In 1993, Scott McCloud tore down the wall between high and low culture with the acclaimed international hit "Understanding Comics," a massive co... read full description
reviews
Apr 27, 2011
Jay
rated it: 
Karl Marx was a great describer of capitalism, but turned out to be pretty terrible at forecasting its fall. It is a lot harder to predict or influence the future direction of something than it is to describe it. McCloud gives it a good college try, though from 2011 Reinventing Comics has aged a lot more than Understanding Comics.
I am impressed that McCloud for the most part doesn't fall on his face, though as I read it I was constantly wondering how he is reacting to the state of More...
I am impressed that McCloud for the most part doesn't fall on his face, though as I read it I was constantly wondering how he is reacting to the state of More...
Mar 07, 2011
Joshum
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Though certainly not as good as the first book in the series, this was consistently entertaining and a nice time capsule for the effects of digital technology had/is having/will have on comic books in the next few years. There is a lot of time spent in this book speculating about the future of comic books, the internet and the relationship between the two, as well as the creator/audience relationship to each other through the development of the internet. A lot of it is impressively on point cons
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Jun 29, 2011
Chip'sBookBinge
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Where Understanding Comics has a timelessness that will never fade, Reinventing Comics clearly is dated given the fact that it came out in 2000. With his first book, the main objective was to teach you how and why comics works as a medium as well as the historical significance. But for Reinventing Comics, it's all about giving us the reader a theortical look at the future of comic books regarding everything from computers to the internet to distribution, etc...
This book is Scott's mani More...
This book is Scott's mani More...
Sep 13, 2009
E. Chris
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While I love Scott McCloud's other books on comics theory, I just couldn't get down with the tired "print is dead or dying" rhetoric. While in its day (the book was published in 2000) the book was pretty good at predicting many of the trends we see today with the increase of digitally distributed comics, this new distribution model certainly hasn't killed the print comic, in my opinion. If anything, it has opened up a world of new comic artists who now realize that there are other me
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Mar 18, 2009
Diana
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I've had this book checked out for probably a year, and I just now finished it. This was really cleverly done: a non-fiction comic book (graphic non-novel?) about the future of comics.
It was fascinating, insightful, and well-executed. I gave it four stars out of five because there is a long-ish segment at the end about computers and the future of comics, and this was written in 1999, and was allllmost pre-Webcomics. The author was totally aware that this would become dated quick More...
It was fascinating, insightful, and well-executed. I gave it four stars out of five because there is a long-ish segment at the end about computers and the future of comics, and this was written in 1999, and was allllmost pre-Webcomics. The author was totally aware that this would become dated quick More...
Jun 30, 2010
Men D.
rated it:
This book supplements but does not update Understanding Comics. It considers broader questions about the industry (how big commerical comics houses squeeze out creativity, how publishing generally is dying, how minorities are not represented in comics' readership and authorship, etc.). As with the first book, the author's strength here is his skill in taxonomy, which allows him to break down a murky subject into discrete themes (he calls these twelve "revolutions"). Only three stars, n
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Jul 12, 2011
Ryan
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I found this book quite pessimistic about the American comics industry. it was written in 2001 or so, and though I've found that the local comic shop is still dominated by superhero comics, its possible to make a decent living even if you can't draw ('m looking at you, xkcd and dinosaur comics), or if you release comics online and then publish them (eg Girl Genius) even if they aren't superhero comics.
Having said that, the focus of the American comics industry has been pretty narrow for a More...
Having said that, the focus of the American comics industry has been pretty narrow for a More...
Sep 09, 2010
Greg Allan
rated it: 
This book horked my cheese. I thought after the insight of Understanding Comics that even though I have contempt for digital comics that I might be able to learn something here. I might've but I was too upset.
If you are into digital comics this might be okay.
If you are not into digital comics and like real comics done on paper and read on paper and that are actually pieces of art then skip this and go onto McCloud's third book on Understanding Comics.
So the corr More...
If you are into digital comics this might be okay.
If you are not into digital comics and like real comics done on paper and read on paper and that are actually pieces of art then skip this and go onto McCloud's third book on Understanding Comics.
So the corr More...
Oct 16, 2008
Shark
rated it:
This followup to McCloud's first book, "Understanding Comics," is a good read but, as other reviewers have mentioned, not as mind-blowing as the former.
The first few chapters really grabbed my attention. I flew through the first half of the book in almost one sitting because I found McCloud commenting on exact issues I had recently been thinking about (teaching the world to take comics more seriously as an art form, how art helps the reader see the world more empatheticall More...
The first few chapters really grabbed my attention. I flew through the first half of the book in almost one sitting because I found McCloud commenting on exact issues I had recently been thinking about (teaching the world to take comics more seriously as an art form, how art helps the reader see the world more empatheticall More...
May 07, 2009
Samuel
rated it:
Not quite as tightly composed or as rich as his first book--and he is the first to admit so, in his introduction--this book is nevertheless a necessary and almost-equally brilliant expansion on the possibilities of graphic narrative. What is most surprising, though, is that McCloud is so aware of his medium and so quick to grasp the new directions graphic narrative can head and have gone in a digital age that recents books on this subject are still echoing his ideas--a decade after he wrote thi
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Sep 29, 2011
Mooch
rated it:
Sure this account on what the challenges of the comic medium are in the light of the new media is a little dated. No wonder with technology changing so fast! Nevertheless, I found McCloud's account of the industry insightful and thoughtprovoking. Especially of interest to me was his idea that minority groups should play a larger role, presenting their issues to a larger audience and increasing their visibility via the comic medium. An informative and fun non-fictional graphic novel - how rare is
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Sep 08, 2010
Ruth-Ann
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After Understanding Comics, this was disappointing. The economic analysis did make sense and I'm fully on board with the need for both authorial and genre diversity. However the long-winded exposition about comics' potential as an art form, especially in the digital realm, far exceeded my interest in the subject. Also, McCloud's prose style (long, declarative, overly dramatic sentences bisected by "but" or "and") grew very tiresome after 200 pages and the second half of the b
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Sep 07, 2011
RJ
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Loved the first section as a comics creator - not sure if others will get the same enjoyment out of it, and it's definitely not universal in the way that Understanding Comics is. Most impressive in the second section is McCloud's ability to talk about the internet and technology in 2000 without dating himself (ok, saying "Macromedia's Flash has potential" elicited a giggle). One of the strengths of this book, in general, is knowing and navigating its own limits, which unfortunately, ar
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Dec 10, 2010
Zach
rated it:
This sequel to Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is more fragmented, kinda preachy, and less interesting.
