Scott mcclouds brilliant treatise on the inner workings of cartoonists will delight amateur artists and curious fans alike. In this, mcclouds third nonfiction book about comics, he has produced his most significant achievement to date, and thats really saying something. Understanding comics is truly a comics book written about comics as a literary and artistic medium. My focus is to present the theories mccloud has about the language of comics. In understanding comics, author scott mccloud examines comics as an art form. As with any treatise on aesthetics, there is an enormous amount to quibble with in understanding comics is mccloud really so sure. Scott mccloud has been writing, drawing, and examining comics since 1984. In 1993, scott mccloud tore down the wall between high and low culture with the acclaimed international hit understanding comics, a massive comic book that explored the inner workings of the worlds most misunderstood art form. Understanding comics by scott mccloud smart bitches. Essentially an essay about comics as a medium and the industry itself, the books are among the first that seriously analyzed comics in their own right. For example, a panel depicting a mysterious woman looking at a blank paper might be followed by a drawing of a sunset. Understanding comics the invisible art by scott mccloud harper collins. What scott mccloud taught us about internet storytelling.
For designers, it provides a good structure for how to think deeply about any medium, with specific lessons on visual design. See all books authored by scott mccloud, including understanding comics. Strongly recommended for all public and academic libraries. In reinventing comics, mccloud took this to the next level, charting twelve different revolutions in how comics are generated, read, and perceived today. Scott mccloud has 71 books on goodreads with 269415 ratings.
The reader will most likely conclude that the mysterious woman drew the sunset. It would make a good textbook for an art 101 class. Now, mccloud takes comics to the next level, charting twelve different revolutions in how comics are created. The gutter is essential for comics to be successful because it allows for closure to happen. Understanding comics 1993, reinventing comics 2000, and making comics 2006, all of which also use the medium of comics. Praised throughout the cartoon industry by such luminaries as art spiegelman, matt groening, and will eisner, this innovative comic book. Understanding comics the invisible art making meaning 2012. Does scott mccloud, author of the seminal textbook this side of will eisner on the art of sequential storytelling, understanding comics, really need an introduction.
Scott mccloud is author of understanding comics, a comic book about comics. When pressed to give a full definition, mccloud explains. Books by scott mccloud author of understanding comics. With this book scott mccloud has taken breathtaking leaps towards establishing a critical language that the comic art form can work with and build upon in the future.
His classic volume explores formal aspects of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements have been used. Scott mccloud in his book, understanding comics, describes closure as a phenomenon of observing the parts but perceiving the whole. Inspection scott mccloud on his 80s comic series conducted by chris knowles transcribed by jon b. This is important within comics because they are a medium that do not allow for actions to take place in real time. It explores formal aspects of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements have been used. Neil gaiman the bestselling international classic on storytelling and visual communication praised throughout the cartoon industry by such luminaries as art spiegelman, matt groening, and will eisner, scott mccloud s understanding comics is a seminal examination of comics art. As defined by scott mccloud in understanding comics, comics are juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information andor to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer.
Scott mccloud books list of books by author scott mccloud. The text im speaking of is scott mcclouds understanding comics. Thankfully this book is neither a howto in digital comics, nor a book praising the wonders of clunky web comics which i feared when i first heard about it, for scott mccloud the future of comics is much more about diversity, and a more direct connection between the reader and the author. For 20 years, mccloud was known for drawing panels of himself playing teacher, explaining the. Understanding comics the invisible art by scott mccloud. Scott mccloud describes closure as, observing the parts, but perceiving the whole. Neil gaiman the bestselling international classic on storytelling and visual communication. Neil gaimanthe bestselling international classic on storytelling and visual communication. If you read understanding comics if not, you should, you already experienced scott mcclouds love. Get set for back to school with the definitive guide to comics. Scott mccloud packs a huge amount of information about art, history, comic design and the different ways people communicate in words and pictures into this highly accessible book. Scott mccloud tore down the wall between high and low culture in 1993 with understanding comics, a massive comic book about comics, linking the medium to such diverse fields as media theory, movie criticism, and web design. Neil gaiman praised throughout the cartoon industry by such luminaries as art spiegelman, matt groening, and will eisner, scott mcclouds understanding comics is a seminal examination of comics art.
