By Hunter Boyce
Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is an eye opening novel that delves deep into the history, artistry, and psychology of comics. The truly wonderful thing about this novel is that you can learn something new every time you pick it up. Rather you have been reading comics for years or have never even read a single panel, this novel is filled with useful information for the comic enthusiast and the comic curious alike.
For those who are simply curios of comics, McCloud spends the first chapter covering the basics of comic books and their history. For the first chunk of the chapter, McCloud goes into painstaking detail over the definition of comic books. Rather than simply stating the textbook definition of comics, he goes through each word within the definition and methodically explains the necessity for each term.
For those who are simply curios of comics, McCloud spends the first chapter covering the basics of comic books and their history. For the first chunk of the chapter, McCloud goes into painstaking detail over the definition of comic books. Rather than simply stating the textbook definition of comics, he goes through each word within the definition and methodically explains the necessity for each term.
By the end of the first half of Chapter one, you will have a detailed explanation and understanding of what comic books are. The last bit of chapter one is spent delving into the history of comic books. He goes back to the time of the ancient Egyptians and works his way to modern times, showing the difference between comic and non-comic art every step of the way. Once you have finished chapter one and have a nice and neat understanding of comics, McCloud spends the rest of the book analyzing and explaining the vast number of techniques and artistic choices that are existent within the comic book medium.
By the end of the work, you will have an entirely new view of the comic book medium and will have a better appreciation for the art form. While Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art does a great job explaining its topics, I found the tedious level of detail that brings about this clarity to be exhausting at times. For instance, the beginning chapter spends an unnecessary amount of time defining comics.
Other than this reoccurring tedium, Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a wonderful piece that will grandly improve your understanding and appreciation of the medium. That is why I am giving Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
4 Stars out of 5