Understanding Comics

As all good card-carrying comic-book fans know, their sheer passion will never overcome narrow-minded critics and their baying cries of derision. There is far more to this perpetually underrated medium than a mix of art and prose. With this indispensable, spellbinding tome, writer/artist Scott McCloud rises to the challenge of dissecting what remains the most enigmatic of art forms. After all, says McCloud, "No other art form gives so much to its audience while asking so much from them as well". Over the course of 215 impeccably formed pages, McCloud joyously exposes and deconstructs a hidden world of icons in a most literate and valid manner. His charming guidance finds a place where Time and Space is effortlessly malleable and the reader is both a willing accomplice and necessary vessel for comics' singular magic. Cunningly presented in comic form, McCloud (or his comic equivalent) conducts a journey that spans thousands of years, taking in art from Prehistoric Man to the Egyptians to Van Gogh to Jack Kirby. Never has psychological and cultural analysis been so understandably clear, beautifully aided by clever visuals and his truly infectious love for the medium. By the end of this funny, charming, rare and exciting book, you'll not doubt the notion that a comic book "...is a vacuum into which our identity and awareness are pulled ... an empty shell that we inhabit which enables us to travel to another realm". A fine exchange for a little faith and a world of imagination. --Danny Graydon

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Eye-opening - Rated
A colleague who produces comics recommended this book to me as the definitive guide to the subject, and he was right. McCloud uses comic-strip techniques as elegant proof of the fact that comics really can get a message across to their audience. Apart from its obvious how-to value, this book is also a handy defence against the intellectual snobs who deride the medium (yes, that was me, once upon a time) because of its thoroughly researched and - dare I say it - scholarly approach. It's a surprising, enjoyable and educational guide by someone who clearly loves his work. I'll never see comics the same way again.

Eye-opening - Rated
There are precious few books around that really treat the comics medium seriously, or fully explore what is and may be possible in that medium. Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics" is one of the few and - for me - is the best of the bunch.

This book has tonnes of things going for it: McCloud's enjoyable and accessible cartoon-style delivery, which is itself a brilliant demonstration of how powerful a communication tool comics can be ... the infectious passion he has for his subject ... the bountiful results of his serious research and scrutinization ... I could go on.

Perhaps the best thing about "Understanding Comics", though, is McCloud's sheer imagination. When it comes to comics, he has a way of thinking and seeing that is almost completely uninhibited by any preconceptions. The result: he's constantly chucking ideas at you that surprise you and make you re-think about comics, writing, art and perception. You might not agree with everything he says, but the point is you're thinking about something you'd never have considered before. It's a truly eye-opening piece of work.

For readers and writers of comics alike, "Understanding Comics" is invaluable in helping you to appreciate 'sequential art'. For those who have never considered comics worth bothering about ... I urge you to get this book and read it. I guarantee it will make you think again, about comics in particular and art in general.

One final note: as I'm sure Scott McCloud himself would say, don't stop here. Check out other works such as "Comics and Sequential Art" by Will Eisner, or Alan Moore's essay "Writing for Comics". And any sequential art you can lay your hands on!

A must-have for serious cartoonists - Rated
This is one of the true necessities for anyone serious about cartooning and what Eisner calls "sequential art". It is NOT a how-to-draw book. Rather, it discusses the nature of drawing and cartooning, and how concepts are depicted through the pen - all with a very personal touch, the author speaking directly to you through the medium of cartooning. McCloud also examines the evolution of true comics from basic drawing, and how the "language" of cartooning has come to differ in different cultures. This book will make you think long and hard about the subject and what you do in it yourself.

Comics shed a light on shoe-string animation - Rated
This books on undestanding comics is a must read for anyone involved with visual and textual communications of any sort.

History, constructs, and the means of communicating beyond the constraints of a medium, such as two-dimensional paper, in this case, provides ample ammunition for lateral thought.

Personally I found this book not only informative and inspiring, but also thought provoking. The impact has been such, that the ideas will be adapted to a shoe-string animation project.

One of the best books in existence - Rated
Others have commented that this is the best books about comics. Frankly, in terms of engaging with its audience and leading them through a complex subject, it is one of the best-written books I have read on any subject. Broad sweep through history, discussion of the nature of art, study of human nature -- this book is all of these and much more. Everyone should have a copy.