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). ( )

A classic, clever examination of comics with the author narrating as a cartoon character throughout this visual journey. ( )

A theoretical vocabulary for comics! Callooh callay! in some ways this should have been called "Making Comics", with the heavy focus on the creative process and creative integrity, especially in the later chapters (I see McCloud has a later book actually called that, so I guess it's clear he continued to think in those terms). But the first chapters almost have a claim to style themselves "Understanding the Protagonist" or even "Understanding the Self", with all the stuff about masking and seeing other people as photorealistic but keeping the image of the self suspended as a cartoon. It's true, I say. And I like the way he can be theoretical like that and still break it down for us on topics like panel transitions in anime v. western comics, or the origin of the four-colour process in technological and price constraints. Overall this makes me wish I'd never read a comic, so I could pick one up and see what it'd be like to go in fresh, armed only with this as a manual. ( )

Did you ever wonder why comics are so fascinating and powerful? This comic book explains it all, in a funny way.