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"In one lucid, well-designed chapter after another, he guides us through the elements of comics style and...how words combine with pictures to work their singular magic. When the 215-page journey is finally over, most readers will find it difficult to look at comics in quite the same way ever again."-- Garry Trudeau, "New York Times Book Review""If you've ever felt bad about wasting your life reading comics, then check out Scott McCloud's classic book immediately. You still might feel you've wasted your life, but you'll know why, and you'll be proud."-- Matt Groenning, Creator of "The Simpsons""A rare and exciting work that ingeniously uses comics to examine the medium itself."-- "Publishers Weekly"
Product Description
In 1993, Scott McCloud tore down the wall between high and low culture with the acclaimed international hit "Understanding Comics," a massive comic book that explored the inner workings of the worlds most misunderstood art form. Now, McCloud takes comics to te next leavle, charting twelve different revolutions in how comics are created, read, and preceived today, and how they're poised to conquer the new millennium.
Part One of this fascinating and in-depth book includes:
Then in Part Two, McCloud paints a brethtaling picture of comics' digital revolutions, including:
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Scott McCloud was always going to have a hard time topping the inspired, revolutionary 'Understanding Comics', and it is perhaps no surprise that this follow-up does not entirely manage to do so. It's certainly highly readable, with McCloud's likeable approach and unquestionable intelligence coming through on every page. But whereas 'Understanding' was a cohesive, tightly-structured study of the language, conventions and underpinnings of comics, 'Reinventing' fails perhaps because in the end it attempts to do too much. The best sections, containing McCloud's theorising on the potential for various forms of digital / online comics, work so well because of the author's infectious enthusiasm for his subject. Other topics, such as a discussion of the woes of the current comics industry and the need for wider cultural representation in the medium, lack this enthusiasm and suffer for it. I suppose the best way to sum it up is to say that whereas 'Understanding' not only fired me up with the desire to create comics but also gave me concrete tools and things to think about, 'Reinventing' did moderately well at the first aspect, but did little regarding the second. Certainly worth reading if you're interested in the future possibilites for the medium, but not the classic it's predecessor was.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Reinventing Comics has one strength that makes it timeless: Scott McCloud systematically explains what was wrong with the comics that were created through the end of the 20th century. When he switches over to what's needed to overcome those issues, the book becomes more idealistic than practical in many areas. The book is particularly hobbled by a limited appreciation of how comics might blur with (and be surpassed by) electronic gaming.
His basic optimism is that the comics genre can expand to satisfy more readers' needs by:
1. Becoming more like literature.
2. Developing as an art form.
3. Providing creators with more rights.
4. Changing the industry business model to serve everyone's needs better
5. Improving public image.
6. Reducing the heavy hand of governmental overview.
7. Appeal to females.
8. Represent all kinds of people.
9. Diversify in subgenres.
10. Employing improved digital production methods.
11. Providing digital delivery.
12. Exploring the potential of digital comics.
Basically, he sees escaping the box of limited distribution by providing online, direct distribution. This method is potentially cheaper and could provide for more creators while eliminating many intermediaries.
I suspect that some of his optimism will be "over the rainbow" for quite a while yet.
It's interesting that even the blockbuster success of so many comic-based characters hasn't helped to reinvigorate the comics business more. I think that's where he doesn't realize that in a world of video, comics seem dated and static.
Will comics go the way of high art and become something primarily for older aficionados? I doubt it. Comics are like candy to boys of a certain age. Comics help them to dream. Can comics go beyond that heritage? It's possible, but is it likely? Books like this one will have to do more than point the way: Breakthrough success is needed to draw an audience and more inspired creators.
I hope Mr. McCloud is right. I still like comics.
His basic optimism is that the comics genre can expand to satisfy more readers' needs by:
1. Becoming more like literature.
2. Developing as an art form.
3. Providing creators with more rights.
4. Changing the industry business model to serve everyone's needs better
5. Improving public image.
6. Reducing the heavy hand of governmental overview.
7. Appeal to females.
8. Represent all kinds of people.
9. Diversify in subgenres.
10. Employing improved digital production methods.
11. Providing digital delivery.
12. Exploring the potential of digital comics.
Basically, he sees escaping the box of limited distribution by providing online, direct distribution. This method is potentially cheaper and could provide for more creators while eliminating many intermediaries.
I suspect that some of his optimism will be "over the rainbow" for quite a while yet.
It's interesting that even the blockbuster success of so many comic-based characters hasn't helped to reinvigorate the comics business more. I think that's where he doesn't realize that in a world of video, comics seem dated and static.
Will comics go the way of high art and become something primarily for older aficionados? I doubt it. Comics are like candy to boys of a certain age. Comics help them to dream. Can comics go beyond that heritage? It's possible, but is it likely? Books like this one will have to do more than point the way: Breakthrough success is needed to draw an audience and more inspired creators.
I hope Mr. McCloud is right. I still like comics.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There is not much more that can be said.
I learnt a lot from McLoud's books and this one is as good as the others: 5 STARS, from first to last page.
Some had already tried (hardly) to copy this amazing style, with no success - they need to study a lot to get close.
If you love comics (or sequential art, if you prefer), if you know nothing about, if you know a lot, if you are not in any of these categories, whatever is the case, BUY and READ this book. You'll love it for the learning it provides and for the simple amusement of reading it.
I learnt a lot from McLoud's books and this one is as good as the others: 5 STARS, from first to last page.
Some had already tried (hardly) to copy this amazing style, with no success - they need to study a lot to get close.
If you love comics (or sequential art, if you prefer), if you know nothing about, if you know a lot, if you are not in any of these categories, whatever is the case, BUY and READ this book. You'll love it for the learning it provides and for the simple amusement of reading it.
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