Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art

How better to discuss comics than through the use of comics? And who better to discuss this art form than artist/writer, Scott McCloud who is the creator of Zot!

It is obvious that Mr. McCloud spent a considerable amount of time thinking about the evolution and the mechanics of comics (check out the statistics in Chapter 3, "Blood in the Gutter"). In his discussion of the development of comics, Mr. McCloud takes us through a timeline beginning with ancient civilizations and ending in the modern age. In this exploration, he also stops at Japan where a different way of creating comics developed in isolation from western influences. A broad overview of comics is given to help the reader understand and appreciate the importance of comics and its place in history.

The mechanics of comics are analyzed --from cartoon bubbles, to frames, to what's going on between the frames and to composition. From reading this book, there's a definite sense that there's more to comics than mere picture-making and words. Other factors and talents are needed such as pacing, which can be found in the realm of movie making,, and composition and line quality, both of which are tools of the sensitive artist.

Pacing and frames are devices employed in film/animation. But exclusive to comics is how it is portrayed in a 2-dimensional fashion. Time is visual and moves forward within a defined space. With film, there are frames take up the same space, rendering the film animate. Time and mood are defined within a two dimensional space through the artistic use of layouts. Psychological factors such as closure is also discussed in the context of the use of gutters.

Color and lines can be found in the general world of art and have been explored, researched and discussed in depth by many fine artists. Both are expressive, conveying mood and feeling. For those who scoff at the comic artist because they believe that (s)he is not capable of great art because they draw "simple pictures", Mr. McCloud talks about an important, but perhaps little thought of, device called "iconic representation" which plays a role in helping to render a character more universal among other things.

McCloud takes a complicated subject and through the use of an art form which clearly communicates these ideas, drives them home to the reader. With all the work and history that goes behind creating comics, comics is definitely an under appreciated art form.

Scott McCloud has written a 216 page comic book to explain comic books. The artwork, language, humor or social criticism of comics are obvious to most comics readers, but McCloud delves deeply into the underpinnings of this world--the technical, invisible paradigm that supports the creation and consumption of comics.

Understanding Comics is a comic appreciation book. I was impressed with McCloud's grasp of the discipline's history, the psychology of the art and his own creativity when explaining his topic. For me, entering into this paradigm was very much like Thomas Kuhn discovering paradigms, when he said, "The scales have fallen from my eyes."

Those familiar with comics have recommended a couple of alternatives in their reviews, but still end up suggesting that this book deserves a place among the serious works about comics. I agree.

Jack H. Bender, author of Disregarded: Transforming the School and Workplace through Deep Respect and Courage

Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics," a creation that sits roughly between comic book and historical literary criticism, is an indispensable work for anyone interested in studying funnybooks seriously. Along with Will Eisner's seminal works on the subject (which I have not read all the way through), "Understanding Comics" uses the graphic-text art form to dissect one of the most rapidly growing trends in both art and literature. In an accessible, readable style, McCloud takes the reader through the history of comics, the definition of comics as a sequential art form involving symbols, and examines several major trends in modern comic-dom.
While there's plenty here for both the casual reader and someone interested in more scholarly study. While it's more of an introduction than an in-depth exploration of comic study, McCloud provides enough resources for someone to continue study on his or her own, and enough seeds to begin sprouting ideas about the funnybooks. Occasionally, he misses the mark - his definition of art, for example, is a little broad - and "Understanding Comics" isn't nearly as well-cited as it could be, but these are easily overlooked flaws.
Especially beneficial is his comparison of Japanese Manga comics with traditional American graphic storytelling, because the two are basically the same medium but evolved almost entirely independent of each other, until the last 15 years or so. I wouldn't recommend it for the Sailor Moon fans, but those that enjoy anime and Manga will find much useful information here, in particular the comparisons between the two comic forms (not so much in any actual study of Manga in and of itself).
I highly recommend "Understanding Comics" to anyone who wants to - well - understand comics. Whether you are interested in the ways Alan Moore tells a story, or want to deconstruct the use of movement in Dave McKean's artwork, or you want to learn why Spiegelman chose certain symbols and styles in his work, "Understanding Comics" gives the reader an excellent springboard to further study.
Final Grade: A-

Understanding Comics might as well be Scott McCloud's magnum opus, but it's certainly not for everyone. The casual comic book reader in particular might find it too "high art" for their tastes. Here the author turns on "Developer Mode" for one of the most thorough master's class of the comic medium I've ever read. It's a mashup of Comic Theory, Analytics, Fine Art, History and Philosophy unlike any I've ever seen before.

Reading a comic book is easy enough; children and adults of all ages manage to do so almost instinctively. To understand comics, though, is a more challenging endeavor; luckily comics theorist Scott McCloud has done a great deal of research and thinking on the subject and in this book lays out his theories and ideas about what he and Will Eisner term "sequential art." In turns humorous, surprising, and informative, his easygoing and well-paced prose pairs with his varied but unassuming linework to form an accessible whole, a comic book about comic books which takes the reader from the common notion of comics well into the depths of sequential art. For the educator interested in using sequential art in the classroom, Understanding Comics would serve as invaluable guide to the form.

I like to take things apart and figure out how they work, except instead of doing internal combustion engines or pocket watches I like to play with books, movies and television shows. In "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art," Scott McCloud not only takes apart comic books, he puts them back together again. Certainly comics are a neglected art form. Put Superman, Batman, Spawn and Spider-Man on the big screen and there will be some cursory comments about the actual all-in-color-for-a-dime, and names like Stan Lee and Frank Miller will get kicked around, but nobody really talks about how comics work (the exception that proves the rule would be the Hughes brothers talking about adapting the "From Hell" graphic novels). Part of the problem is conceptual vocabulary: we can explain in excruciating detail how the shower scene in "Psycho" works in terms of shot composition, montage, scoring, etc. That sort of conceptual vocabulary really does not exist and McCloud takes it upon himself to pretty much create it from scratch.
That, of course, is an impressive achievement, especially since he deals with functions as well as forms. To that we add McCloud's knowledge of art history, which allows him to go back in time and find the origins of comics in pre-Columbian picture manuscripts, Egyptian hieroglyphics and the Bayeux Tapestry. Topping all of this off is McCloud's grand and rather obvious conceit, that his book about the art of comic books is done AS a comic book. This might seem an obvious approach, but that does not take away from the fact that the result is a perfect marriage of substance and form.
This volume is divided into nine chapters: (1) Setting the Record Straight, which develops a proper dictionary-style definition of "comics"; (2) The Vocabulary of Comics, detailing the iconic nature of comic art; (3) Blood in the Gutter, establishing the different types of transitions between frames of comic art, which are the building blocks of how comics work; (4) Time Frames, covers the ways in which comics manipulate time, including depictions of speed and motion; (5) Living in Line, explores how emotions and other things are made visible in comics; (6) Show and Tell, looks at the interchangeability of words and pictures in various combinations; (7) The Six Steps, details the path comic book creators take in moving from idea/purpose to form to idiom to structure to craft to surface (but not necessarily in that order); (8) A Word About Color, reminds us that even though this particular book is primarily in black & white, color has its uses in comic books; and (9) Putting It All Together, finds McCloud getting philosophical about the peculiar place of comic books in the universe.
"Understanding Comics" works for both those who are reading pretty much every comic book done by anyone on the face of the planet and those who have never heard of Wil Eisner and Art Spigelman, let alone recognize their artwork. Which ever end of the spectrum you gravitate towards McCloud incorporates brief examples of some of the artwork of the greatest comic book artists, such as Kirby, Herge, Schultz, etc., as well as work by more conventional artists, including Rembrandt, Hokusai, and Van Gogh. "Understanding Comics" is a superb look at the form and functions of the most underexplored art form in popular culture.
I am using Spider-Man comic books in my Popular Culture class this year and will be using some of McCloud's key points to help the cherubs in their appreciation of what they are reading. If you have devoted hundreds of hours of your life to reading comic books, then you can take a couple of hours to go through this book and have a better understanding and appreciation of why you take funny books so seriously.

During these holidays friends were going to visit the Petroglyph Park in ABQ. I remembered this book, reread for the 4th time and when done gave it to my friends, and bought another copy. This book should be required reading for anyone in the visual arts, including those involved in websites, video, internet, gaming etc. Saying it is a book about comics is a great disservice to the book. It explains and dissects everything from symbols to how we read the visual and written medium. This book has helped me in my photography work...I really think about how an image I shoot can forward and represent what I want to say. I can't say enough positive things. The greatest thing about this book is that it seems like Scott is in the room with you explaining extremely complex ideas in the most simplistic and fun manner. If half my textbooks in college were this fun it would have cut my education time in half.

