Voting for what book I should read in May was close. But, Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics was the winner, so that’s the book I will definitely be reading in May.
Like last month, I’m going to do the review based on reader questions. Here’s a short summary via Wikipedia if you don’t know anything about the book:
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a 215-page non-fiction comic book, written and drawn by Scott McCloud and originally published in 1993. It explores the definition of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements have been used. It discusses theoretical work on comics (or sequential art) as an artform and a communications medium. It is also uses the comic medium for non-storytelling purposes.
You can also find out more at Scott McCloud’s website.
Leave a comment on this post with a question you want me to answer (preferably about this book, but I’ll take others ) and I’ll use those questions for my review!
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Here’s what I’m wondering: Given that the book was published in 1993, and comics have come a long way since then, does it seem dated at all? Or does everything still seem timely and interesting?
This looks like a really interesting read! I’ve got two questions for you:
1. Before starting to read this book, did you have any specific expectations about whether the book would teach you anything new? And if so, what were you most looking forward to learning more about comics?
2. After reading, Did you find that the book was biased at all in terms of type of comic? I’ve noticed some people who look at the entire comic world as a class system – classic comics like Marvel/DC superheros as low class, Indies as middle, graphic novels as upper and graphic memoir/non-fic as an elite super-upper.
What did you think of McCloud’s definition of comics? Did it match your own? Of all the ideas he presents in the book, is there are that particularly stands out for you?