Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative: Principles and practices from the legendary cartoonist

Will Eisner was a genius. As a matter of personal taste, I prefer some of his proteges both for their written work and their work on how to write--Scott McCloud is, so far, still my top guy--but saying I prefer McCloud to Eisner is like saying I prefer Aristotle to Plato: Eisner is The Source of all modern graphic-narrative theory, and having read this, I see why. Better yet, he is so universal in his approach that he offers some fascinating new ideas for thinking about the craft of writing even when he is focused strictly on the artwork--he is a brilliant reminder that storytelling isn't really about language, it's about communication, and that writing fiction doesn't necessarily require writing text. A fascinating book that I will show more keep on the shelf for quick reference at all times. show less

It was a bit less detailed than I would have liked. But it was an interesting exploration between the link of art and text and narrative flow in comic books.

A workshop on graphic storytelling in 164 pages that contains step-by-step processes for constructing a visual narrative.

Based on Will Eisner’s legendary course at New York’s School of Visual Arts, these guides have inspired generations of artists, students, teachers, and fans. In Comics and Sequential Art, Eisner reveals the basic building blocks and principles of comics, including imagery, the frame, and the application of time, space, and visual forms. Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative teaches how to control a story effectively using a broad array of techniques. With examples from Eisner’s own catalog and such masters as H. Foster, R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Milton Caniff, Al Capp, and George Herriman, these books distill the art of graphic storytelling into principles that every comic artist, writer, and filmmaker should know.