Scott mccloud born scott mcleod is an american cartoonist and theorist on comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium scott mccloud is the auth. A paperback edition of this book was originally published in 1993 by kitchen sink press. Scott mccloud explains the serious business of comics. Cleverly disguised as an easytoread comic book, scott mcclouds simplelooking tome deconstructs the secret language of comics while casually revealing.
This means i skip all the humorous asides and palpable enthusiasm that make mccloud a likable chap. Scott mcclouds most popular book is understanding comics. Frank miller sin city, 300 called him just about the smartest guy in comics. And the way we experience them isnt just the stuff of comic book art, but the essence of life itself, according to scott mccloud. This is an exceptional book in comic format of ideas presented as a readerfriendly theoretical lecture and it may just be the blueprint for the very future of the comics industry. You might call scott mccloud the john berger of comic books. Best graphic novels scott mccloud picks best comics. The invisible art is a richly insightful exploration of the medium of comics told, appropriately enough, in comicbook form. Or maybe youve just heard of it and know its very well regarded.
Lucid and accessible, it is an astonishing feat of perception. Understanding comics is quite simply the best analysis of the medium that i have ever encountered. An very readable introduction and analysis of the comic book medium, told in the form of a comic book. This book is fun and easy to read but so incredibly helpful in showing the reader how comics work. The invisible art, cartoonist and theorist scott mccloud has been making and thinking about comics for decades. Scott mccloud tore down the wall between high and low culture in 1993 with understanding comics, a massive comic book about comics, linking the medium to such diverse fields as media theory, scott. Understanding comics is a comic about comics by scott mccloud.
Scott mccloud born scott mcleod on june 10, 1960 is an american cartoonist and comics theorist. Like comics themselves, there are hidden depths here, because beneath the immediacy of the presentation are some deep, serious ideas about the development of language, art and communication. Published in 1993, the book remains the definitive work on. Scott mccloud making comics pdf download by saumenherrcat. Also reinventing comics 2000, a more controversial look at comics revolutions in art, culture and technology, and making comics 2006, an extensive exploration of. American women cartoonists 189620, karen green columbia university, jared gardner ohio state university, and moderator danny fingeroth disguised as clark kent. Because the technical aspects of comics work on the reader subconsciously, i was unaware of how much difference can be made by things like the shape and spacing of a panel. The bestselling international classic on storytelling and v. If you havent heard of the book or read it yet, i highly recommend it. Its important to note that comics are a medium of storytelling, not a.
Particularly understanding comics 1993, a 215page comic book about the comics medium translated into over 20 languages. In this unmissable look at the magic of comics, scott mccloud bends the presentation format into a cartoonlike experience, where colorful diversions whiz through childhood fascinations and imagined futures that our eyes can hear and touch. Originally published in 1993, it quickly came to be regarded as a classic, not only for helping to elevate sequential art to the same level as other, more legitimate art forms but for its engaging, exuberant style. The invisible art is a 1993 nonfiction work of comics by american cartoonist scott mccloud. Scott mccloud is so enthusiastic about the power of comics as a communication medium, that he demonstrates comics with his storytelling. The bestselling international classic on storytelling and visual communication you must read this book. The locally rooted comic artist and theorist, wellknown for his 1993 book understanding comics, drew a capacity house to the knafel center for a talk on visual storytelling, visual communication. Praised throughout the cartoon industry by such luminaries as art spiegelman, matt groening, and will eisner, scott mcclouds understanding comics is a seminal examination of comics art. The new century manifesto on the many futures of comics art. Originally published in 1994, the book was meant to elevate comics and other sequential art forms as worthy of analysis. He is best known for his nonfiction books about comics. Understanding comics, and its followups reinventing comics and making comics, are a critically acclaimed nonfiction comic book series by scott mccloud.
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