Graphic Novel
Persepolis was written as a graphic novel, not as individual issues. But even though individual issues weren't printed, the chapter structure of the novel mimics the episodic way it might have been. A graphic novel is a fancy term for "really long comic book." We can imagine a different time in which each little chapter of Persepolis would have been published as a separate small book, on eight to twelve pulpy pages, each with a unique cover and maybe an ad for Sea Monkeys printed on the back.
We're glad we didn't have to wait at the newsstand every week for the latest issue… who knows how long newsstands will even exist?