Professor Woolley | BAM 70500-02 | FALL23

Category: Readings (Page 1 of 2)

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INVENTING COMICS

Understanding Comics is arguably the most important book of comics theory. It is a comprehensive toolkit for learning the language of comics. Since its publication in 1993, it has in many ways defined the genre.

However, are there considerations McCloud is missing?

How does it stand up after 26 years when viewed through a contemporary lens?

Please read this analysis of the work:

Inventing Comics: Scott McCloud’s Definition of Comics, by Dylan Horrocks (first published in the Comics Journal #234, June 2001

Understanding Comics has become something of a manifesto for many in the comics community. It constructs a way of talking about comics that affirms and supports our longing for critical respectability and seems to offer an escape from the cultural ghetto.

Crucial to that ‘way of talking about comics’ is Scott’s definition of the ‘form.’ In a sense he uses this definition to establish the limits of the territory which he will go on to explore – and claim – on behalf of the comics community. But like any definition, it is necessarily an expression of certain values and assumptions. By saying, ‘This is comics,’ Scott is really saying: ‘This is what comics should be; it is what we should valuemost about them.’ On the other hand, he’s also saying what comics should not be, and, by implication, what we should value less about them.

Let’s take a closer look at that definition, then, and see what it reveals about McCloud’s agenda, and what he (and his constituency within the comics community) value most, and least, about comics.

Frank Stockton & POINT OF VIEW

Action can often suggest the layout and framing of a shot. As always, we go back to our story. Ask yourself: What is the character doing? How do they feel about it? How should the viewer feel looking at this scene? How can I make this action clear to the viewer? These questions will help to dictate your layout (another word for composition) as well as help you choose your POV.

In this illustration by Frank Stockton, notice how the action and feeling have dictated many of these decisions.

ill_232_v9_m07_p7_stockton_10

The Moving Camera

The world you see in an illustration can be very compelling, inviting you in for deeper analysis. Or not. Much of this depends of the point of view you see it from. After all, seeing a concert or play or a game from the nosebleed seats is not the same experience at all as being up close and personal with the action. Since in illustration you can choose your viewer’s vantage point, take the time to really consider it.

Frank Stockton is a comic book artist and illustrator who is known for using point of view like a boss! We just examined one of his images in detail on the previous page for exactly that reason.

As you look at the next series of images ask yourself once again: the illustrator could choose any point of view from which to show this scene, so why did he choose this one?

Master’s Study, Frank Stockton & POINT OF VIEW

Action can often suggest the layout and framing of a shot. As always, we go back to our story. Ask yourself: What is the character doing? How do they feel about it? How should the viewer feel looking at this scene? How can I make this action clear to the viewer? These questions will help to dictate your layout (another word for composition) as well as help you choose your POV.

In this illustration by Frank Stockton, notice how the action and feeling have dictated many of these decisions.

ill_232_v9_m07_p7_stockton_10

The Moving Camera

The world you see in an illustration can be very compelling, inviting you in for deeper analysis. Or not. Much of this depends of the point of view you see it from. After all, seeing a concert or play or a game from the nosebleed seats is not the same experience at all as being up close and personal with the action. Since in illustration you can choose your viewer’s vantage point, take the time to really consider it.

Frank Stockton is a comic book artist and illustrator who is known for using point of view like a boss! We just examined one of his images in detail on the previous page for exactly that reason.

As you look at the next series of images ask yourself once again: the illustrator could choose any point of view from which to show this scene, so why did he choose this one?

Understanding Comics Chapters 3 & 4

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud

Our course text is Understanding Comics By Scott McCloud. It is a comic book about comic books. McCloud, in an incredibly accessible style, explains the details of how comics work: how they’re composed, read, and understood.

Chapter 3 – Blood in the Gutter – pp. 60

  • In comics, what is “the gutter?”
  • Discuss the concept of closure as it relates to comics.
  • Of the six types of transitions in comics, choose one that you find most interesting and tell why.
  • What’s the point of the three stories about Carl that are shown on pages 84-85?

Chapter 4 – Time Frames – pp. 94

  • Is each frame in a comic a single moment in time? Why or why not?
  • How does adding words change the length/time of a panel?
  • In comics, time and space are “one and the same.” How so?
  • On page 101, how does changing a panel’s shape affect its time?
  • In comics, motion is usually reduced to what?
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