Scott McCloud has been called the Marshall McLuhlan of comic books, which comes as no surprise since McCloud seeks to do for comics what "The Father of Modern Media" did for television. Strictly an exploration of the language of "sequential art" (a term coined by legendary writer/artist Will Eisner, McCloud's direct predecessor in the study of comics as an art form) rather than a history of the medium or how-to guide, "Understanding Comics" deconstructs the iconographic imagery of comic art and how, when married with the written word and arranged methodically on the page, creates a unique mode of expression rivaling any other art form in terms of its potential for effectively communicating narrative, emotions and ideas.
Social perception of the comics medium has been always been marred by the fact that most of us rarely encounter the medium outside of perusing the "funnies" or leafing through the pages of "X-Men" and "Archie" while waiting in line at the supermarket. In the eyes of the public, comics are little more than lowbrow cultural artifacts designed as disposable entertainment for kids and those who don't like to read anything that isn't accompanied by pictures. But one only has to turn to works like Art Spiegelman's "Maus" or Joe Sacco's "Palestine" to realize the literary, artistic and even journalistic possibilities that exist within the confluence of words and images that defines "sequential art".
"Understanding Comics" is not, however, about passing judgment on the merits of any particular style or genre. Rather, McCloud contends that the format is merely a canvas offering the artist unlimited freedom to express his or her distinct vision. Everything from the use of style, composition, shading, juxtaposition, color, panel arrangement and the ever-critical notion that what is omitted from the page is every bit as important as what is included (hence the book's subtitle, "The Invisible Art") is brought together to characterize an exhilarating art form that deserves further study, exploration and, most of all, appreciation.
Early on in the book it becomes apparent that McCloud exhibits a true passion for the subject, and wants his readers to share that love and enthusiasm with him. It's hard to resist the friendly, conversational tone McCloud employs to persuade us to join him in his inner circle of insight and understanding about a medium few ever think to explore. It is only appropriate that "Understanding Comics" is itself presented as a long-form comic book that effectively demonstrates what it preaches. Some of the techniques McCloud uses to (literally) illustrate his points are simply brilliant. He opens the second chapter of the book, "The Vocabulary of Comics", with a real zinger: a cerebral sucker punch of sorts that completely unravels our perceived relationship with the printed page.
To grasp the slippery correlation between the written word and the iconographic image, to understand the many ways that time can be represented by space on the page, to recognize the relationship between the real and the representational... these are the moments of pure joy that the reader can look forward to experiencing throughout the course of the book. In "Understanding Comics", McCloud has created the perfect primer on the subject of "Comics as an Art Form". It's an accessible, intelligent and entertaining work that will provide a wealth of insight to regular readers of comics as well as convince the uninitiated to take a closer look at this fascinating medium.

This is a remarkable book.

Its subject matter may not at first appeal to you. As Scott McCloud explains, in many cultures the `comic' is regarded as a third rate communication medium reserved for children.

However what Scott provides here is an engaging and compelling exploration of the challenge of communicating ideas, from the lifeless sheet of paper to the readers mind, in ways that energise the reader. What I love is the way the book matches form with function, It is written as a comic and demonstrates the power of the form as it explains it.

The description of Magritte's painting `The Treachery of Images' is wonderful, and in common with the book as a whole will help you rethink your approach to communication.

Comic author and artist Scott McCloud's crusade to make comics respectable apparently annoys the living hell out of a lot of other comic authors and artists, as well as many fans.
To heck with 'em! I'm pretty much convinced that McCloud knows what of which he draws, but even if this dazzling analysis of past, present, and potential future of comics is balderdash, it's wonderfully entertaining and persuasive balderdash that's a wonderful read in its own right.
I especially recommend this if you _don't like_ comics or think they're beneath you. That largely described me! I can't say that it converted me into a fan who hangs around shops waiting for tne new issue of ___ to come in, but since reading _Understanding Comics_ I'm open to the idea that there's Something There.
Read this in chunks; the 'memetic load' is something fearsome and taking in more than a chapter at a sitting is asking for serious brain hurt.

The power of comics is the expressions packets it can deliver in few picture. I started reading about visual communication by reading books from Dan Roam Blah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Don't Work. And later I wanted to move to finer art of bringing more expressions into my drawing. And this book on understanding comics gives a such a cool rollerskating ride into the science ( its art, but the author does the heavy lifting of making it easily understood ) of drawing and cartoons that I couldn't let it go. Awesome read. Thank you for the effort Scott. Highly recommended for beginners of comics artists as well as any one who wants to communicate with team visually.

If you have any kind of interest in the general topic of comics, or an interest in creating comics yourself or with a team, forget all but five books in the entire the store library and begin with this book right here. It will teach you more about how to create comics without any 'how to' guides than every one of them combined.

The other four are Making Comics (also by Scott McCloud), Comics and Sequential Art (Will Eisner,Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative (also by Will Eisner), and Drawing Words and Writing Pictures (Jessica Abel and Matt Madden). After them, every other book on the subject is either redundant, a terrible mish-mash of random bits of 'advice' or endless 'inspirational' quotes from big names in the field that actually teach you nothing. If you are interested in one particular 'job' within comics, the DC line is fairly useful. I own the ones on coloring and inking.

But no house gets built well unless one understands foundations, and this book is about exactly that. When it comes to foundations, comics is unlike any other form of art (cinematography comes closer than any one drawing style or art genre) and nobody lays it out better than McCloud and Eisner.

Understanding Comics is a must have reference book for every creative professional. The ideas presented in this book transcend sequential art and can be applied to every creative process. As Scott Adams point out, the pursuit of advanced skills, often overshadows the core of art which is: "what do I want to say?"
I recommend this book to budding music composers to help them understand that a composition should be idea driven and the tools should support the idea. Too often I find the tools driving the composition which results in a bunch of interesting sounds strung together. Wallowing in novel sensation may be pleasant for a short amount of time, but music created in this fashion will not stand the test of time because it is emotionally void.
Even if you have zero interests in comics, artists of all professions need to read this book.

Picking up Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is the first step in truly understanding, appreciating, and also inadvertently defending comics for the remainder of your life. For me, comics were always the funny pages in the Sunday Newspaper and the thin editions of Superman, Spiderman, and Batman. For me, they never really transcended that stereotype. I was aware of their more wide-spread usage, as I grew older, but that label stuck with me. Once I had to read McCloud's work in my Graphic Literature class, however, all those walls came tumbling down and I gained a much, much broader and rational opinion on the sheer works of art that are comics. An entire new world of the different aspects of comics was introduced to me. From this textbook (as I consider this as much an intellectual's book as any), which completely revolutionized the way I view graphic literature, came things I now see as vital tools for understanding these works.
One of the most important aspects to comics that I had never before even fathomed was what the author liked to refer to as "blood in the gutter." There is an entire chapter in this textbook which examines the use of panels as almost a form of language as you read. A panel is not just used to house action and subject matter, panels are also telling the story; primarily without the viewer's entire awareness. Blood in the gutter basically implies that there are transitions and actions which are not actually shown, but insinuated and rely on the reader's postulation to fill in the missing pieces - to interpret the blood (or action, to make the term more universal) in the gutter. Examples of this can be seen extensively in most graphic novels. An excellent example of blood in the gutters is in Lynd Ward's woodcut novel "God's Man." In the novel, there are subject-to-subject transitions between every panel. You are lucky to find even one sequence where there are moment-to-moment or even action-to-action (both with little closure) progression. It's just not there. You simply watch once scene move to the next while staying within a specific idea or event. This requires a good deal of reader involvement. You have to be able to piece together that the previous panel led the current one - but everything in between in up to the reader (does this scene happen seconds after the last? Day? Weeks?).
The next important element McCloud introduced to me again focused on panels as story tellers. The author asserts that panel's shape, size, boldness, absences, etc. all convey a message. McCloud writes, "In learning to read comics, we all learned to perceive time spatially, for in the world of comics, time and space are one and the same. [However,] the few centimeters which transport us from second to second in one sequence could take us a hundred million years in another." He goes on to show different image sequences (yes, the textbook about comics is written and told through actual comics) which prove his theory. Also, the size of a panel can speak volumes. If a comic contains panel after panel of the same size and suddenly there is one panel which is much larger or much smaller than the others, readers are able to gather that that unique panel is special in some way - usually showing time progression or regression. An example of this can be seen in the famous Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Toward the end of chapter four, we see panels being used to show time. For the majority of the chapter we have been reading of Dr. Manhattan's past (which led to his "creation"). We then go back to him on Mars. Building up to the pages with him on mars, we've had several small panels jumping subject to subject (implied) quickly. The panels with him on Mars, however, are elongated and much plainer. This slows readers down, there is more to look at. This usage makes the reader, without blatantly pointing it out, read the panels are simpler and slower. This perpetuates the storyline that Dr. Manhattan functions better on Mars.
The last key piece that I took from the text was McCloud's chapter on the use of lines and shapes to convey emotion. Starting out the chapter, McCloud's comic doppelganger simply asks "can emotion be made visible?" Following this, we see panel after panel of different lines, shapes, shading, and disfigurations which beg definition in the form of an emotion. McCloud says that the use of pictures evoking emotion is a pivotal part of graphic literature. An example of this is available in almost any comic; but can be pinpointed in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. In a scene, on page 75, where Batman is combatting ruffians in a trash dump, we see the use of lines to illustrate explosions. However, these also show emotion. We can contextualize the explosions as scalding, fiery, painful, loud, massive, and even deafening just from the way they are drawn. They are huge, ridged, bright, and ominous. We can tell these are terrible things going on.
These things, I feel, are now vital for viewing comics. I am not sure if, after reading Scott McCloud's textbook I'll be able to read graphic novels in the same way ever again. This textbook took all my previous, unfounded knowledge of comics and threw them out the window, set them on fire, and buried the ashes. I recommend this text book to anyone - especially those who don't read comics. It will change the way you view juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence the same way again.