Part 1 of his manifesto for the reinvention of comics focuses on their public perception, industry missteps, and the need for more diversity (in all senses of the word). Solid stuff.
Part 2 focuses on the digital revolution and its implications for comics' creation, distribution, and format. He ends with some lofty talk about comics breaking free of the printed page More...
Part 1 of his manifesto for the reinvention of comics focuses on their public perception, industry missteps, and the need for more diversity (in all senses of the word). Solid stuff.
Part 2 focuses on the digital revolution and its implications for comics' creation, distribution, and format. He ends with some lofty talk about comics breaking free of the printed page More...
Sep 25, 2010
Kristopher
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While Reading Comics was theoretical and Making Comics was mechanical, this book has some history and a long laundry list of what McCloud would like to see in the future. This is the one of the three where the illustrations seemed the least essential. The second half is focused on digital comics, and written in 2000, is mainly notable for how little of McCloud's digital renaissance has come to pass.
Mar 08, 2011
as2na
rated it:
Ada 12 hal sehubungan dengan (Terutama industri) komik yang dibahas dalam buku ini. Tiga hal terakhir berhubungan dengan komik digital -termasuk pembahasan singkat sejarah penemuan internet- yang ternyata mampu membuat saya pusing saat membaca (karena kebanyakan tulisan yang saya ndak mudeng...). Saya menyarankan konsentrasi penuh saat membaca buku ini. Walaupun bentuknya komik, tapi isinya sama sekali tidak ringan.
Jan 03, 2010
Rachel
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Very interesting; I'm a fan of McCloud's other work, and this was no disappointment. If anything, I wish he'd come out with another book, since a full decade has passed since he wrote Reinventing Comics, and some of what he touched on is majorly outdated by now. He's a smart guy with lots of good ideas about what technology can do for all kinds of art forms--very cool book.
Sep 13, 2010
Mark
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I didn't like this as much as the first book Understanding Comics. This one just felt a bit dated - not all that unusual when you're writing about technology. But also, the original dealt with the big picture and this one dealt more with the nuts and bolts of the tech process.
Aug 01, 2010
Bianca
rated it:
Interesting, but rather dated. I suppose this was inevitable as it's a book about the future of comics but was written 10 years ago. It was facinating to see how much McCloud got right, but in the end it wasn't as inspiring a book as it must have been back in 2000.
Jun 28, 2008
Gregg
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In the follow-up to hs highly-acclaimed Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud takes stock of the comics industry at the turn of the century. He evaluates the opportunities for gender and race input into the medium and heavily investigates the meaning of digital distribution. He then proceeds to break down his definition of comics and rebuild it in light of the new business opportunities provided by the internet.
While not as groundbreaking as his original work, Reinventing Comics sets McC More...
While not as groundbreaking as his original work, Reinventing Comics sets McC More...
Feb 08, 2009
I've been reading this book for awhile. I'm excited to learn how others are using technology to create cartoons and some of McCloud's comics are brilliant, but overall I'm finding the read a tad repetitive.
Oct 11, 2009
Tiffani
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Really cool. Dives deeper into the comics genre (past, present and future) where as "Understanding Comics" made more general statements in regards to art and the visual world as a whole. I enjoyed it...
Jun 09, 2010
Beth
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Understanding Comics and Making Comics are excellent and I would recommend them to anyone. This book however, is tedious and very dated. In ten years it will probably be fun to read, but right now (the book was written in 2000) it's just annoying.
Dec 17, 2009
Andrea
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This would have been a much more interesting book when it was written, 7-8 years ago. Even now, the history of American comics and the process of artist -> publisher -> reader was interesting to read about. But the whole last chapter, about how "the web will revolutionize comics!" was kind of obsolete, because it's already true in a lot of ways. Self-publishing on the internet, whether for free or for money or supported by merchandise/donations is pretty big already. Also, I
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Oct 18, 2009
Dana
rated it:
In his crusade to convince people that comics can do more than embody adolescent power fantasies, McCloud is his own best evidence.
Oct 05, 2011
Bo
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About half the book has aged really badly, but its still fun to read that half. And the other half was actually interesting too.
Aug 06, 2009
Timothy
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Frankly, not a worthwhile read. McCloud's speculations aren't worth anywhere nearly enough as his practical observations.
Jun 11, 2009
Reinventing Comics : How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art Form by Scott McCloud (2000)
Nov 15, 2009
Elizabeth
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Perhaps a bit too heavy handed on the history, and slightly preachy. But some interesting thoughts.
Dec 17, 2009
Paul
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The only reason this didn't get the 5 stars of its predecessor is that it dates itself - consciously so, but the effect is the same. It specifically talks about comics in the here and now - of the year 2000. It talks about the way computers have begun to influence comics - but at only 8 years old, much of it is already outdated, from predictions (come true or otherwise) to referencing the current state of computers and comics, both of which have changed rather dramatically in the interim. Sti
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