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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Every medium should be lucky enough to have a taxonomist as brilliant as McCloud. The follow-up to his pioneering Understanding Comics (and its flawed sequel Reinventing Comics) isn't really about how to draw comics: it's about how to make drawings become a story and how cartooning choices communicate meaning to readers. ("There are no rules," he says, "and here they are.") McCloud's cartoon analogue, now a little gray at the temples, walks us through a series of dazzlingly clear, witty explanations (in comics form) of character design, storytelling, words and their physical manifestation on the page, body language and other ideas cartoonists have to grapple with, with illustrative examples drawn from the history of the medium. If parts of his chapter on "Tools, Techniques and Technology" don't look like they'll age well, most of the rest of the book will be timelessly useful to aspiring cartoonists. McCloud likes to boil down complicated topics to a few neatly balanced principles; his claim that all facial expressions come from degrees and combinations of six universal basic emotions is weirdly reductive and unnerving, but it's also pretty convincing. And even the little ideas that he tosses off—like classifying cartoonists into four types—will be sparking productive arguments for years to come. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–A follow-up to the author's Understanding Comics (Kitchen Sink, 1993) and Reinventing Comics (DC Comics, 2000), this volume uses the same graphic style and narrator to explain the technical aspects of creating comics. From the layout of each frame and the placement of words and characters to creating facial expressions, symbolism, and more, this highly detailed resource is for serious artists wishing to gain further technical knowledge. Every concept is broken down into its individual elements and thus is probably more than most casual readers would want to know. The book is well organized with a specific table of contents and an annotated bibliography and suggested reading list.–Corinda J. Humphrey, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Truly Important Book on the Craft of Sequential Art,
By
This review is from: Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels (Paperback)
I was an instant convert of Scott McCloud's original book on comics, Understanding Comics, which was an absolute eye-opener. It taught me things about comics that I'm still digesting. I eagerly bought Reinventing Comics, hoping for more insight, and got quite a bit, but I haven't really found myself referring back to it as much.Making Comics, on the other hand, is a true spiritual successor to Understanding Comics, reiterating things discussed in his follow-up, but in a more concise and well thought-out manner, and taking his suppositions to the next level. In this book, he masterfully breaks down and builds up things every writer and artist need to know about the craft, and he does it in such an exciting way that the ideas literally had me giddy with glee (which sounds very silly, but there you are). While I would strongly advise that anyone entering the field (or struggling to get a grip on the craft even if they've been in the field for ages) start with Understanding Comics, this is definitely a book that stands on its own two feet and states its case so well that you don't really need to go back to the original to figure out what he's talking about. Making Comics should be on every graphic storyteller's book shelf, right beside Understanding Comics and Will Eisner's books.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Look at How Stories and Art Combine into the Comics You Love,
By Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 112,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (#1 HALL OF FAME)
This review is from: Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels (Paperback)
I've always found it fascinating to imagine how a comic book author/illustrator creates the stories and images that appeal so much. Having been a non-fiction book author for many years, I have a firm understanding of the writing process. I sometimes pick out a few illustrations to put into a book.But building a story around the illustrations, that seems like a trip to the planet Neptune to me. I was very pleased to find that Scott McCloud is very good at explaining (and illustrating) the creative and production processes he uses. I was delighted when I realized that he had also described how an individual could make a few comics to share with friends. With computer art getting to be easier to do, I can see that there's even hope for those of us who couldn't draw out way out of a paper bag. Mr. McCloud has the kind of mind that sees everything in perspective, in this case as facets of an overall story-telling task. He always has the goal of engaging the reader in mind and relates his points well to that purpose. The work is impressive at another level . . . it's a masterpiece of providing instruction. The book shows more than tells, as a book about comics should do. If Mr. McCloud ever tires of making comic books and graphic novels, he should go into explaining non-fiction subjects. He would make a fortune!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (52 customer reviews) 62 of 64 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for learning the craft of comics (and for classroom use),
By CHRISTIAN - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels (Paperback)
"Making Comics" is true to its title -- it's very well suited for folks eager to learn the craft of "making comics." I teach a Sequential Art class at California State University, Fullerton and I have made it a required reading book, because it so solidly articulates the elements of comic art from the perspective of the artist. McCloud has been teaching comics at workshops and guest speaking engagements across the country. His having been in the teacher's seat manifestly helps make his points all the more applicable and meaningful. For instance, McCloud uses examples from comics from around the world (Asian mangas, Eurocomics or BD, Western superheroes and alternative comics) that will resonate with modern audiences who perceive comics as more than the "mainstream" superhero comics. "Making Comics" casts the same clarity and passion that made "Understanding Comics" so compelling, and it is not as speculative as "Reinventing Comics." Readers of "Understanding Comics" may find that "Making Comics" covers a lot of the same ground, and that is inevitable (so if you are more into analyzing comics rather than making your own, "Understanding Comics" is for you). In a nutshell, Making Comics is a solid starting point for budding and eager comic artists!