I first read this book when it came out in 1993, I guess the demand was unanticipated as I could not find a copy to purchase for myself until the second printing was finished.
Scott McCloud brilliantly and thoughtfully examines not just comic books, but how we view ourselves, how society views comics (And how comics influence society!) and goes in depth into storytelling, form and substance.
I'd recommend this book for anyone who is interested in comic and cartooning as a profession, or as a passing interest, and I recommend it to those who are skeptical about the comic storytelling medium as it contains insights that I've never seen discussed so eloquently. All schools should have a copy of this in their library :)
Don't let the comic book format fool you, this is a great book! (My favourite chapter is the one on icons.. and how we see ourselves in everything.. :) )

Put aside any notions you may carry that comic books are for kids. In fact, tuck away any notion that comics are just for fun too, because McCloud takes readers on a journey through history, culture, time, and space in Understanding Comics. He does it all with a great wit and an eye for the kinds of things a casual observer might miss. In fact, so much of this book is about what you DON'T SEE in a comic and why that is just as important as what you do see.

This is college course material, hands down. No student or creator can pass this gem up and believe they have received a solid education on visual story-telling.

After writing an impressive history of comics that explores the foundational linguistic methodology of a marriage between art and story, McCloud plunges into the philosophical depths of representation and Platonic Idealism. And if that last sentence conjures up images of a boring college classroom and a rambling professor, then forget it because McCloud couples all this knowledge with a sense of humor that burns through fabulous illustrations on every page.

Learning has never been this much fun. This is must have book, don't miss the chance to own it and allow it to transform not just the way you see comic books, but the way you view the world as well.

I appreciate the innovation of writing a book about comics in comic-book style. It's a clever, winning idea. Perhaps it would have worked a bit better if McCloud himself were a better draftsman, or if there had been more (and better-quality) reproductions of other artists' work.
The writing here is uneven. Some chapters, including "Blood in the gutter" and "Time Frames," are very effective and very specific, with strong insights into the nuts-and-bolts of comic techniques. Another chapter, "The Vocabulary of Comics" -- which uses a big triangle graph to encompass the whole of range of comics art -- is quite insightful but, at the same time, oversimplifies a bit, I fear. I'm not saying McCloud's assertions aren't necessarily true, but he might have put himself on surer ground with some of the language/symbol ideas by getting more heavily into semiotics theory, etc. And maybe here is where the light-hearted tone and comic-book style starts to undercut his intellectual accomplishment. I understand the book isn't meant to be a doctoral thesis, but still, it has high ambitions, and the structure of the book must be subordinated to the loftiness of its aspirations. Chapter 7, which attempts to relate all of artistic achievement into a unified whole, is one of the least satisfying, because it is frankly pretentious and rather gooey, non-specific, in its assertions.
Don't get me wrong. There is a lot of good insight in "Understanding Comics," and I wouldn't debate that it's an essential read for anyone interested in the topic. But it also feels like sort of a primer, a survey. Each one of the chapters could itself be the subject of a whole book. In other words, "Understanding Comics" has impressive breadth but not as much depth as one might want.

Okay, this is seriously one of the most brilliant books I have ever read, and I have Henry (who is also brilliant) to thank for introducing this to me. (Thank you, Henry.) Although this book has been around since '93, I suspect it's nowhere near as recognized as it deserves to be, but with time that will change, I hope.

The full title is "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art," and what Scott McCloud does is explain what we take almost completely for granted, not just about comics, which he convincingly raises to a fine art, but also about the way we 'see,' and think we see, the world around us, especially as it is represented in words and images.

It's an important book because he talks in deceptively simple terms about how we perceive reality. McCloud shows the reader, through the seemingly "childish" mechanism of comics, how we think about what we perceive. Therefore, it's an epistemological text, and those are always of tremendous interest to me. It's also a book about how creativity works, and that's a central theme to my research. I've spent most of my adult life dealing with 90% of what he encapsulates in 215 densely packed (and highly entertaining) pages. Did I mention that the entire work is written in the form of a comic book? No? Well, it is.

It purports to be about comics, but that is only the tip of the philosophical iceberg. It's a study of how to think about words and images, and how we have come to use them, not just in Western society, but also in the East. He calls this the "invisible art," the effect of the combination of words and pictures, and if you read this, you'll get a much better understanding of the term "closure," which is the phenomenon of what the brain does when interpreting the gaps between words and pictures (in comics, this gap is represented visually by the space between each frame of words and images). We make up a story in our minds to close this gap, and it's a crucial piece of the story-telling process, this 'silence' that leads the reader to decide what really happens.

Scott McCloud combines semiotics (the discussion of the meaning of signs and signifiers), art history, rhetorical analysis (why it's so brilliant), cognitive and neurological research (another reason it's so brilliant), with an analysis of art and literature's influence on human social dynamics. The synthesis he reaches makes the invisible, visible, and will help the reader understand how comics evolved and where they come from. Hopefully, it will give the reader a new appreciation for the comics art form.

I have studied the theory behind virtually every aspect of what he's talking about, except comics, and so I know the sources he's relying on to get to the information he's condensed for the reader, and I also know you won't like those sources, but you will like this book because it's accessible in a way semiotics, rhetorical analysis, and the finer points of art history, are not. But if you read this book, that's part of what you'll be reading, and you'll be glad you did.

I bought this book years ago and it simply blew me away. This is a comic book about comic books that will make you never look at another comic book the same way. Whether you draw comics, like to read them, or are interested in the subject academically, this book has much to offer. He discusses the history of comics (back to ancient times). He has insights as to why they are so moving for us and how comics are a unique art form and how this can be used in ways that affect us even if we don't realize it. He includes good examples from classic hearts in this medium to drive home these points. I treasure this book.

This book changed my image of comics and the entire art genre surrounding comics for all time. Scott really outdid himself explaining the history and techniques behind one of the most delightful parts of childhood, bringing it firmly into adulthood and giving it further meaning in our lives. I wish it were possible to see this book as the beginning of a series, so that I could study comics more under his tutelage. Every once in a while, I have to pull this book off my shelf and devour it all over again. Not because I forgot what he taught me, but because I want to be further inspired by his wisdom. An awesome book for any artist, and not just for comic book lovers!

This book was required for a college art class I took way back in 1998. Today I'm a professional illustrator and I still own it, referring to it from time to time. I feel it's a wonderful introduction to the subject of comic book drawing as well as narrative graphic design. It certainly made me look at the art of comics in a new way. It's the perfect starting point for anyone who is interested in creating their own comics or graphic novels... I highly recommend it.

...that we all know: comics are for geeks, nerds and spazzes; for eighth-grade boys until they're elevated to high school, at which point comics aren't "cool" anymore; for freaks with power fantasies and pathetic realities. And no wonder -- many of the comics us Americans have been exposed to are brightly colored travesties. For that, you can thank DC and Marvel, Archie and Disney, and your Sunday newspaper.
In "Understanding Comics," Scott McCloud shows that people with an adverse reaction to comics ("Eew! Comics! Creepy!") are often "shooting the messenger for the message." That is, they're instantly dismissing comics without actually seeing what a comic can DO. Just as there are those memorable moments and beautiful scenes that only a painting, movie or poem can pull off in a way unique to their mediums, so too with comics.
Nearly every medium of artistic expression -- literature, fine art, television and film, dance and more -- has academics and critics to laud, deplore, and explore the deeper meanings of their content. Except comics.
Until now. This book is a start, and is your primer. Get it.

This is one of my favorite books and one of the most insightful, unique, and enjoyable books that I've ever read. I have recommended it to many people, bought copies for several of them, and own two copies myself so that I can lend out one. I recommend it VERY strongly to anyone who's involved with designing Internet sites. Although it's not about that subject directly, it has more wisdom about the design of sites than any Web design book I've ever read or seen. Afterall, the Web is basically a 'page' structure, with text and graphics, just like a comic. Also, you'll learn more about art history from this book than you will from most art history classes (I know, I went to art school...). And did I mention that it's funny too! -E

No kidding. Reading this book, and re-reading, and re-re-reading it, changed the way I'll think of comics, storytelling, and art in life forever!

Anyone interested in art as a career has something to gain from this book. Even if you somehow already know and embrace all of the ideas presented in this book, you'll walk away better able to present your ideas to others.

I got the chance to meet the author, scott mccloud, recently at my university where he was giving a seminar. This guy is amazing, someone I might follow around to learn more if I had nothing else to do - like Socrates and his followers in his time.

Beyond the content, the book itself is a masterpiece, using comics as a medium to explain what no other medium can acheive, exploiting comics' unique strengths and quirks. It's an easy, yet deep read all the way through (hence it's very easy to pick up and re-read from the beginning).

This belongs on the shelf of all storytellers using any media, be it comics, film, novels, or oratory.

All this said, if you want a book AFTER this that focuses a bit more on the comic industry, McCloud's Understanding Comics sequel is another must buy: Reinventing Comics.

I read this for a graphic novel class i am currently taking in college. Allow me to clarify, i am math major so books aren't really my bag however, this book was great! Super informative and interesting, would highly recommend to anyone with the slightest interest in comics or the history of literature.

I just finished reading this and absolutely loved it! I've read comics on and off my whole life and have recently been trying to get into them again. I picked this book up after hearing how good it was. The way he explains comics and how we process them blew my mind.

