Reinventing Comics: The Evolution of an Art Form

It’s probably been 25 years since I first read Scott McCloud’s Reinventing Comics. Having recently reread his Understanding Comics, I was curious to see how the sequel read all these years later. While some of the technical references are stuck in 2000, the fundamental ideas are as invigorating and stimulating as ever. What surprised me was how little comics have evolved in the way McCloud suggested they might—at least to this point. In fact, the opposite seems to have happened. Mostly, the dynamic picturescape McCloud foresaw has been the dominion of gaming. Meanwhile, comics have been born again in a new upcropping of brick-and-mortar stores that folks like me enjoy frequenting to buy printed comics over which we pore to be transported into interactive worlds that exist only in our own minds. A thought-provoking read!

Very insightful

Following his absolutely perfect Understanding Comics from 1993, this 2000 book is a great What-If? book where Scott McCloud analyzes the zeitgeist of Comics in the US, and explores the industry's history as well as it's possible future.Form the vantage point of 2000, it is surprising how far McCloud's understanding of the digital option is accurate, and although some of his predictions have bared fruit, it's also interesting to see the exploration of mediums that basically already passed.I strongly feel that this is an important a book as his previous Understanding Comics, and would highly recommend this to Comics readers and probably insist (if I may be so bold) that comics artists, authors, businessmen and scholars make this a mandatory reading.

Comics have always been an under-appreciated art form. Survival, in this day and age of mondo-entertainment, where nary a second is left to find a way to boredom, comics are a dying art. Face it, most of the great ones have moved on, and few there are, who are willing to take their place. Scott McCloud has figured a way out of this dilemma -his ideas on the reinvention of this particular wheel, are the most original that I have heard on the subject. It is obvious that his passion for comics is the only thing that exceeds his zeal. If you are in the world of comics, or have ever considered it, listen to this man -he knows which way is UP!

I have 3 of Scott McCloud's books related to comics and sequential art and they are all top notch quality. He really is good at breaking down ideas and connecting them to just about every aspect of human functions and human history. I enjoy reading comics here and there but after reading this book and the other two I have a new found appreciation for the medium as its helped me all around with my writing.If you enjoy anything related to comics - comic books, graphic novels, comic strips... - then Mr McCloud is the teacher for you. I very very highly recommend his books.

So I just read this book, after reading Understanding Comics many years ago. This book is equally well-done, in that the illustrations and text are very well put together and it tells an amazing story. However unfortunately it's not the uncompromising classic that his original book was... which is probably too much to expect from any book. UC was an amazing book, a perfect storm that crosses boundaries left and right. While UC had great value for just about any visual artist, designer, illustrator, animator, art historian, you name it, Reinventing Comics is more of a book for comic enthusiasts (particularly those who love fringe/indie comics).The first part talks about the innovations in comics over the 30 years prior to the publication of RC in 2000. I really enjoyed the sprawling, well-constructed argument, but I feel if I hadn't read a ton of the comics he mentioned I wouldn't have gotten as much out of it as I did. If you have read Spiegelman, Clowes, ACME Novelty Library, Gaiman, as well as things like RAW and other indie comics, I would recommend this book. You will love the arguments and also get a lot of suggestions for great new books to try. However if you have only read Marvel stuff, or haven't read comics at all, I'm not sure how much you'll enjoy it.... you may not even follow the argument without understanding the supporting material. Perhaps this will *inspire* you to read these great works... or perhaps the book will fall flat.Part II goes into the innovations of digital comics. Having been written 13 years ago, and with my own extensive background in digital media (and concomitant disdain for hype-y digital evangelists) I figured this would all be horribly out-of-date but I was pleasantly surprised to see that McCloud was spot-on. He even has a panel of a child holding what looks like a large iPad on her lap, tracing a shape with her finger, with a caption about the next generation. To be predicting the iPad in 2000 is pretty shocking, and that is the quality of the thought behind this book in general. This guy is so well thought-out, it's hard to believe at times. The end of Part II gives a vision for digital comics that manages to dodge the digital hype and get to the core of what spatialized narrative is all about. I was afraid his vision would be some of that hypertext interactive narrative hogwash that those of us in the media arts field have grown tired of... but McCloud is much more balanced, gets right to the historical core of the situation, and I feel accurate. Unfortunately we'll have to wait another 10-20 years to find out.In short, a solid book. A nice quick read that will make you really respect and see deeper into comics. But if you are a noob, first read a bunch of great comics and graphic novels first (McCloud's reading list at the end is a great place to start). You will get tons more out of this book with that behind you.

An informative book on the comic medium.

Another great book from Scott McCloud! If you are a consumer or creator of comics, then this is a book you will likely enjoy!