Unlike other forms of great media like music, film or video, comics are rarely critically examined as an art form. The content of each comic is determined by the creator’s taste. He argues that the world of comics is huge and varied but not broad enough to include anything which clearly isn’t a comic book.Ĭomics, Scott explains, is a medium that can hold any number of ideas and images. Scott feels that people fail to appreciate the true potential of comics because they define it too narrowly. However, he thinks there is something hidden inside them which can be brought out to make them into a great art form. Scott McCloud believes that comics are usually crude, poorly-drawn, semiliterate, cheap and disposable. However, when a friend convinced him to give the genre another chance, he became obsessed with them and started practicing to be an artist for Marvel Comics. He preferred books, since he thought that they were more sophisticated than comics. He believes that if comics were made more sophisticated and appealing, they would be taken more seriously by adult readers and literary critics alike.Īs a child, Scott had no interest in comics. McCloud analyzes how emotion is conveyed through use of images, either with or without the addition of word balloons and sound effects. The book shows different ways that comics artists can convey mood and appeal to the readers’ senses. He also briefly discusses using color for illustrations, especially by means of the traditional four-color process used in the United States.Įxpressionism is a major influence on comics. The author insists that all artists will follow some variation of this formula, but only those who focus on ideas and concepts over form will elevate the medium to a higher level. The six steps in creating any form of art are examined. He goes into detail about each type of transition and shows examples to demonstrate his point. McCloud also introduces the concept of closure, or how we interpret what happens in-between panels. McCloud contrasts Eastern and Western comics, as well as influences from artists like Picasso and Monet. He includes many visuals to demonstrate his points. McCloud also provides a history of the medium, along with examples from different styles and strategies. He explains how time works in comics, how motion can be depicted through drawings, and other elements unique to this genre. The author believes that although people think of comics as a new form, they have been around for centuries. The book Understanding Comics is about the history and art of comics.

1-Page Summary of Understanding Comics Overview

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