He looks at some history of where comics come from, representing time in comics, different types of transitions between comic frames, how we process different styles, and a ton of other fascinating topics. It gets a bit heavy at points but that is where it shines. It is like a psychological and cultural look at comics.

I highly recommend this book to any comics fan and as a gift to anyone who doesn't understand comics.

I recieved this book for Christmas by friends who knew I loved comics. I was surprised that it itself was a comic, and was almost disappointed, thinking it would be a superficial review. It wasn't. It is still, to date, one of my major influences as a hopeful cartoonist. The information is accurate and well thought out, and it really does make you look at comics in a whole new way. The best part is you can feel him encouraging you, even as he states his opinions, not to take his own as fact and to develop ideas and theories of your own. Written in an open, accessible style, I recommend this book to everyone.

I first read Scott McCloud's book around the time it came out, and I still re-read it regularly.
What I have always found enthralling, is the tour-de-force of concepts and ideas that this book touches upon.
I think that hardly a person who has ever read the section on time in comics (and in a way, in other graphic forms), cannot but help feel that he is being thought a completely different way of looking at time.
Additionally, the analysis of symbols as they pertain to graphic art (and how the more symbolic a work, the more accessible it is to the reader), is priceless.
JRVJ.

I know my one-line summary might seem a little grandiose,but this truly is *THE* best book I've ever read on comics. It's one of the few texts out there willing to regard the comic strip as an art form (and make no mistake, it *is* art; author Scott McCloud proves that beautifully) and give an indepth analysis of the very fiber of comics, with everything covered from Japanese "masking" techniques to the nonsensical but strangely fluid senses of comic timing. Comics.. or shall I say "sequential art.." garner a whole new level of respect and praise through McCloud's efforts.

este libro, que trata sobre las posiblidades de los dibuijos y los disenos de diferentes formas, es muy entretenido ya que nos lleva por un mundo de dibujos donde el propio escritor es uno de ellos que nos guia e instruye a traves del libro de una manera amena. me gusto la forma en que esta escrito, si hubisese sido un mero libro sobre dibujo en el que abundara la teoria,no me hubiera interesado, pero el libro es atrayente desde la portada, ya que parece un libro de comics. muy bueno,, no solo para los estudiantes de los comics sino para todo aquel que le interese aprender de manera divertida.. LUIS MENDEZ

Don't be mislead by the fact that this book is a comic book. In simple language and simplistic illustrations, McCloud conveys complex and exciting ideas about why and how art works. The resulting comic book is at once both profound and lucid. For anyone who has struggled to define the boundaries between literature and art, or between art and non-art, this book is an absolute must. Whether your favourite reading material is usually Batman comics or Noam Chomsky, "Calvin and Hobbes" or Calvin and Hobbes, you are guaranteed to be excited by this book

Sure, I have taken Art 101 courses, but none of those held my interest as much as this author. I had never really taken comics seriously, but I certainly will give them more heed now. Some comics have been and always will be better served as liner for litter boxes, but some really are good. This book, done in comic format itself, is a wonderful example of that.
Not thinking I would even finish the book, I found myself reading more and more of it with each sitting (I often read books five or ten minutes at a time). This was easy reading and educational -- a great combination for me. Give it a try!

Told in comic form, this engaging look at the art and media of comics is a fun read.

It looks like it could be for kids, but make no mistake: it is not.

This is a thoughtful, soulful look at the thought behind how comic stories are told ny writers and artists and then understood by readers.

If this were a standard "text"-based book, McCloud could never had made his points so well and so clearly.

If you love comics, you will love them even more after reading this book.

"Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud is a real eye-opener. I have spent as much time reading comics as the next guy, but I have never thought of the theories and principles behind the medium. The book takes the reader on a spectacular journey through the underlying structure of comics, and although I don't share all of McCloud's views I have certainly gained a whole new awareness of this structure.
One can always nit-pick, of course. McCloud seems to have a closer relationship to pictures than to words, and his analysis of the pictorial component of comics is much more thorough than that of the literal one. He also claims that no other medium makes its receiver into such an active co-creator, since the reader of comics must fill in the "blanks" between the panels, but I believe that the reader of prose is even more active - when there are no sounds or pictures AT ALL, the receiver has to imagine EVERYTHING himself. There are a few obscurities as well, as when McCloud says "language" but seems to mean "writing system". These and other complaints are all about details, however, and doesn't alter the fact that the work as such is very good.

Scott McCloud has created simply the finest book I've seen on cartooning theory. It is clear and visually clever, and it exposes you to new ideas no matter what your level of visual understanding. Best of all, it is not just about cartooning but about the way our society digests visual images. It easily is the best book I've read on this subject since Berger's "Ways of Seeing." In this mediacentric society, "Understanding Comics" should be required reading.

I have read several books about comics, and most have been good. This one though is the best. It is scholarly, yet entertaining, and covers everything. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in comics, or art, but I wouldn't limit it to those areas of interest. I can't imagine anyone not appreciating this book.

I have also read the sequel to this book, Reinventing Comics, and would not recommend it as highly. It is just OK, since Scott said all he really had to say in Understanding Comics.

Recognizing that my 10 year-old son was in love with comic books, but didn't really understand them, I bought this book for him.

The easy-to-read comic book format uses humor and demonstration to teach technique. Scott McCloud very capably shows just what makes comics funny, how to use frames, spaces, color, motion, lines, and more. It's also an easy and funny read just by itself (which is why I bought it for him).

It is now one of his favorites. And I have to admit to enjoying it myself.

If you are interested in learning about HOW to read comics and WHY they are a profound form of media, this book is definitely the right book for you. This book opened my eyes to a whole new way of reading comics!

Told in comic form, this engaging look at the art and media of comics is a fun read.

It looks like it could be for kids, but make no mistake: it is not.

This is a thoughtful, soulful look at the thought behind how comic stories are told ny writers and artists and then understood by readers.

If this were a standard "text"-based book, McCloud could never had made his points so well and so clearly.

If you love comics, you will love them even more after reading this book.

"Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud is a real eye-opener. I have spent as much time reading comics as the next guy, but I have never thought of the theories and principles behind the medium. The book takes the reader on a spectacular journey through the underlying structure of comics, and although I don't share all of McCloud's views I have certainly gained a whole new awareness of this structure.
One can always nit-pick, of course. McCloud seems to have a closer relationship to pictures than to words, and his analysis of the pictorial component of comics is much more thorough than that of the literal one. He also claims that no other medium makes its receiver into such an active co-creator, since the reader of comics must fill in the "blanks" between the panels, but I believe that the reader of prose is even more active - when there are no sounds or pictures AT ALL, the receiver has to imagine EVERYTHING himself. There are a few obscurities as well, as when McCloud says "language" but seems to mean "writing system". These and other complaints are all about details, however, and doesn't alter the fact that the work as such is very good.

Scott McCloud has created simply the finest book I've seen on cartooning theory. It is clear and visually clever, and it exposes you to new ideas no matter what your level of visual understanding. Best of all, it is not just about cartooning but about the way our society digests visual images. It easily is the best book I've read on this subject since Berger's "Ways of Seeing." In this mediacentric society, "Understanding Comics" should be required reading.

I have read several books about comics, and most have been good. This one though is the best. It is scholarly, yet entertaining, and covers everything. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in comics, or art, but I wouldn't limit it to those areas of interest. I can't imagine anyone not appreciating this book.

I have also read the sequel to this book, Reinventing Comics, and would not recommend it as highly. It is just OK, since Scott said all he really had to say in Understanding Comics.

Recognizing that my 10 year-old son was in love with comic books, but didn't really understand them, I bought this book for him.

The easy-to-read comic book format uses humor and demonstration to teach technique. Scott McCloud very capably shows just what makes comics funny, how to use frames, spaces, color, motion, lines, and more. It's also an easy and funny read just by itself (which is why I bought it for him).

It is now one of his favorites. And I have to admit to enjoying it myself.

If you are interested in learning about HOW to read comics and WHY they are a profound form of media, this book is definitely the right book for you. This book opened my eyes to a whole new way of reading comics!

Not just another book about the History of comics. Not just another book about "How to draw comics". This book opens your eyes. It helps you to really understand comics and not just watch them. "Understanding Comics" is adequate for the comics artist, the mass-media researcher and anyone interested in understanding this century culture. If you read this book, you'll never read comics the way you used to.

Parents of kids who are into comics ... educators ... law enforcement officers ... ANYONE who deals with kids & teens or ANYONE who's mystified why some adult they know reads comics, this book will change what you thought you knew. I read it as research before reading Japanese comics as an attempt to better understand a specific group of teens I'm writing about. I hadn't read many comics ever, beyond Asterix, Tintin, Maus II, Bloom County, Calvin & Hobbes, Dilbert & Mutts. I thought I knew what comics were (for children, entertainment, very rarely serious, simple). I was wrong on every count. For my specific needs, I especially appreciated McCloud's discussion of manga & it's greatly helped my subsequent reading of manga. Many of the ideas he discusses--such as thoughts on the space between panels--are just downright enlightening & thought-provoking. Just one example for me was his suggestions on how comics are not something we merely observe but something we become, which really helped me grasp the appeal. McCloud literally opened a new world to me, comics, leading me to enjoy them for pleasure, not just one research project. Perhaps his greatest achievement is that it is his own book--Understanding Comics--that becomes the very best reason to listen to McCloud's insistent plea to take comics seriously & give them their rightful credit. This book is truly outstanding & especially recommended to those who would scoff.

the title may fool you to think this is a book about comics. actually this book is about presentation and communication technology.
in today's powerpoint centric world, this book provides great insight and the much needed tools to tell a story better. i find this book very useful for business application especially in sales and marketing presentation.

