Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels

This. Is. Great. Now let me explain why: I remember picking up this book ages ago, taking one look at the cartoony interior and putting it back on the shelf. I was very much unimpressed with the drawing style inside and it was far beneath my discerning tastes. Of course...I was an idiot back then. Now being a little bit older and a lot wiser, I've finally cottoned on to what exactly this book is about. It's not there to teach you how to draw, there are a gazillion other ways to learn how to do THAT, this is here to teach you how to 'draw words and write pictures' and it delivers on that promise and then some. You can take this book in two ways. You can either; a) dip in here and there and extract the bits of information that you need (though i would recommend reading it all once through at least once) or b) take it as it was intended and work through it as you would any other course. Each chapter is similarly laid out to a tutor's lecture and it followed up with a set of 'homework' assignments. Sounds boring and a lot of hard work but -hey- if you're doing comics, hard work is the way to go. The effort is worth it. Nearly everything in this book is just the sense your mother raised you with but you will find yourself reading it and saying "oh, RIIIIIGHT...". It makes sense of things that can otherwise be undefinable and helps you learn things that you might otherwise have dismissed as being purely instinctive and impossible to learn. I could go on like this for quite some time, but i do beleive there is a word limit, so i shall finish with this: If you're serious about getting into comics and learning the art for what it is -seemlessly combining good writing with good art- then you need this book. BUY IT!

I appreciated this book a lot, because it does not waste time on traps a lot of books fall into. For an example, it doesn't dawdle on drawing styles or learning anatomy, because that's not what it needs to teach you. It doesn't focus on narrative structure either. Instead,it focuses on the technical aspect of making comics, with no fluff at all to distract from it. You'll know how to compose proper panels and sceneries for one, or at least know what to pay attention to when constructing them. You'll learn how to incorporate expressions in comics, and when it is important to keep them subtle or not. It's an inclusive book that adapts to all drawing styles and narrative structures, and I'm grateful of this focus. Great book.

Fun and informative

A gem to have in the collection for any aspiring comics enthusiast.

A well thought out and organized book about the creational process of comic production, rather than a book about "how to draw comics". Anyone who is into visual arts as a way of transferring information - or indeed just as a form of entertainment - would do well to read this book. Be advised that this book is a graphic novel about comics and graphic novels. Well... could it have been written any other way?

If you are interested at all on how to build comics and all of the unspoken techniques that go into creating them, this is simply the best resource available as the core starting point. Not only is it highly detailed in it's approach, but the entire book is a comic book itself, and every technique it describes is demonstrated inside the book, so nothing is left nebulous or undefined. Certainly I have found this an invaluable resource for my own work, and I have yet to have any other artist speak of this book with anything other than high praise.

I have only read the introduction, and contents page - but this is McCloud so that's enough to know it's good. The contents page in of itself outlines subchapters within chapters, of which there are many, and a small symbol is provided for each. This is not a book to dip in and out of but rather an in-depth course. I don't need to read all of this, as I am deeply into his McCloud's Understanding Comics, which provides a master's degree level of insight into this narrative medium. McCloud is someone who has mastered his craft. I bought this book upon the recommendation of other comic artists.

I'm looking into making my own online comic, this book is helpful to anyone who is interested in starting making any kind of comic. Whether it be traditional, digital, westernized, manga, etc. this book will cover it or at least give you fundamentals to build your comic on. It is displayed in an easy-to-read comic format, allowing you to understand the ideas immediately. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in making their own comics.

An excellent book for understanding visual storytelling and comics. A great follow up to Understanding Comics. I highly recommend both books, even if you aren't an artist / maker.

Overall pretty happy with my purchase is a very informative book!

Si vous avez aimé "Understanding Comics", du même auteur, vous adorerez le troisième livre de la série (je ne possède pas le deuxième tome, ce n'est pas forcément nécessaire). C'est en anglais, mais les références culturelles utilisées sont généralement connues, et d'ailleurs parfois européennes ou manga. L'auteur maîtrise son art et ses connaissances culturelles sont pour le moins solides. L'auteur est agréable a lire : tout est en BD, par exemple. Un très bon livre pour fans de BD, mais aussi pour toute personne souhaitant renforcer ses compétences en graphisme et composition d'image.

How come it's never occurred to me that the best way to teach is by demonstration? Scott McCloud is so effective in balancing the visual and verbal in this book, providing examples and key ideas about the art of creating comics that make complete and total sense! A lot of the "how-to-make-comics" books out there are decent, and occasionally provide a paragraph or two that has some good insights into the medium, but none of it truly made sense to me until it was applied in a visual format—a literal comic, no less! While other books focus on the "how-to" part and provide an occasional visual example or step-by-step of how it's done, Scott demonstrates every aspect of comics creating he discusses in each page and panel so that the reader isn't left with any question on clarity about the information being presented—clarity being a big point in comics writing that is a recurring theme in the world of comics creation. I especially love that he ends each chapter with some optional exercises to try that helps even a beginning/aspiring comics creator to see if they have what it takes to make their own comics by applying the skills and understanding that Scott discusses throughout each chapter into short-form comics. I know that I benefitted a great deal from testing my mettle with some of the exercises in the book. I usually end up discussing what could be improved upon when it comes to product reviews, but in the case of this book, I have nothing critical to say about it. It is criminally underrated and underread for those looking to go into the world of comics creation. I am practically devouring this book like a textbook, taking notes and marking with page flags all the key takeaways that I've gained from Scott's advice and experience in comics creation—much of which was highly researched and full of thought for any kind of comic creator, whether someone wants to write a superhero comic, a webcomic, or even a manga. Hands down, *this* book has reached the top of my list of best comics-creation resources. I highly recommend this as required reading for anyone dipping their toes in the realm of writing or drawing their own comic!

Se você escreve/desenha quadrinhos -- ou é um leitor interessado nessa forma de arte --, então não deixe de ler esse clássico. No meu caso, abriu a mente para muita coisa que eu não havia percebido, mesmo sendo um leitor há décadas.