Understanding Comics

I bought this book when I first got into the field of data visualization. I wasn’t planning on learning how to create comics; I just wanted to see how someone from a different discipline—a comic artist—thought about position, color, meaning, and communicating a whole lot of things in a compact format.

This one may surprise you, but I assure you that Understanding Comics is an absolute gem!

McCloud has crafted an intellectual yet accessible guide that is not just a study of comics but a masterclass in communication and the art of storytelling. This book provides a rich fusion of insightful theory and practical advice, all conveyed through the very medium it discusses, making it a uniquely immersive experience. 

McCloud’s engaging style and profound understanding of the mechanics of comics didn't just educate me;  they enchanted me. His deep dives into the psychology behind why we connect with comics pair perfectly… show more.

I’m going to tell you a secret. The working title for my own book was Understanding Entertainment, because I was so inspired by reading Understanding Comics. This book will help you understand the strange relationship between visual art and storytelling that is central to videogame design. The book hardly mentions video games, but when you read it, the applications to games will be obvious to you. More importantly, this book is one of the best “explainers” you’ll ever encounter. If you can make a game tutorial that is 1/10 as lucid as Understanding Comics, you will have… show more.

What subject merits explaining more than comics themselves? This playful and enthralling book is full of examples of what, how and why comics can do things that no other medium can. Partly because there are so few comics like this one, it's vastly influential on almost any comic that provides step by step explanations of how things work - not least on Two Heads. For a book that so clearly explains its own subject, it's amazing how much it lends itself to re-reading - especially after some years of looking all different kinds of comics - to remind yourself of… show more.

First things first, every other book on understanding and making comics is simply an addendum to the work of Scott McCloud and Will Eisner. The fact is: most comics creators begin the process of learning to write and draw comics by teaching themselves from the comics and graphic novels they read, mostly through observation, and trial and error. With Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud, in addition to Eisner, pioneered the analytical study of how and why comics work. It’s a must-read for any serious comics creator, because it gives prospective comics creators and educators a solid foundation on which to… show more.

I went to school to become a comic book artist and have been taught by many amazing professionals in that industry, including world-renowned Will Eisner. Even so, Scott McCloud’s book is chock full of clear information about the skills it takes to learn about the craft of comics. Cleverly, the book is taught in a comic book format, making it enjoyable and easy to understand comics!

This book is different. It’s a little more advanced and may be better for an artist who’s ten or eleven years old at least. The reason I love this book is that it really explains the history and science behind comics. What makes a good comic? How do panels work to tell a story? All of these things are covered in richly illustrated pages and diagrams. This book is a visual feast and a fantastic guide for the tween or teen beginner. I learned so much reading this book, and I had already been making comics for years!

McCloud has a unique gift for describing things visually. In Understanding Comics, he ingeniously uses the comic form itself, employing a host of visual narrative devices to communicate complex theoretical ideas simply and clearly in a way that is accessible to all. Particularly interesting to me is his section describing the role of the reader in closing the narrative gap between panels. I have long been intrigued by what can be made to happen in the space between two images, two sentences, two scenes. It’s the basis of film montage: one shot cutting to another, inviting the audience to… show more.