For some reason I was expecting this book to open up my understanding of comics, to reveal a mysterious unknown way of appreciating the medium. Sadly although the book was interesting and enjoyable it wasn’t quite the holy grail I was expecting. I did enjoy the way the book was presented, laid out in panel format, with the author and his speech bubble informing the reader. Very clever. Perhaps a book to be appreciated on a second read. It might be I’m disappointed because I was expecting a different book. ( )

Interesting book on how to understand comic books. informative perspective, black
and white illustrated "comic" style history book. ( )

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott Mccloud (1994)

First, I will say that I’m not a long-time comic fan. I’m more of a curious newcomer to the comic world. I bought Understanding Comics with a couple other comic books to, well, understand them better.

Understanding comics dissects the conventions of comic books, and explains how all of the different elements come together (or not) to make a holistic impression on the reader. To a large degree, McCloud writes for other comic creators. In large sections of the book he challenges his fellow creators to think outside the box of what comics are and what constitutes masterful art and writing in the medium. He also spends some time advocating for his preferred artistic style. However, I would say that this is not only a book for artists. Like a lot of good critical theorists, McCloud takes things we usually understand intuitively and take for granted and explains them in ways that make them seem extraordinary. The chapters that explored how the reader fills in the blanks to interpret a comic were quite interesting in this respect. I also learned a lot of little facts, such as the stylistic differences between Eastern and Western comics and how color printing technology influenced the stereotypical “look” of comics in the U.S. What makes it even better is that Understanding Comics is itself a comic book, so McCloud literally illustrates his points every step of the way. His over-arching argument, that comics have a great, and often unused, potential for communicating ideas and stories, is beautifully illustrated by the book as a whole. By his “show-and-tell” method, McCloud manages to pack a lot of art theory into few words. The comic format and McCloud’s sense of humor manage to keep rather dry, technical information interesting and engaging. I am having fun seeing McCloud’s concepts in action as I read other comics. This book is relevant to readers interested in art theory and graphics as well as creators and fans of comics.

all the 411 on reading and constructing comics...I DO understand more!

"Art has no practical value whatsoever! But it's important!" p.169

(I use this as a textbook in drawing class and often borrow a few ideas to incorporate into my own drawing projects). ( )