This book is about so much more than comics. It's packed with insight about the psychology of perception, the evolution of pictoral and verbal communications, and all kinds of goodies.

The one that got me was the concept of filling in what happens "in the gutter." That's the space between frames where the imagination works. This is a powerful way to understand some of what takes place in group sequential communication too. It applies to the sense or nonsense people make of forum discussions sometimes, for example. That non-existant content in the "gutter" between posts can grab people by the emotions.

In addition, it is beautifully drawn and includes lots of visual vocabulary you didn't know you needed. Wonderful gift for anyone interested in communication, design or illustration, let alone in comics!

While the description "a comic book about comic books" may sound a bit gimmicky, once you read a few pages you'll see why this is a masterwork that could not have been written any other way. McCloud deftly uses the form of comics to probe the medium itself and why we respond to it so strongly.

Scott McCloud is a world renowned artist. In the comic

space, he's synonymous with the greatest heights that comix

can achieve as an art form.

His reputation is not in vain. *Understanding Comics*

is simultaneously an ode to the best of artistic design as

well as a thesis on self expression through comix.

Summary

--------

This book spans nine chapters and provides easy reading within

one sitting. From the outset, Scott awes the reader with

his in depth understanding and passionate love of comics.

Throughout the book, he convincingly argues that comics are

indeed an art form that should not be relegated to

children's bedside reading.

Scott explains all the aspects of style used in Comics. He

explains the importance of good design and emphasises self

expression through the merging of multiple forms.

This book has not only changed my life, it has changed my

perception and experience of life. Scott has also managed

to give the world hope. All too often we think of Design,

Art and Good Taste as virtues congenially bestowed upon a

blessed minority.

This book clearly shows that High Art is

an innate gift which has only to be developed and nurtured.

Within us all lies the incredible potential to build

beautiful things no matter what our vocation or walk of life.

High Art and Design

--------------------

Personally, I've always considered comics a high form of

art and a veritable record of modern mythology. I

therefore did not read this book in order to understand what

comics are. I read this book in order to get a different

perspective on that all important facet of human creativity:

*Design*.

Comix, as an art form, is difficult to fathom. The

difficulty lies in the *cartoon* nature of most comics

as well as the typical iconography we've been exposed to.

To an extent, I think much of the popular modern art

suffers the same fate. We are so imbibed with the

superficial that we can no longer perceive the core.

Scott McCloud solves this problem and with one broad stroke

of his brush, he wipes the fog away from the readers eyes.

This book is not about Comix, it is about the evolution of

modern art. It is about what modern art can evolve into.

The 6 Steps to Creative Expression

-----------------------------------

Every Creative expression goes through six stages: Idea/Purpose,

Form, Idiom, Structure, Craft and Surface.

While the intricacies of each of those steps are better

learned by reading the book, there's a valuable insight he

reveals in his discussion.

All too often we have to experience or learn art and design in

reverse order. We first learn or are attracted to the

surface appearance of the Art. Many a time this period of

learning coincides with the point at which our taste is at

an all time low. Note also that few people every progress beyond

this superficial appreciation of Art.

The reason for this is because the expressiveness of Art

doesn't lie in it's appearance *as such*. The

expressiveness of Art lies in the *treatment* of it's

appearance. This treatment then finds unity in something

much deeper than colour, line and shape. The reason High Art

is High Art is because it possesses Qwan, that Quantity

Without a Name.

This Qwan is what Scott seeks to impress upon the reader. He

therefore proceeds to teach these 6 steps in the prescribed

order. The effect of his lessons is an inside-out

understanding of what true creative expression involves.

This perspective is on the opposite side of the pipe we're

so used to staring down. It is as though we thought the

world was flat, then we managed to view the planet from a

spaceship!

Simplicity

----------

Scott also attempts to emphasise the importance of

simplicity in good design. The book's language is direct

and clear. His artistic artifice is also shockingly

simple without be empty. This pattern of simplicity creates such elegance

that it's impossible not to see the lesson::

All high art and good design is simple.

When I think about it more deeply, simplicity in design now

makes perfect sense. How can you truly have understood a

given topic if you can't decompose it into it's simplest

form just as Scott has done?

Conclusion

----------

I seem to have the gift of finding and reading the best books.

*Understanding Comics, The Invisible Art* is one that

surpasses my highest expectations.

This book is mandatory reading for anyone in *any

field* practicing *any vocation*. Humanity's

greatest ills come from the inability to communicate

effectively with others, and most importantly, with

ourselves.

Scott McCloud, an artist who thinks deeply about self expression,

has managed to elucidate and even codify all the knowledge

one needs to get started. If you have the *desire to be

heard*, the willingness to *learn* and the ability

*to see* (which most of us also have to learn), then

you are an individual who can achieve the highest levels of

self expression.

Self expression is Art and as such we can all be great

artists. The rewards are exponentially greater than any

effort we could put in. This is the seductive proposition

that Scott Mccloud's presents to us.

Understanding comics is one of the finest efforts in what comic book explainings reffer. the fantastic and realistic aproach that Scott Mc Cloud takes on this book about the narrative and visual art form that is known by the name of comic books is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book. By far Understanding Comics is a sure bet for comic book lovers and for comic book scholars

If you would like to learn more about conceptual, interaction, and interface design of comic books, consider spending some time with Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art." It will be time well spent and you might even want to read some of his other wonderful books.

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I hear for first time of this book in a great art workshop with Barron Storey in my country. Ecuador. Barron recomended this book to us. He was right,it is a fabolous book.For me is the real introduction for the lovely art of making comings, I will recomend this book always!

Escuché de este libro por primera vez en un gran taller de arte que hice con el ilustrador Barron Storey en mi país,Ecuador.Barron fue profesor de Scott macloud y recomendó enfáticamente este libro a todos los que que queríamos aprender un poco más del arte de hacer comics y tenía razón para mi es un libro fabuloso,es la verdadera introducción para conocer más de este arte.recomiendo mucho este libro a los hispanohablantes: A pesar de que el libro está en Inglés es en realidad muy fácil de entender y además es muy entretenido.

Not being a writer, artist, editor, or whatever, I just read them, I didn't care about the technical details, so this was quite informative, and amusing, with the style. If you are not a would be comic creator, or artist of some sort, this may be too technical, dry and textbook like, but it is clever to have a comic be a textbook about comics.

This book is outstanding, and for most readers will be unlike anything you've ever read before. It's a comic book about the art of making comic books, but also a terrific statement on art itself, as well as the creative process. I recommend this to anyone who's ever enjoyed a comic book, but also anyone creative or interested in the creative process.

I simply loved every moment reading this one. I had read the Eisner book on comics, which is a must read and an excellent source for information for sure, but I really liked this one better. The book simply takes you into the world of comics in one big swoop and won't let you go until the last page. All I can complain is the huge craving for more. I was on the verge of leaving the book out when making an order as I was able to borrow it but finally made the call to get one of my very own. The book doesn't just cover comics in technique but gives the reader a general insight on how comics are placed in the field of arts among other arts. It also gives a great view on how the first timer enthusiast becomes one of the pros. Whether you desire to make comics or not you should take a look at this one; it's worth every cent. I can't wait to read it again.

I obtained this volume because of curiosity and treasure it for the potential of communication it conveys. It builds layers of understanding and some of the ideas (such as mapping out a bar graph of each comic's characteristics) have helped me plan content approaches for classes. It is like the proverbial whack on the side of the head! You wonder why you never thought about these things. There is potential for using this as a mini-course in talented and gifted courses. I have used ideas from this in explaining things from concept mapping to clearing the mystery of dimensional analysis for science classes. This is a treasure of a book which which will provide insight and inspiration to those who are captured by its wonderful approach to the art and communication of comics. (A second copy permanently remains in my reading-room/water-closet. It's a great short or long read!

If you are interested in finding out why graphic novels and comic books are so popular with young people, there is no better introduction to the genre than "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud. Exploring the origins of sequential art beginning with Egyptian hieroglyphics, McCloud contemplates the nature of visual symbolism and the juxtaposition of imagery and language with wit and style. This is a brilliant 224-page comic book, loaded with insight and entertainment. It is also an impressive display of Scott's remarkable versatility as an artist. An excellent tool for anyone interested in young adult literature, and a pleasure to read for it's own sake.

Mc Cloud writes and draws in such a logical, straightforward style that remains funny and entertaining. His research and organization show this to be a heavy book disguised as fluff. (not to say that all comics are shallow, but they usually do not give the first impression of "War and Peace"). I was visiting my daughter at school and saw this softcover laying on the coffee table. I thought it might be a counter- culture "People" magazine. I was sucked in to the light approach and funny quirks in animation. Soon I realized this was a serious topic and also impossible to put down. I had to have a copy of my own. (turns out it was being used as a textbook in an English/Writing class on campus). Scott is a genious if could reach me. I am a photographer and Scott opened my eyes to new visual logics.

