Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19916 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Synopsis
272

About the Author
Brilliant instruction on how to actually create this widely beloved art form. Scott McCloud tore down the wall between high and low culture in 1993 with Understanding Comics, a massive comic book about comics, linking the medium to such diverse fields as media theory, movie criticism, and web design. Now in Making Comics, McCloud focuses his analysis on the art form itself, exploring the creation of comics, from the broadest principles to the sharpest details (like how to accentuate a character's facial muscles in order to form the emotion of disgust rather than the emotion of surprise.) And he does all of it in his inimitable voice and through his cartoon stand-in narrator, mixing dry humor and legitimate instruction. McCloud shows his reader how to master the human condition through word and image in a brilliantly minimalist way. Comic book devotees as well as the most uninitiated will marvel at this journey into a once-underappreciated art form.

Customer Reviews

Another McCloud book to get excited about, and to get you inspired about your own comics!
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 comics in 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 talent in the witty presentation of diligent research. Making Comics conveys years of reading, pattern-deducing and theorising, digging into fine art composition techniques, the psychology of involving the reader of comics, the life cycles of genres and 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 and media courses.

McCloud uses the artwork in 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 and clear. As the book explains how, words and pictures together act as more than the sum of their parts to get across deeper messages about emotions, sensations, craftsmanship and 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, and 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, and they're a far cry from big eyes and cute (this book is about substance, not surface remember!) The take on shojo (target audience is girls) and 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 artwork in 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 flights in Understanding Comics somewhat. This reader was awed by Understanding Comics and 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 text in 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 companion in MAKING COMICS.

informative but overanalysing
This was a book I needed for my course. It is set out brilliantly and scott mccloud makes a real effort to have the reader feel involved while reading this book. However, I felt most of the points within this book was obvious, and most of the time scott would over analyse a point and drag out an otherwise simple point.
a reccomendation for readers who are new in the world of comics

A lesson in visual communication and story-telling
I devoured this book. This isn't about drawing, it's about mastering:

* Story-telling - what triggers empathy, what persuades, how to hold attention
* Explicit / implicit - the balance between what is said & shown, and what the reader must bring to fully render the scene
* Words and images - and their delicate relationship
* Character creation / world creation
* Mastering expressions, gestures, body language
* Clarity vs intensity

... and then there's all the technical stuff about which tools and mediums to consider. AND he throws in a healthy dosage of philosophy, culture, the history of visual commuication.

This books covers a massive terrain, but does so with delightful clarity. The medium truly is the message here; with every point made Scott makes the best choice of framing, gestures, balance of words/images, symbols, pacing...

By the way, I never even liked comics.