 Cover of the original Tundra Publishing edition of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art | |
| Editor | Mark Martin |
|---|---|
| Author | Scott McCloud |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Comics |
Publication date | 1993 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 215 |
| Followed by | Reinventing Comics |
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a 1993 non-fiction work of comics by American cartoonist Scott McCloud.[1] It explores formal aspects of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements have been used.[2] It expounds theoretical ideas about comics as an art form and medium of communication, and is itself written in comic book form.[3]
Understanding Comics received praise from notable comic and graphic novel authors such as Art Spiegelman, Will Eisner, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Garry Trudeau (who reviewed the book for the New York Times).[4] Although the book has prompted debate over many of McCloud’s conclusions,[5] its discussions of "iconic" art and the concept of "closure" between panels have become common reference points in discussions of the medium.[6][7]
The title of Understanding Comics is an homage to Marshall McLuhan's seminal 1964 work Understanding Media.[citation needed]
- ^ Brooks, Kevin (2009). "More 'Seriously Visible' Reading: McCloud, McLuhan, and the Visual Language of "The Medium Is the Massage"". College Composition and Communication. 61 (1): W217–W237. doi:10.58680/ccc20098320. JSTOR 40593531.
- ^ Varnum, Robin; Gibbons, Christina T (2007). The Language of Comics: Word and Image. University Press of Mississippi. pp. xiii, xiv, 147. ISBN 978-1578064144. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
- ^ Manning, A.D. (March 1998). "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (article)". IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication. 41 (1): 66–69. doi:10.1109/TPC.1998.661632. S2CID 55872998.
- ^ Trudeau, Garry. "Understanding Comics—Scott McCloud", New York Times Book Review (Feb. 13, 1994), p. 13.
- ^ Horrocks, Dylan. "Inventing Comics: Scott McCloud's Definition of Comics" The Comics Journal #234 (June 2001).
- ^ Brenner, Robin (March–April 2006). "Graphic novels 101: where to start". The Horn Book Guide. 82 (2): 240. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
- ^ Magnussen, Anne; Christiansen, Hans-Christian (2000). Comics & Culture: Analytical and Theoretical Approaches to Comics. Museum Tusculanum Press. pp. 13, 14, 23, 49. ISBN 9788772895802. Retrieved 23 June 2014.