Steve Maulin

Eso es lo que es este libro. A lo largo de sus 9 capitulos, se toman en cuenta partes sumamente importantes en la estructura de un comic, llendo mas alla de la calidad y el estilo del dibujo. Como dice el autor, este libro es su opinion y espera a partir de el, se debata el contenido y no solo se de por hecho. Sin duda un excelente libro al nivel de "El comic y el arte secuencial" de Will Eisner, con la diferencia mas relevante, de estar formado como un comic, no un libro de teoria con ejemplos de comic.

I have a very personal reason for loving this book. When I was an undergrad at Syracuse University in the early 80's there was a crazy Art History and Aesthetics Prof named Larry Bakke, who really changed the way I looked at art and media in general.

Bakke has since died and I am thrilled to find that someone who really grasped the ideas that Bakke presented has applied those ideas to comics in the media of a comic book.

McCloud sketchily reviews comics history, dissects the anatomy of comics, and meditates on human thought and visual perception. There's something here for lots of people.
His analyses of, say, the components of the creative process, might be debated -- but he invites discussion. Comics readers will learn a thing or two. Comics disparagers or ignorers would be enlightened if someone kindly left this book where they'd scan it.

A comic book, that teaches you to read comics, that also teaches you to understand the medium of comics, and points toward the future of the medium. Layers of an onion. Crucial reading for pretty much anyone (key concept- it's not actually about "comics") who is at all interested in stories, explaining/teaching, or any sort of interdisciplinary work.

Don't let the title fool you and let this one slip away. An absolutely brilliant and poignant commentary on comics, art theory and design disguised in what appears to be a childlike form. The attentive reader will find some influential ideas in this one (Clifford Nass, _The Media Equation_). Skillfully done.

This was required reading in the cartooning program at the School of Visual Arts and with good reason. Clear, informative and never dry, McCloud provides the best reference to understanding the principals of constructing comics without delving into drawing lessons, an area already sufficiently covered.

Although Scott McCloud admittedly didn't create the book for web developers, it is a MUST READ for any serious (and not so serious) person creating a website. "What happens between the frames" in a comic strip is very similar to what happens between clicking from one page to the next online. What is the user thinking? What is going through their mind? What are they expecting to see while the next page downloads? Are you delivering on that promise? Are you meeting (and beating) their expectations? Plus, this book gives you a great understanding of character development and story development (both horribly missing online). I cannot recommend this book enough - plus, it is easy to read as it is entirely in comic format.

This is a fundamental book for anyone interested in comics. And anyone interested in words or representation. Period. A history, anthropology, guide, and critique to the medium of comics *in* the medium that transcends the medium. Scott is brilliant -- both as a thinker and as an artist. Buy this book. Read this work.
(Then go out and read his other stuff, like Zot! or visit his website at [...] -- And no. I do not know Scott personally, I have not been paid to say these things, and I have no other interest than as a critical fan and (pardon the onomotopoeia) thinking man.)

If you want understand comics, then read comics.

I've read perhaps more than 10,000 comics, and I really love this book, and McCloud's ideas and essays. He is interesting and informative to read, and I've read this book multiple times. If you don't read comics, read comics FIRST, then come back to this book later.

This book not only helped legitimize a misunderstood art form for a new generation, it also changed my perception on how I philosophically view the world. I've read this book many times now and have shared it with many of my non-comic exposed friends. They have all been taken aback by the amazing essay that explores the human condition in a friendly and accessible way. Whether you are a fan of comics or not, this book should have value for everyone.

Recently, I have started to be a fan of webcomics, and my boyfriend, a long-time comic reader introduced me to this book. I read it in less than a day, and was amazed at how little credit I was giving to this artform, as well as the even littler credit others were giving it. When I finished, I immediately read the sequel: Reinventing Comics, then went to the comic book store and had a good browse around. I would suggest this book to anyone interested in literature, visual arts, and combined medias. Read it!

i was "forced" to buy this book for an art history class.

never would i have picked it out on my own. it's not so much

that i hate comics, but i definitely do not read them as much

as i used to. even then it was all :"betty & veronica" & "katy

keene" more so for the fashions then the actual comic. after reading

this book, i realize how complex & interesting comics really are. this

book is more of a guide to visual literacy than anything else. it makes

you aware of things that you have always taken for granted & explains

to you WHY... excellent book, i recommend it to EVERYONE!

If you are interested in any aspect of comics at all, this is the first book you should have on your shelf. Scott McCloud guides you through the history and theory of comics art with wit and wisdom, all captured in an easily accessible comic. More than a simple funny book, this book will change your opinions on comics, whether you have never picked one up before, or you are a long-time comics professional. This book could be used as curriculum for a college course, despite (or maybe because of) the whimsical artwork. The art draws you in and makes the information easy to accept and understand (in fact, McCloud gives examples of why the comics artform makes it easy to read and identify with). McCloud takes this subject matter seriously, and after reading, you probably will too.

I read this and it made me a better cartoonist McCloud really makes you THINK about art and the philosophy of cartooning. And of course, his illustrations serve to really make this an enjoyable book to learn from. You owe it to yourself to check out this work.

This book is both an instant classic and very enjoyable. I am was not a reader of comics until I read this book. It convinced me of comics' status as art. It is an insightful and intelligent investigation into the comic art form. Read closely, it reveals itself to be a true work of intellectual rigor. But you can also skim through it and smile page after page at its humor and visual work. Like a good comic, it works on many levels.

Understanding Comics is without doubt one of the greatest books written on the subject of comics, and one of the best books written on visual communication. I got it back in '93 and used it as part of Master's thesis. This book is "written" in comic book format making the explanations intuitive and practical. But, don't be fooled: This is a serious book (and a lot of fun). I highly recommend this book!

Scott McCloud does for cartooning and story-telling what Webster and Stunk & White have done for the English language.
A clear and concise explanation of the impact of art history and oral tradition on this most pedestrian of art forms.
Elucidates the affect of this image driven medium and its association and influence on all 20th century art movements.
May help to explain your fascination with 'COMICS" to slow-witted friends.

After reading this book, I wanted to contact Scott McCloud to thank him profusely for providing such an incredible analysis of comics. I thought about how best to describe my opinion of it and the best I could come up with was "wow". No capitalization. No punctuation. Just a word balloon that takes up 2/3 of a comic panel with three small letters floating conspicuously by themselves. "wow" This is the best book on the medium, bar none.
-- SKleefeld

Unique insights and ideas
...and practically on every page, too.
What can I say? This book, and the sequel Reinventing Comics, are damn important, and yet they are entertaining and a pleasure to read as well. Get 'em.

Scott McCloud has done a wonderful job of presenting the rather nebulous world of sequential art (commonly called comics) to the layman and comic fan alike. Formatting the book as a comic book was inspired. It definitely helped to make the concepts he presented in the book clearer.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in that learning comics are more than just "funny pictures."

Everything you wanted to know about the medium and so much more. McCloud's explanations of perception are as accessible as they are enlightening. Adults and children with the interest should read and love this comic.

This is a great book. Scott McCloud has really capture the essence of how we communicate through visuals in a sequential format.

I highly recommend this book for designers wanting to learn the how of visual communication. The content is layed out very clearly and is easy to understand.

I've first see this book in my friend's home. I was amazed by colors, quality of paper and last but not least the content. I've never thought about the comics books in the way this one explains. and the form the explanation takes is adding a flavor to the reading experience. i'm enjoyed reading it (i did it already twice). this is a book that you can take from the shelf at any time, open at any page and read. of course, to do it you need first read it once from the first page to the last... :)

McCloud gives a decent analysis of his views on the medium of Comics. It is an engrossing enough read with an emphasis more on a comparsion to other art forms rather than going indepth into Comics themselves. The fundamental undertaking that the book seems to be doing is this justification of Comics as a valid medium, comparable to other forms like painting or literature. This is the main reason the book feels forced and filled with more personal conjecture than actual analysis. In his almost pleading requests to convince us of the merits of Comics against the world of expression he seems more interested in convincing himself of this belief than in taking pride in the medium. I assumed from the outset that a thorough treatment of the history of comics would be given, that is from the early twentieth century onward. I also imagined there to be a heavy focus on style and composition. Instead, ancient artwork and the formation of language was called to task in support of McClouds need for serious validation of Comics themselves as a legitimate art. Psychological and 'personal' motives behind comics were given a great deal of pages, and while I expect this of a good thesis, their relation to the whole of comics were elementary at best. There was a great deal of insights into the form that I found interesting and fresh, but many of these seemed highly open to interpretation and at times, whatever arguments McCloud appeared to be making stopped abruptly before he even approached a coherent causality. In addition, much of the chapters seem to be unnecessary and only serve as 'padding' as mentioned by other reviewers.

Ultimately, I found perhaps ten to twenty percent of the material here to be useful analysis, which is what I was looking for. The rest was perhipial and anectodal at best. Still, I admire the attempt and feel that more material on the subject should be undertaken.

I am not a hard-core comic fan, but this book was incredibly interesting. Scott shows how so much of the action happens in the tiny gap between panels. The psychology of the gap is important to understand for anyone who has to communicate information to others. This is a great book for aspiring comic publishers, but also for speakers, presenters and authors.

