Scott McCloud's Blog, page 53

The Shape of Story

XKCD goes parallel.

One of the byproducts of all those ancient infinite canvas debates (nestled in webcomics history right after the Clone Wars and shortly before the Norman Conquest) was the idea of the spatial nature of story structure.

So many of the terms we use for stories (rising action, turning points, parallel/intersecting plots, circular narratives, multiple layers…) have equivalents in space, it seems only natural to make them literal through comics.

It may sound academic to some, but I

F.A.Q. for Y.O.U.

Here’s a question for whoever is out there this morning:

I get a lot of emails and questions on the road from aspiring writers who want to write for comics, but don’t think they have any drawing ability and want to find someone to collaborate with. I could tell them to draw it themselves anyway (and suggest hunting down some Matt Feazell or John Porcellino comix as inspiration). I could be obnoxious and tell ‘em to stick to prose. But I want to at least give them some useful answers in case they

Four to Watch Out For

Just had the pleasure (via Bob Weil at Norton) of devouring an advance copy of illustrator David Small’s Stitches: A Memoir due out this fall. Get it and read it when the time comes, it’s strong stuff. Small comes to comics via children’s books, but he’s deadly serious about the form, and exploits it masterfully to paint an unforgettable picture of his harrowing childhood.

There are some amazing books on their way in the next several months. David Mazzucchelli’s Asterios Polyp is imminent (just a

What She Said

Ivy just posted a gargantuan LJ entry about our Toronto/TCAF experience, so if you’d like a spouse-eye’s view of our whirlwind weekend, be sure to check it out.

Ivy and I just saw Star Trek. Good cast and fun character moments, big sloppy self-indulgent fanfic plot, typical action film directing (ADHD camera work). Whatever. We had fun.

And since I missed my chance Sunday, a belated Mother’s Day wishes to my own Mom and to Ivy. Wouldn’t exist and/or wouldn’t want to without you.

Post-TCAF Notes

Talked to…

…Ryan North about Music.

…Kate Beaton about Books.

…Bryan Lee O’Malley about Exhaustion.

…Seth about Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka.

…Derek Kirk Kim about Eternal Smile.

…Paul Pope about International Styles.

…Carla Speed McNeil about Hats.

…Faith Erin Hicks about Hair.

…Alec Longstreth about Beards.

…Chris Butcher about OMG we barely saw you!

…Mark Siegel about Mad Men.

…Mark Askwith about Everything Else.

Met…

…Emmanuel Guibert.
…Joey Comeau and Emily Horne.
…Jillian Tamaki (narrowly missed M

Toronto à la Will Wright

From the top of the CN Tower (click for big version).

I noticed how from high up and far away, crossing perspective lines resolve to almost parallel, giving an eerie Sims-like quality to the surroundings in photos when zoomed in and cropped. I especially like the people:

I mean, geez. Where are the little floating diamonds, Dude? And yet… as real as you and me.

Life imitates art, example #387,941,229 for your consideration.

Thank You…

…to everyone who disagreed with yesterday’s post (or with each other) for doing so with such energy, good-humor, wit and intelligence. It’s fun to rant once in a while, but it’s also healthy to have that rant thouroughly tested from every direction. You guys are the best.

Off to Toronto now with the whole family. More news after the weekend.

I Will Beat this Horse Again and Again until it RISES FROM THE DEAD

What’s the default shape of our art forms?

Cinema is wider than it is tall. TV is wider than it is tall. Theater is wider than it is tall. Laptop and desktop monitors are wider than they are tall. In fact, with the advent of widescreen TVs, there’s little difference in the shapes. They’re all around 3×5 or 4×5 range. Wider than tall. All of them.

And print? Well, print is taller than it is wide right? The printed page is the exception to the rule, isn’t it?

Wrong.

The default shape of print is not t

Toronto Looms

Only one day until the whole family flies to Toronto with me for TCAF! You can find me wandering around a lot, but also at:

Saturday, 10:15am-11:15am: Concept Comics: Abstract Comics Ideas. Bill Kartalopoulos will investigate the challenges and opportunities of communicating abstract ideas in the comics form with artists Tom Kaczynski, Scott McCloud, Dash Shaw and Jason Shiga. Learning Centre 1.

Saturday, 2:00pm-3:30pm: Scott McCloud: FAQ. The author of Understanding Comics, Making Comics, and ZOT

News about News

Catching the plane home from NYC tomorrow, but Heidi MacDonald has a great write-up at The Beat on a lot of the stuff that went on in the last few days, much of which I was able to catch despite only finding out about it at the last minute. So, um… basically, I’m letting The Beat do my work for me today.

Above, a picture of Shaun Tan and me at Books of Wonder on Sunday from the write-up.