Customer Reviews

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels

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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.

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!