Customer Reviews
A review after 15 pages - By: Richard Pascoe, 20 Oct 2008 
It seems insane to write a review having read only 15 pages, but I am so blown away by this book I have decided to do just that. It is partially inspired by the fact that the reviews so far have referred quite reasonably only to people interestedin comics. I am writing this because the book should have a much broader audience.
Personally I am interestedin communication & presentation skills (sad, I know), & that is the reason I got this book; hoping to learn a few things about visualisation of message. Within 15 pages I have learnt more new information than any other book I remember. The ideas are simple enough to be powerful while intelligent enough to be enlightening. The visual medium of the comic itself helps the ideas fly off the page & into your brain.
So if you are interestedin understanding more about how to communicate effectively, & are not as sad as me so don't fancy reading a heavy tome on presentation skills, get this book.
Heck just get it because it is so much fun.
235 page to go... :o)
Great Look at How Stories and Art Combine into the Comics You Love - By: Donald Mitchell, 07 Aug 2008 I've always found it fascinating to imagine how a comic book author/illustrator creates the stories & images that appeal so much. Having been a non-fiction book author for many years, I have a firm understanding of the writing process. I sometimes pick out a few illustrations to put into a book.
But building a story around the illustrations, that seems like a trip to the planet Neptune to me. I was very pleased to find that Scott McCloud is very good at explaining (and illustrating) the creative & production processes he uses. I was delighted when I realized that he had also described how an individual could make a few comics to share with friends.
With computer art getting to be easier to do, I can see that there's even hope for those of us who couldn't draw out way out of a paper bag.
Mr. McCloud has the kind of mind that sees everythingin perspective,in this case as facets of an overall story-telling task. He always has the goal of engaging the readerin mind & relates his points well to that purpose.
The work is impressive at another level . . . it's a masterpiece of providing instruction. The book shows more than tells, as a book about comics should do.
If Mr. McCloud ever tires of making comic books & graphic novels, he should go into explaining non-fiction subjects. He would make a fortune!
Awesome - By: W. Bailey, 13 May 2008 Backin the 90s Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics became a seminal textin the field of comics theory, & he has repeated his achievement for comics practicein the noughties with this excellent book.
It isin a different league from all the other 'how to make comics' texts out there, which are usually really just 'how to drawin a manga/superhero/my style'.
Instead he merges theory with practicein a very accessible & engaging way, covering panels, text/image, facial expression, body language, environment, process, technique, genre & style, with a very useful bibliography.
If this book had existed when I was at art college I would have saved myself literally months of time figuring all of this out for myself, but even now I found it incredibly informative & useful.
An absolute must for all aspiring comics artists.
Another McCloud book to get excited about, and to get you inspired about your own comics! - By: Emmeline Dobson, 06 Nov 2006 Scott McCloud scores again with another incredibly intelligent non-fiction comic! In Understanding Comics he wrote a groundbreaking literature analysis that unveiled the mysterious inner workings of comics -in can't-put-it-down attractive comic format! Making Comics is another important book for comicsin general, its chapter topics are of immediate relevance, with lots of solid practicals.
There are stacks of "how to draw" books out there, but McCloud's applies his rare talentin the witty presentation of diligent research. Making Comics conveys years of reading, pattern-deducing & theorising, digging into fine art composition techniques, the psychology of involving the reader of comics, the life cycles of genres & loads more. I may risk giving the impression that this is an academic, highbrow or out-of-touch book. Again, it's very practical.
The reader can learn so much, yet it's impossible to liken it to a textbook because it's so fun! However, for those truly getting serious, at the end of each chapter is an invaluable new "Notes" section, which includes optional exercises to do. These are often group activities, benefiting circles of enthusiasts or art teachers & media courses.
McCloud uses the artworkin the format to demonstrate each point. Frequently he uses examples from other comics, but the artwork is predominantly his own which (despite his self-humbling comments) is skillful & clear. As the book explains how, words & pictures together act as more than the sum of their parts to get across deeper messages about emotions, sensations, craftsmanship & more. This book clearly charts the way towards barely explored territories among the endless possibilities of comics making. It also imparts the know-how for readers to confidently set out on their personal journey to get there! I think every reader is going to catch some inspiration from Making Comics, & be itching to start creating new comics by the end!
Manga fans should find this book invaluable, with a small ten-page section devoted specifically to comics from Japan. This contains eight specific manga features, & they're a far cry from big eyes & cute (this book is about substance, not surface remember!) The take on shojo (target audience is girls) & shonen (manga for boys) genres is a breath of fresh air, despite brevity. This sounds like very little, but the entire volume is as applicable to manga as to comics from any other culture. (Popular manga artworkin the examples crops up from introduction to ending.)
As my main complaint about this book, the strength of being practical leave me missing McCloud's intellectual flightsin Understanding Comics somewhat. This reader was awed by Understanding Comics & the sense of enlightenment sparking from each page. This is a different kind of book. The earlier book is about history, purpose, the human mind, the future; this presents an approach to drawing faces, how attention to environments contributes to your work, pitfalls to avoid when placing textin a word balloon... However, it is an unbefitting grumble that its content is comparatively mundane. I reckon Making Comics is every bit as brilliant as Understanding Comics - instead of satisfying a hunger for knowledge, it will come into its own as a companionin MAKING COMICS.
