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Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels
(The Comic Books #3)
by
"Magnificent! The best how-to manual ever published." — Kevin Kelly, Cool Tools
Scott McCloud tore down the wall between high and low culture in 1993 with Understanding Comics, a massive comic book about comics, linking the medium to such diverse fields as media theory, movie criticism, and web design. In Reinventing Comics, McCloud took this to the next level, charting twe ...more
Scott McCloud tore down the wall between high and low culture in 1993 with Understanding Comics, a massive comic book about comics, linking the medium to such diverse fields as media theory, movie criticism, and web design. In Reinventing Comics, McCloud took this to the next level, charting twe ...more
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Paperback, 264 pages
Published
September 5th 2006
by William Morrow Paperbacks
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Start your review of Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels
Mar 13, 2007
Aaron
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Pencilers, Manga-ka, nerds, dorks, geeks, spazzes, dweebs, me
The frustrating thing about how authoritative McCloud is is the fact that he's essentially right about everything. I've read it half-a-dozen times, and I'm doing the chapter exercises, and I'm very angry about how correct he often is.
I've always wondered why the master of explaining comics has never achieved the status of master of creating comics. Scott McCloud admits as much in the first few pages of "Making Comics," and I assumed for most of the book that it's a case of "those who can't do teach." If he had the innate ability to put great ideas on paper, maybe he wouldn't have the time (or the ability) to analyze comics so well. Towards the end, though, McCloud mentions another factor that may be holding him back when he
...more
I really enjoy Scott McCloud. He is insightful and funny and his analytic method is always useful in dissection of concept. I find that the conscientious author tends to be the superior author, and for this reason, McCLoud is indispensable.
Another thing that is refreshing about McCloud is that he takes the medium very seriously, and reminds us, as creators, that we have a responsibility to the art to do everything we can with it, and not simply accept the given standards.
In a lot of ways, this b ...more
Another thing that is refreshing about McCloud is that he takes the medium very seriously, and reminds us, as creators, that we have a responsibility to the art to do everything we can with it, and not simply accept the given standards.
In a lot of ways, this b ...more
Honestly, I don't really know how to review a book like this, so all I'm gonna say is... I absolutely loved it. It entertained me, it taught me something, and it inspired me. It also had some really great art by Scott McCloud here and there. I have nothing bad to say about it.
Read this whether or not you actually have an interest in making your own comics. You'll learn a lot about how the medium works, and it'll make you appreciate your already favorite books even more.
R͟E͟C͟O͟M͟M͟E͟N͟D͟E͟D
Read this whether or not you actually have an interest in making your own comics. You'll learn a lot about how the medium works, and it'll make you appreciate your already favorite books even more.
R͟E͟C͟O͟M͟M͟E͟N͟D͟E͟D
I picked up this book because, as a student of animation, I believe firmly that knowing how comics work and what makes them work is essential to being able to make a good animated film or series. After all, animation as we know it was born of comics. What I discovered in this book was not just a guide to making great comics, but to telling great stories.
In Making Comics, McCloud lays down the fundamentals of storytelling through text and pictures--everything from character design to world buildi ...more
In Making Comics, McCloud lays down the fundamentals of storytelling through text and pictures--everything from character design to world buildi ...more
Scott McCloud always reminds me why I love comics, and this book is no different. The fact that I lead a MakerSpace for kids and teenagers about making comics on the same day I finished this book was also a delightful bit of serendipity.
Unlike his previous two books (UnderStanding Comics and ReInventing Comics) Making Comics does not explore the culture relevance of the medium of comics, nor does it attempt to validate the form as a legitimate medium. Instead McCloud leads this book with the ide ...more
Unlike his previous two books (UnderStanding Comics and ReInventing Comics) Making Comics does not explore the culture relevance of the medium of comics, nor does it attempt to validate the form as a legitimate medium. Instead McCloud leads this book with the ide ...more
I really loved this book. I can't count the times that McCloud said, "A complete understanding of this topic is beyond the scope of this book, buuuut let me do all the hard work and give you the highlights." And so he did. I am a theory-minded person so his breakdown was particularly helpful to me and those who think in more abstract terms. But of course the entire book is one big comic so there are tons of illustrative pictures and comparisons for those who want to see a more concrete example!
...more
I'm not going to make comics, but I still find it interesting to read about storytelling. Remember, symmetry means life.
All done. If you liked Understanding Comics, it's pretty much more of the same. Plus he references a ton of indie comics and they're indexed in the back. He also has Reinventing Comics, but that seems to be unpopular, heh.
...more
Jan 30, 2016
Erin
added it
(I don't do stars.)
Not an artist, not a cartoonist. I just love reading guides for creative activities that aren't my own.
Making Comics concerns itself with decisions about the form that can happen organically or chosen deliberately. As a "happen organically" type, I really appreciate anything I can soak up on the other side. The section on Stories for Humans should be required reading for anyone who tells them. The rest is excellent for any writer who wants to take on the challenge of thinking ...more
Not an artist, not a cartoonist. I just love reading guides for creative activities that aren't my own.
