Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
ISBN:9780060976255 read summary

i bought this book for my boyfriend who writes and illustrates graphic novels. he LOVES this book! apparently i am the "best girlfriend ever" for getting this book for him. he said McCloud explains so many interesting ways of writing/interpreting comics that it has inspired him to write a new comic.

so, yes! it's as good as everyone says it is!

I wish I had read this in high-school. I'm sure I would have pursued creating my own comics much earlier.

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.

For more book reviews, please visit: [...]

This book is not strictly a graphic novel, but rather a mostly serious, occasionally whimsical analysis of the artistic medium known as "comics", done, naturally, as a comic book. McCloud attempts to define the medium itself (starting from Will Eisner's notion of "sequential art") and then proceeds to define the language of the form, and examine its various facets. Contrary to my expectations, McCloud does not make any assumptions or assertions about the actual content of comics, which to some might seem a major drawback, nor does he try to evaluate the quality of any specific style or product. Clearly, he wants to transcend such notions altogether and define the parameters of what comics could be, rather than what they all-too-often are.

McCloud investigates what there is about the medium that draws us to it, without going into such story-centric concepts as plot or characterization. He really doesn't even try to establish critical standards for this medium so much as just delineate the issues, and point out some of the difficulties inherent in a form that combines both writing and pictures.

While this may sound like a dry textbook, it's really much better than that. I most appreciated those moments (and there were many) where McCloud points out aspects of the medium that I'd always taken for granted (the gutters, for example) making me really think about facets of comics that I never even realized I knew. Maybe this book isn't as much pure fun as the comics we're used to, and certainly some of the middle chapters seemed to drag, but anytime you get the chance to look at an old friend through fresh eyes, it's got to be worth the effort. A must-read for anyone serious about comics, and a virtual bible for those interested in working in the field.

The first time I encountered this book was in a painting class. Not only did it completely change the way I thought about comics, it also changed the way I think about the visual arts in general. McCleod's examples are clear, interesting, and funny. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys comics, wants to write them, or wants to create stimulating visual art in any medium.