45 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Great McCloud Comics Trilogy- 3 of the Best-Ever,
By "extreme_dig_cm" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels (Paperback)
Want 3 of the best-ever books on the general topic of comics? Here they are! (each generally sold separately)1.*Understanding Comics- A *landmark* & bestselling examination of the medium. A comicbook on comics! While I try not to use the "genius" label *too* liberally, with Understanding Comics it really seems to fit(!). 5 Stars! 2.*Reinventing Comics- Maybe his best *looking* book (in my opinion), it's basically split into 2 sections: The 12 Revolutions in comics; and then basic Internet/Computer/Web Comics. It's the least popular & practical in the Trilogy, yet I still really like it! 4-1/2 Stars. 3.*Making Comics- It's like Understanding Comics refined, as well as a "hands-on" introduction to the medium. It's the thickest book of the three, dealing with the most critical questions involved in the comics creating process. Since making comics basically means writing with pictures, McCloud begins with this. How many panels do we need? What should they contain? What's the clearest way to communicate our ideas? He first helps us with these things, and then moves to our real center of interest: characters! How to create and illustrate interesting characters is a central theme throughout. Once we establish our pictures & characters, words can be added to complete our ideas. He explains various ways to do this, basically refining his ideas in Understanding Comics. Perspective is only barely touched upon here; most books similarly briefly mention it. He explains that it's a difficult yet necessary part of the picturemaking process, and that it can actually be quite fun(!). He also touches on eastern/western differences in comics, explaining how & why Japanese methods are still gaining in influence. Common materials & equipment professionals use, as well as common philosophical approaches are included. It's basically Understanding Comics made even more practical & clear- with many added hints, tips, and tricks along the way. It competes with that 1st title for most popular in the Trilogy, and it's highly recommended to anyone who wants to make comics! ! I like it! 5 Stars. In conclusion: The 1st is genius; the 2nd is fascinating; the 3rd is highly refined- get this great McCloud comics trilogy today! 41 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
For any fan of comics (even if you can't draw),
By mrliteral - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels (Paperback)
When it comes to artwork, I am at the stick figure level. My talents for making visual art, whether painter, comic book artist or whatever, are, at best minimal. At first glance, therefore, it might seem that I am not the right audience for a book like Scott McCloud's Making Comics. I am, however, a long-time comic book fan. The advantage to Making Comics for a drawing layman like myself is the same as watching a "making of" documentary of a movie (or listening to a DVD commentary). You gain a better understanding of what you are looking at.Unlike a painting, comic strip writing is a sequential art, a depiction of a series of pictures that, typically with text, tell a story. McCloud gets into the narrative aspects of comics writing immediately with a chapter on writing with pictures in which he discusses how the sequence of pictures (or panels) typically relate to each other. For example, panels can go from moment-to-moment, depicting a single action as a series of moments (like showing a baseball player swinging a bat. A different panel transition is action-to-action, showing a subject doing a series of actions (panel one shows the player hitting the ball, two shows him running, three shows his sliding, etc.). Besides these choices of moment, there are also choices of frame (essentially, point of view), choice of image, choice of word and choice of flow. McCloud also goes into how to draw people, how to blend word and picture, how to build worlds, and, in the only chapter that is really specific to actual artists, what the tools of the trade are. There is a lot in this book, and it's all told with McCloud's easy going narrative where a depiction of himself guides us through all the ideas. Part of the magic of comics is the way the reader's mind fills in the gaps, an idea that McCloud first introduced in Understanding Comics. With a couple dots and a line, we can see a face. When we see two panels, one showing a player swinging at a ball, the next with him making contact, we "see" the motion even if it's not really there. Similarly, we feel like it is actually McCloud talking to us, even if it's really just a picture of him (and making is nothing like what he really looks like). In short, this is a brilliant book. I am not a huge fan of Reinventing Comics, but Understanding Comics is a classic and this book follows right in its footsteps. If you enjoy comic books (or comic strips), this book is a must-read, even if you can't draw. |
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