Oh McCloud! November 10, 2007

This was my absolute favourite reading that was required for this course. Not only was it my favourite, it was a book that I would most definitely read outside of school, it was so interesting and fun to read. It was different from all of the other books in terms of its layout; it is written like a comic book, further emphasizing what it has to say, or rather, what Scott McCloud has to say. I recommended this book to everyone I know. It is so insightful and unique and really a great read.

            It was also very helpful with my semiotics paper as it pertains to imagery and the use of icons, colours and other such things that my paper related to. I chose to do my paper on an image, so McCloud’s ideas went a long way in understanding what the different elements of the image I chose said about the product and about society and media. What I found the most interesting and later on the most useful, was the chapter about icons. It is very interesting how comics employ the use of simplicity in iconic figures to convey a greater meaning. I found it so fascinating that comics use simplicity in order for readers to see themselves in a character and in order to put emphasis on what is happening rather than on what is seen on the page.

            What I also loved was the chapter on closure, which is, “The phenomenon of observing the parts but perceiving the whole…” (McCloud 63), which is also a key aspect of semiotics! It is astonishing how much we can see that is not there. In chapter three, McCloud explains it in a way that is so understandable to the reader by referring to his own image as seen on the page saying, “In this panel you can’t even see my legs, yet you assume that they’re there…even though they’re not!” (McCloud 61). We don’t see what happens between panels but for some reason we are aware of what goes on from one panel to the next. This is referred to as closure and going back to an earlier post of mine, the ability of humans to assume and take inferences as fact is sometimes the reason for our success in language and communication!

            This book is genious, from its content, to its choice of medium, to McCloud’s fluency in witty and clever language. It is all in all amazing and a perfect way to encompass “The Invisible Art” (McCloud) that is comics. I particularly like the choice of medium that McCloud chose. Choosing to write a comic about comics is a risky move, but he hit the mark with this one. I loved the way he portrayed himself in the book as a simplified version in order to get his point across. He used his character to reinforce many of his theories and explanations about things, which was very effective. I know so much more than I ever thought was possible to learn about comics! I have to admit I was one of the people who didn’t appreciate them for what they were, but after reading McCloud I am tempted to steal my brother’s old comics and see what it’s all about, and I think I just might.

 

Works Cited

 McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics. New York: Harper Collins, 1994.

 

Lisa Daly