If you are an artist involved in cinema/animation/storyboarding/Illustration or any type of creative or communication science, YOU WANT THIS BOOK. This book packs more horsepower under the hood that you might guess by looking at the front cover. It seems more like a phd thesis about the origin, meaning, and evolution of iconography, visual communication; analyzing hundreds of graphic styles, their origins and meanings, and how cultural factors affect creativity and perception.

Scott Mcloud is a thorough writer. He builds his arguments to a point. I was thrilled to have a serious book about comics, that utilises the medium.

This book is intelligent and insightful. If you're a comic lover or artist (not just comics, but all forms of art), you'll have a lot to learn from this book.

This book provides an incredibly in-depth discussion on what comics are, why they exist, and how they are related to other forms of art. If you love comics, this book is a must-read and if you think comics are a waste of time then this book is a must-read for you as well. It helped me see comics in a whole new light...great work Scott.

This book is from the perspective of a serious critic. For the real inside stuff on technique, both narrative and artistic as employed in comics, check out the still-available instructional works of Will Eisner, who pioneered both the breakout from the tradiitional box and the long form graphic story with his weekly eight-page "Spirit" Sunday comics of the 40s and 50s, who expanded the form before anyone else, and who exposes his hard-won practical knowledge for would-be artists and storytellers in several books on the subject.

At the risk of pissing off a lot of Scott's fans out there, I felt compelled to write a review of this book, based on the fact that there are a surprising amount of five-star reviews, and I just can't figure out why. Now, please understand I think it's great his book found an audience, and I actually just ordered his "Making Comics" book. However, here are some of my thoughts on this book:

*If anyone has read comics any significant amount, a huge portion of this book will be completely redundant and unnecessary.

*His approach seems to be "the only reason people don't like comics is because they simply don't understand them." Well, it's not rocket science. If people don't like comics, it's probably because they simply don't care for the medium. I can't imagine how explaining things in EXCRUCIATING detail is going to suddenly change their mind. His other approach is to justify the medium itself as a valid and important art form. I agree that it is both those things, but to create a whole book on that premise is again (I feel) barking up the wrong tree. If people don't like comics, why would they read a whole book on the subject?

*There certainly is some nice information in this book, particularly the historical info on comics. But, as a whole, it feels padded and bloated with things that most people would already know, or just not care about.

All that being said, it is obvious that he has indeed found an audience, and I can't (and wouldn't want to) change that. My only concern is that some people might think this book is something that it's not (for instance would-be comic creators, like me) and may read it and be disappointed. That's what happened to me, so I have ordered one of his other books. I think it would help if the store allowed people to look at the table of contents before ordering, but at present there is no option to do that.

This was an excellent, accessible, entertaining introduction to comics that was simultaneously entertaining without being condescending or pedestrian. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it for the uninitiated and the hard-core comic fan alike.

If you are an artist involved in cinema/animation/storyboarding/Illustration or any type of creative or communication science, YOU WANT THIS BOOK. This book packs more horsepower under the hood that you might guess by looking at the front cover. It seems more like a phd thesis about the origin, meaning, and evolution of iconography, visual communication; analyzing hundreds of graphic styles, their origins and meanings, and how cultural factors affect creativity and perception.

Scott Mcloud is a thorough writer. He builds his arguments to a point. I was thrilled to have a serious book about comics, that utilises the medium.

This book is intelligent and insightful. If you're a comic lover or artist (not just comics, but all forms of art), you'll have a lot to learn from this book.

This book provides an incredibly in-depth discussion on what comics are, why they exist, and how they are related to other forms of art. If you love comics, this book is a must-read and if you think comics are a waste of time then this book is a must-read for you as well. It helped me see comics in a whole new light...great work Scott.

This book is from the perspective of a serious critic. For the real inside stuff on technique, both narrative and artistic as employed in comics, check out the still-available instructional works of Will Eisner, who pioneered both the breakout from the tradiitional box and the long form graphic story with his weekly eight-page "Spirit" Sunday comics of the 40s and 50s, who expanded the form before anyone else, and who exposes his hard-won practical knowledge for would-be artists and storytellers in several books on the subject.

At the risk of pissing off a lot of Scott's fans out there, I felt compelled to write a review of this book, based on the fact that there are a surprising amount of five-star reviews, and I just can't figure out why. Now, please understand I think it's great his book found an audience, and I actually just ordered his "Making Comics" book. However, here are some of my thoughts on this book:

*If anyone has read comics any significant amount, a huge portion of this book will be completely redundant and unnecessary.

*His approach seems to be "the only reason people don't like comics is because they simply don't understand them." Well, it's not rocket science. If people don't like comics, it's probably because they simply don't care for the medium. I can't imagine how explaining things in EXCRUCIATING detail is going to suddenly change their mind. His other approach is to justify the medium itself as a valid and important art form. I agree that it is both those things, but to create a whole book on that premise is again (I feel) barking up the wrong tree. If people don't like comics, why would they read a whole book on the subject?

*There certainly is some nice information in this book, particularly the historical info on comics. But, as a whole, it feels padded and bloated with things that most people would already know, or just not care about.

All that being said, it is obvious that he has indeed found an audience, and I can't (and wouldn't want to) change that. My only concern is that some people might think this book is something that it's not (for instance would-be comic creators, like me) and may read it and be disappointed. That's what happened to me, so I have ordered one of his other books. I think it would help if the store allowed people to look at the table of contents before ordering, but at present there is no option to do that.

This was an excellent, accessible, entertaining introduction to comics that was simultaneously entertaining without being condescending or pedestrian. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it for the uninitiated and the hard-core comic fan alike.

Okay, so it's really the only in depth book on the subject. But if there were others it would still be the best. This is not only a great book on the art of comics but visual language in general and I would recommend it to anyone going into the graphic arts.

So much is communicated in every comic image that is entirely below most viewer's understanding. This book is eye-opening! A must for filmmakers, artists, even writers. Your work will benefit from the insights provided by Scott Mccloud in this amazing book.

My teacher pushed all the students in the class to buy this book. I wasn't looking for a comic designing book. Even though designing comics for my story was always for my considered concept on how to put together my possible future book/comic.

Understanding Comics is simple and deep. Profound and sometimes silly. It's such a no-brainer idea, why not USE the medium of comics to best describe the tools, power and impact of comics.

This book can give any artist (novelists, screenwriters, actors, painters) new and exciting perspectives on their craft.

This book should be compulsory teaching in schools. Very easy to read and a great education in not just comics, but also in art and story telling. Highly recommended for everyone, even for the so called comic book experts. I have been reading comics for over 20 years, and this taught me things I took for granted.

McCloud - to my mind - stands with Edward Tufte as an illuminator of visual information - and along the way, in reading all three of McCloud's books, I got a bit of art history, cinema history, graphic design - the connections between them - and more than enough to make me want to know more about all of McCloud's connected territories.

If you think this is just about comics, think again! It's a book which defines and illustrates what we call "art". The presentation is so simple, yet so profoundly deep, you'll find yourself referring back to this densely packed little book for many years to come. I always keep a copy at work to pass on to colleagues. It's absolutely genius.

jeff gregory

I love this book. Not only does it explain visual storytelling, and how we understand stories and comics, but also illustrates perfectly how you go about implementing the principle, "Show, don't tell", so vital to creating compelling stories. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in telling stories, of any kind.

I was interested in this book because I am a collector of vintage romance comics and I wanted more background in their development, but I was suprised to find that it fascinated me just as much as a professional fine artist. Very clear & great read, too. Highly recommended.

I've taken a look at some of the 5 star reviews, and many of them are people who don't read comics. The short of this review is if you're into comics/comix/sequential art now, and have read some of the cream of the independent crop's works: Kochalka, Thompson, Moore, or work on a similar level, then this book IS NOT FOR YOU! This is a justification, a plea to be taken serious, to those that consider themselves too good for comics. That being said:

Pros: McCloud knows his stuff, he's obviously intelligent, and his love of comics is palatable. Towards the end, he engages in a revelatory, and revelrous, exposition on comics, their virtues, their potential, and what they offer the artistic world as a whole. Comics can do this, do that, they can reach back in time to the Aztecs, and even to prehistoric times. Most books on comics begin a history of comics at just before the turn of the century with the "Yellow Kid" and his compatriots in "Hoogans' Alley" (sp?). Which is fair, considering, for all intents an purposes, that's is where modern comics began. McCloud takes it further, arguing that pictures (and some words as well) juxtaposed in a sequence has been used to tell stories as far back as ancient Egypt and Aztec times continuing through medieval times, and places the seed of modern comics in the mid-1800's, with Rodolphe Topffer, the first to use a series of pictures and borders to tell a story.

It's pretty obvious from the start that McCloud is concerned with comics being considered a legitimate artform, and makes connections with works by Max Ernst, Lynd Ward and Frans Masereel to defend this point. These artists created comics (at least comics according to McCloud's definition) and were considered masterpieces, but many people continue to poo-poo comics as pulp and drivel. McCloud makes other connections between comics and other 'fine art' movements, such as comparing 'zip-ribbons', used to convey motions in comic with experiments of dynamic motion on a stationary canvas done by Duchamp and the Futurists (never made this connection, it was kind of cool to discover that.)

Also, he touches on the differences between Japanese and Western comics (and to a lesser extent, American and European comics) which I also found very interesting and wish he had spent more time discussing.