Making Comics concerns itself with decisions about the form that can happen organically or chosen deliberately. As a "happen organically" type, I really appreciate anything I can soak up on the other side. The section on Stories for Humans should be required reading for anyone who tells them. The rest is excellent for any writer who wants to take on the challenge of thinking ...more
Feb 28, 2016
Toby
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Comic writers, comic artists
Recommended to Toby by:
Raquel
I got this book when I was really young, and it's what got me into comics. I have to get a new copy, because the one I have is falling apart from so much reading, re-reading, and referencing.
If you want to get into writing and/or drawing comics, this book is essential. Every time I read it I notice a new gold nugget of information or philosophy that inspires me to go and make more comics.
If you want to get into writing and/or drawing comics, this book is essential. Every time I read it I notice a new gold nugget of information or philosophy that inspires me to go and make more comics.
This is the third in Scott McCloud’s nonfiction trilogy on the semiotics of sequential art, nee, comics. All three books consider comics literacy: how comics “work” from the standpoint of cultural reference and mental shorthand. His first book, Understanding Comics, makes this an explicit theme and is essential reading. His follow-up, Reinventing Comics, tries to turn the idea on its head by suggesting a variety of experimental forms. As such, the book is a curious exploration of counterintuit
...more
(Both illustrations from page 86)
Scott McCloud has become the go-to guy for comic book theory. This is a title well-deserved as he has proved in not one but three accessible books dedicated to showing and explaining this exciting and still relatively new artistic medium.
I was educated by his first nonfiction title Understanding Comics and Making Comics goes into even greater detail on how to apply what I learnt. The most creditable part of McCloud's teaching style here is his honesty. He is not claiming that there is one perfec ...more
I was educated by his first nonfiction title Understanding Comics and Making Comics goes into even greater detail on how to apply what I learnt. The most creditable part of McCloud's teaching style here is his honesty. He is not claiming that there is one perfec ...more
Jan 22, 2020
Cam
added it
Making Comics continues McCloud's view of comic and its form. This time is playing how to use the techniques studied in Understanding Comics, all to create a comic and story that will deliver on the artists plan and interpretation. Focusing mostly on the art form rather than literary merit he continues his peculiar form of teaching, educating the more open minded followers that Understanding Comics generated and teaching a form difficult to many, as it is a medium too different from any singular
...more
Nov 11, 2019
Alicia
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
male,
sports-hobbies,
historical,
biography-memoir,
adult,
nonfiction,
artsy,
manga,
humor,
graphic-novel
So many notes! I kept either taking pictures of certain pages and balancing taking notes on paper to internalize and reflect on what he was sharing. Truly a "storytelling secrets", he's like the magician giving away the secrets but we all benefit-- how else can you better discuss comics, manga, and graphic novels if you don't have some basic understanding and that's what he does with intelligence, humor, and aptitude.
I was blown away by this one.
I was blown away by this one.
Very thorough and practical!
Although I was never a huge fan of his retro-esque work on the 80s Zot!, Scott McCloud has become – in my eyes – the hero of modern comic book structural theory and analysis. And one heck of an effective writer and artist at conveying the hidden truths of this ever-developing medium, I might add. He is neither condescending nor intellectually ambiguous – despite his evident braininess.
As the author/artist of two earlier ground-breaking works – Understanding and Reinventing Comics (both of which ...more
As the author/artist of two earlier ground-breaking works – Understanding and Reinventing Comics (both of which ...more
This is an excellent book for anyone interested in writing comics and wants some tips and tricks to help them on their way. I am personally working on creating my first comic book and though I have had years of art education and lessons in how to draw I have never learned anything about incorporating that into a narrative structure. So this book was exactly what I was looking for.
Unlike most books about making your own comic this is not a how to draw book. It is very firm in it’s view that you c ...more
Unlike most books about making your own comic this is not a how to draw book. It is very firm in it’s view that you c ...more
Sep 06, 2009
Sofia
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Comic book readers and artists
Shelves:
graphic-novels,
art
Being rather new to the comics world (I only started reading them more steadily last year), I was eager to know more about the medium, and various online searches kept pointing to Understanding Comics The Invisible Art (also by Scott McCloud) as a great starting point. Unfortunately, at the time I set out to buy it it was unavailable, so I settled for this one instead.
I have to say I loved it! It really opened my eyes to a lot of details I was missing, or rather, things that I was aware of on an ...more
I have to say I loved it! It really opened my eyes to a lot of details I was missing, or rather, things that I was aware of on an ...more
I've been reading comics for a while now, and I recently decided that I had a story to tell that would work best as a comic. I'd read Scott McCloud's The Sculptor before, and liked it very much, and decided that this book would be worth checking out.
Whenever one writes something that resembles a textbook, there's always the chance that it will be parochial in some way, especially if we're talking about something essentially creative (as opposed to something technical, like e.g. drawing using 1- ...more
Whenever one writes something that resembles a textbook, there's always the chance that it will be parochial in some way, especially if we're talking about something essentially creative (as opposed to something technical, like e.g. drawing using 1- ...more
This is an excellent book for anyone who is interested in making comics, or just learning about the theory behind them.
