Understanding Comics

The Invisible Art

by

Paperback, 215 pages

English language

Published Dec. 24, 1994 by A Kitchen Sink Book for HarperPerennial.

ISBN:
978-0-06-097625-5
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5 stars (1 review)

Praised throughout the cartoon industry by such luminaries as Art Spiegelman, Matt Groening, and Will Eisner, Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is a seminal examination of comics art: its rich history, surprising technical components, and major cultural significance. Explore the secret world between the panels, through the lines, and within the hidden symbols of a powerful but misunderstood art form.

15 editions

reviewed Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Review of 'Understanding Comics' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

Absolutely one of my favorite books. I have read Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics multiple times each. Together, they have given me so much understanding regarding storytelling, perception of art, and comics as a medium.

For this book specifically: this is an essential read. The other two stand on their own as standalone explorations, but this first book provides a framework that link all three together in a sort-of-trilogy. It's only slightly a product of its time; some facts and figures are a bit outdated, but nothing is truly DATED in this...it really feels timeless.

Read all three. Then again, I'm a massive glutton for this kind of passionate knowledge dispensing and find it endlessly enjoyable.

Subjects

  • Comic books, strips, etc. -- Juvenile literature.
  • Periodicals -- Publishing -- Juvenile literature.
  • Comic books, strips, etc. -- Authorship
  • Cartoons and comics -- History and criticism.