Customer Reviews
A Brilliant Look at the Psychology, Physiology, and Effectiveness of Comic Strips and Books - By: Donald Mitchell, 24 Jun 2008 
This is an important book that everyone should read. I would give it twenty stars if I could.
I've long been interestedin both art & comic books (I have collected them for over 50 years). While the library shelves are full of wonderful books that explain what traditional artists are trying to do & why they succeed, I've often found the books to be pretty boring. In recent years, such books have gotten bogged down into abstruse language that is much less appealing than the art which is the subject.
Butin those years, I've never seen anything that was very helpfulin discussing the rules of comic art, except some books about pop art when that was popular that examined how the pop art was different from comic art. Naturally, I was blown away when I found that Understanding Comics is a far more comprehensive, thoughtful, & accessible book about interaction with art than I have ever read. Although the subject is ostensibly comic strips & comic books, it's clear to me that that Mr. McCloud has a deep & powerful understanding of all art. Some of his conceptual displays of where different forms of art fallin different dimensions of choice (degree of realism, abstraction, & message) are unbelievably powerful.
I hope that some art historian will stumble on this book & recast the history of art to explain & relate different styles to one another using this book's methods. There would be a lot more art lovers if that were the case.
Ultimately, the book's main benefit is to help the reader appreciate that comic art can be a higher & more effective form of art than either pure images or written words by requiring a mastery of more elements . . . elements that are more powerfulin grabbing attention & conveying meaning.
Yet the book staysin humble form, a comic book. The powerful ideas sneak up on you as Mr. McCloud deconstructs the elements of comic art expression into chapters on defining what kind of art comics are ("sequential art" for short); explaining where various comics fall on the spectrum of reality, story, & abstraction; the way we fillin the spaces around the lines & between panels with our minds, allowing us to participatein creating the story & the experience; how time is expressedin various ways; the role of linesin creating our understanding & responses; how words & images can interact; a conceptual look at creating comic art; the effect of color; & a synthesis of the bookin historical & conceptual terms.
If you want to enjoy both traditional art & comic art more, read this book. It's the Rosetta stone for non-artistsin appreciating the images, stories, & messages that artists want to share with us through these media. You'll never be the same . . . & the change will be good for you!
Bravo, Mr. McCloud!
Eye-opening - By: Karen Traviss, 26 Sep 2004 A colleague who produces comics recommended this book to me as the definitive guide to the subject, & 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 & - dare I say it - scholarly approach. It's a surprising, enjoyable & educational guide by someone who clearly loves his work. I'll never see comics the same way again.
Eye-opening - By: M. Board, 19 May 2004 There are precious few books around that really treat the comics medium seriously, or fully explore what is & may be possiblein that medium. Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics" is one of the few & - for me - is the best of the bunch.
This book has tonnes of things going for it: McCloud's enjoyable & 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 & 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 & seeing that is almost completely uninhibited by any preconceptions. The result: he's constantly chucking ideas at you that surprise you & make you re-think about comics, writing, art & 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 & writers of comics alike, "Understanding Comics" is invaluablein helping you to appreciate 'sequential art'. For those who have never considered comics worth bothering about ... I urge you to get this book & read it. I guarantee it will make you think again, about comicsin particular & artin general.
One final note: as I'm sure Scott McCloud himself would say, don't stop here. Check out other works such as "Comics & 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 - By: , 01 Dec 2002 This is one of the true necessities for anyone serious about cartooning & what Eisner calls "sequential art". It is NOT a how-to-draw book. Rather, it discusses the nature of drawing & cartooning, & 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, & how the "language" of cartooning has come to differin different cultures. This book will make you think long & hard about the subject & what you doin it yourself.
Comics shed a light on shoe-string animation - By: William Valderrama, 10 Jul 2002 This books on undestanding comics is a must read for anyone involved with visual & textual communications of any sort.
History, constructs, & 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 & inspiring, but also thought provoking. The impact has been such, that the ideas will be adapted to a shoe-string animation project.
