of the Watchmen any sooner? I don't know. But I do know this, whether the story is told in the traditional novel way, or the comic way, I enjoy both of them in their unique ways of story-telling.