Cons: A lot of this book feels very overwrought and padded. The entire last chapter in which he discusses the process of creating art, could have been cut out without losing any of the books essence, in fact, I would have prefered the space been used in examining the different courses that comics have taken in the various cultures (American, European, Japanese, Latin American). In addition, I found that, with the exception on what I mentioned above, I didn't learn anything new after reading these books. I wasn't introduced to any radical new way of approaching comics or deeper understanding of how they worked. Most of what McCloud talks about, especially the chapters on time, motion, the one on iconic images, the one on closure and the chapter on scripting. I already knew from studying Foxtrot, Calvin & Hobbes and Garfield in the comics section when I was 12-years old, or through multiple readings of my cousins comic and my own Mad Magazine collection; McCloud gives better explanations than I probably could have, but I still just skipped over these sections.

I also skipped over the parts when he brought in charts. I don't know if the image plane triangle is an accepted art world convention (with 'The Picture Plane", Meaning and Resemblance at its 3 vertices) but I was really bored by it, the same with the graph depicting the scene-to-scene breakdown of various comics. I suppose some people would find these 'visual aids' useful. But, they're more superfluous than anything else. Like disecting a Christmas card and concluding which figure is the father, the mother, etc. It's so painfully obvious and tedious that you can't help but groan through the process. Case in point: some people may find it useful, but it just seemed like it was missing the point, in order to make those charts and graphs you drain whatever life was in the comics, out and you just have this fragile husk to measure against that ultimately means nothing. It's like phrenology for art.

Mccloud wants comics to be taken seriously, and through this book he's trying to convince the 'layperson' of how artistically viable they are, creating (essentially) mathematical equations to say "Look! This formula shows that you should appreciate comics because they are mathematically equal to works of fine art, but with words!" In the process of trying to make his case, though, I think he misses a lot of unquantifiable things that make comics so enjoyable and timeless, their universal approachability and spontaneity.

This was written in 1992, before the huge surge in underground/alternative comics that we're enjoying today. So, McCloud's predictions came true, though it's probable they would have regardless of whether this book was published or not. A great many comic artists have praised McCloud, I guess because he's legitimized the medium now. If McCloud is responsible at all for greater acceptance of comics, and for turning more people on to comics, then he deserves some kudos. However, his books aren't for fans/longtime readers of comics, they're for the older cantankerous coots that never took them seriously.

I much prefer Eisner's "Comics and Sequential Art" which is much less pretentious and a much more enjoyable read. Many of the things McCloud attempts to cover and address in "Understanding Comics" are addressed in "Comics..." with much more focus and clarity. Though a different beast, I also found "Comic Book Nation" by Bradford W. Wright too be very entertaining and interesting. It traces modern comics' evolution and the impact they've had on American culture; from juvenile delinquency trials and indecency charges, to Quentin Tarantino.

I know this is tantamount to HERESY in the world of comic book lovers, but McCloud's a bit... well... NUTS. His books are very interesting, sometimes though-provoking reads, but he's not writing for academes. A good, strong, critical look tells me that this man is writing for those who already agree but aren't well enough trained in argumentation to make their point. It's about 30% fluff, which is fine, but McCloud is an extremist, and as such, know what to expect. He is a big voice, and he's good at what he does, but to create a piece that truely could have an impact on any serious academic, he needs to be more critical and impartial. His bias is overwhelmingly powerful. Don't get me wrong--I agree with the man whole heartedly! But preachin to the choir just gets you a bored choir. Well, maybe not for those less concerned about convincing someone outside the industry.

I was required to read this book for a college art class, and hated it. I'm not a comic book fan, but I also don't detest them either. I found the book to be mildly interesting, but just way too reptitive. The author goes on and on about the same things for way too long, practically beating the subjects to death. The author tries to get the reader to take things in the book so seriously, it seems a little ridiculous.

It is a simple matter to discern when a Golden Age has ended by the sort of heavy analysis which immediately ensues; heavy, as in "by-the-boatload," not in terms of enlightening consequence. With no more real wheat to delight in, academics and born-too-late types busy themselves with the chaff of review and dissection. Citizen Kane was a single movie which, in the sequel of sixty years, has produced a horde of 500-some books, doctoral theses, and other various forms of minute analysis. Yet Mr. Welles' film remains unaltered by said avalanche, merely peering back through the ages at its commentators with a smile that says, "you may chatter about me as ceaselessly as you please-but you could never create me!"
The Great Days of the cartoon-including animated shorts, comic books, political cartoons and newspaper strips-are generally accounted to have occupied the first half of the 20th Century, after which television did its steamroller bit on radio, movies, weekly magazines and the cartoon alike. Folks these days may not be able to write and draw great cartoons anymore, but we sure can jabber about them. It's fun to be a self-appointed authority, and it's far easier than the painful baby steps of learning to draw well, or training the mind to think up arresting visual continuities and involving plot-lines. Hence Scott McCloud's fairly-recent offering into this field of texts which, as the old saw goes, "fill a much-needed void."
The title of Mr. McCloud's book is humorous in that the comics are a medium understood intrinsically by practically any person aged four years and up. The supposition behind his book, of course, is that this is only because the art form never left its infancy; that the potential of the comic medium is more untapped than otherwise. The error here is that attempts of late to force the comic to "grow up" and "expand" have been, to use a popular phrase of the day, "style over substance"; four-letter words, teeth-gnashing rage, self-indulgent angst, glib posturing, freewheeling sex, and most of all, lots and lots and LOTS of hack drawing, amateur plotting & scripting, and pyrotechnic continuity which cannot be clearly followed. That these childish squalls were ignored by the once comics-loving public is testament to the unappealing deficiencies which bind lesser talents. The works of Mr. McCloud's contemporaries have been, in mass, slicked-up nothings-tramps in $2,000 suits-and his own efforts (ZOT!) have never risen above mediocrity despite the vast "understanding" which he has contrived from whole cloth and placed herein.
There is no true profundity in the book, which automatically dictates that scads of critics will suggest it is there in spades. The author brings home his seemingly-obvious points with sledgehammer force, as though with each passing "revelation" we are to strike the forehead with the palm, eyes widened. Like most such volumes, Mr. McCloud has inflated his superfluous notions with an esoteric padding, sure to rake in the eggheaded suckers, and ready to repel the charge of "Yeah, so what?" with: "Well, if you don't like it, then you must not understand it."
Yet if this volume makes clear any point whatever, it is that Mr. McCloud himself understands very little about comics-or at any rate, their appeal. The probity of good cartooning has always been and will always be a good story, well-drawn and simply-told. The trick is to work within those conventions rather than peremptorily dismissing them as ancient. The kind of ivory-tower imaginings which infest this and other identical books of analysis will never replace the hard work and ingenuity which were the hallmarks of the masters of the art. Citing the possibilities of a lump of clay makes a sculptor of no one, nor will anything but diligent and concentrated effort. For Scott McCloud to suggest that comics can be so much more than they have been is all well and good, but people have had more leisure time for examination, reflection and training since the 1950s than ever before-so where are the great comics? It is talk. The ignorance of the learned. Hal Foster of "Tarzan" and "Prince Valiant" fame claimed never to have dissected his art or storytelling technique. Yet he is certainly one of the ten greatest newspaper strip cartoonists of all time. How on Earth did he manage it without the guiding hands of Gilbert Seldes, Will Eisner or Scott McCloud?
The much-revered art instructor Kimon Nicolaides, who died in 1938, said: "I have had students who seemed to be more interested in `being artists' than in drawing. They were enthralled by a train of mental ideas rather than the feeling of responding on paper to a vivid experience of the senses. Such students are likely to be found, not sitting in front of the model, but sitting over a cup of coffee in a neighboring café, talking about art. The student who really learns to draw will be the one who draws. As Leonardo said, the supreme misfortune is when theory outstrips performance." I mention this quote because the greatest of cartoonists were first and foremost ARTISTS-they later became cartoonists, and trained themselves individually to do so by trial and error. In this way, numberless styles, yarns and deathless creations flooded the field. There was no time for pontification or self-analysis-those men just kept cranking and kept improving. They had deadlines. We have theory. They had talent. We have their reprint books.
And so, I suggest that if you plan to spend $18.00 in your efforts to "understand comics," you do it on the reprinted works of Messrs. McCay, Outcault, Crane, Foster, Caniff, Sickles, McManus, Opper, Segar, Sterrett, Herriman, et al. Their cartooning legacies are all the education-and more importantly, all the enjoyment-that you need ever hope for from a wonderful but long-deceased art form.

this book is an attempt to deconstruct comics. To over analyze them to such a degree as to make you lose sight of what you are really looking at. Scott McCloud spends pages and pages over pointless items like the definition of a comic, and other useless ideas. The Triangle he creates for art seems right out of Dead Poets Society. The guy obviously wants to do comics badly but isn't talented enough to actually do them. As the old adage goes, Those who can, do and those who can't, teach.

I had to buy this book for a class, the class was on using Photoshop, I still have no idea what this book had to do with using Photoshop, but it was required, the whole book is written in comic form, I HATED it and never read my assignments because of this...

If you would like to learn more about conceptual, interaction, and interface design of comic books, consider spending some time with Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art." It will be time well spent and you might even want to read some of his other wonderful books.

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