Scott McCloud lays out the fundamental building blocks and questions behind creating a comic, and covers them in depth. He eschews questions of technical execution and personal style in favor of theory and design.
He covers communication, pacing, framing, and transitions in excellent detail. His chapter on the tools available is more brief, but gives a beginning cartoonist enough ...more
Scott McCloud lays out the fundamental building blocks and questions behind creating a comic, and covers them in depth. He eschews questions of technical execution and personal style in favor of theory and design.
He covers communication, pacing, framing, and transitions in excellent detail. His chapter on the tools available is more brief, but gives a beginning cartoonist enough ...more
A wonderful look at what goes into a comic, from perspective and line to story and style. I learned a lot and gained even more appreciation for an art form that I already respected.
The ebook version is not recommended, however. I read an epub from my library using Overdrive on an iPad and the text was a tad too small to read comfortably. The notes after each chapter were written in McCloud's lettering font and it translated to ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME in the file. Annoying to say the least.
My favor ...more
The ebook version is not recommended, however. I read an epub from my library using Overdrive on an iPad and the text was a tad too small to read comfortably. The notes after each chapter were written in McCloud's lettering font and it translated to ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME in the file. Annoying to say the least.
My favor ...more
Disclaimer: I have not read Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics so I cannot make comparisons to them.
As an aspiring cartoonist, I hold this book as an essential guide to the writing and illustration process of graphic novels/comics. In Making Comics, cartoonist and comics theorist Scott McCloud effectively utilizes the graphic novel medium to escort his readers through the various stages of creating a comic as he provides a myriad of excerpts from different works to showcase the diverse ...more
As an aspiring cartoonist, I hold this book as an essential guide to the writing and illustration process of graphic novels/comics. In Making Comics, cartoonist and comics theorist Scott McCloud effectively utilizes the graphic novel medium to escort his readers through the various stages of creating a comic as he provides a myriad of excerpts from different works to showcase the diverse ...more
This is a munch stronger follow up to the author's first book, "Understanding Comics" than his second attempt at book writing, "Reinventing Comics." While I feel that "Reinventing Comics" is a good segue between the two, "Making Comics" is much easier to follow -- better structured, a clearer purpose, and back to introducing basic principles that help the reader see the world of comics in a different light.
What I enjoyed most about the book is McCloud's ability to show how easily comics can (and ...more
What I enjoyed most about the book is McCloud's ability to show how easily comics can (and ...more
This book should be retitled as "Making Comics the Scott McCloud way," and he even admits to it. Then again, I suppose one can only teach what one knows, and he has definitely done his homework. Even though it gets a bit ranty at some points, you can tell that McCloud is someone who really and truly cares about his craft, as well as those who are 'drawn' to it.
I don't think that this book is quite as accessible as the others--it presumes a lot of foreknowledge. I found the sections about facial ...more
I don't think that this book is quite as accessible as the others--it presumes a lot of foreknowledge. I found the sections about facial ...more
I once wrote a 6-page comic and was blessed to have someone illustrate it. I don't think I'll ever do get involved with such a thing again, but this book is very interesting regardless. The information on emotion is influenced by Dr. Eckman's studies and worth a read all on its own. I can't wait to read Understanding Comics.
Truly a masterpiece, this is a one-book non-credit course on exactly the title: Making Comics. Also, the little comic version of Scott is hilarious and inventive in all the bizarre shapes it takes to show and share with us the many elements, styles, shapes, and considerations that go into making comics and graphic novels.
Probably one of the best art books I've ever read. Scott McCloud does a fabulous job in collecting lots of different techniques, tips and tricks, while still encouraging the reader to break out of them and experiment.
If you're interested in creating comics you should definitely add this guide to your "to read" list.
If you're interested in creating comics you should definitely add this guide to your "to read" list.
This book was very helpful. It has helped me understand how to properly make a comic. I feel that in reading this I have a better idea on how to do my Graphic Novel final. It is definitely a good read if you want to learn how to make a proper comic.
Anyone interesting in storytelling period will find some great tips here, including a fascinating chapter on facial expressions and physical gestures and an essential section on how Manga works.
Basically, McCloud is taking the lessons of Understanding Comics and adding a few new theories about the Schools of Creative Thought (Classicists - pieces of beautiful art, think Hal Foster; Animists - content first, almost everybody; Formalists - experimenting with the form, ala Dave McKean; Iconoclasts - creating authentic human moments, R. Crumb), and a section on why Manga connects with readers (very intriguing stuff).
He also talks about types of panel transitions, when to use them, the effe ...more
He also talks about types of panel transitions, when to use them, the effe ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABQ Graphic Novel...: * October 2018: Making Comics | 4 | 11 | Mar 02, 2019 06:59PM | |
| Mentor Texts: Mentor Texts | 1 | 5 | May 11, 2017 04:36PM | |
| 3D motion comic book with a touch of animation | 1 | 4 | Aug 30, 2016 09:57PM |
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“If you just write the kinds of stories you think others will want to read, you'll be competing with cartoonists who are far more enthusiastic for that kind of comic than you are, and they'll kick your ass every time.”
—
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