Scott McCloud

Understanding Comics

1. IDEA 1

   Comics are a serious art form

   McCloud, writing in comic form himself, argues that comics are a powerful medium deserving serious study. He defines them as images placed in deliberate sequence to tell stories or convey information.

2. IDEA 2

   Readers fill the gaps

   McCloud explains closure, the way readers imagine what happens between panels. The space between panels, he argues, is where much of the meaning is created. In his view, the reader's mind connects separate images into a single flowing story.

3. IDEA 3

   Simple faces invite identification

   McCloud argues that simple, cartoon faces let readers identify with characters more easily than realistic ones. In his view, the simpler the face, the more of the reader's own feeling flows into it.

All 8 ideas from Understanding Comics →