After reading Understanding Comics-the Invisible art, I did realize that there is a pattern in how comic was created, that human’s imagination in the gutter between the panels links the stories, and that how abstract the comic is depend on how much does the artist want people to fit themselves in the characters and the plot. With that much essence of comics being revealed, the importance of this textbook-style comic is self-evident.
But one thing that keeps staying in my mind is that what exactly is the purpose of exploring further into the essence of the comics. What will people get from learning “what makes a comic”? Do they draw less bad comics or do they understand the comic of other artists better?
If it’s the former I would say less bad doesn’t necessarily mean good. What build up a good comic is the drawing skills and more importantly the content in it which can’t be mastered simply by studying the component of a comic and how they work. These “building bricks” can be calcinated by one consistently reading and imitating different kind of already-exist good comics and form one’s own way of narrating and scriptwriting, as well as the style of drawing.
While if it’s the latter then I’m truly sorry for the creator of that obscure comic. As McCloud claimed himself, “with the invention of printing, the art-form which had been a diversion of the rich and powerful now could be enjoyed by everyone.” (16). And by everyone, the author meant everyone who is able to get access to the comic. And that includes the not-so highly educated people who don’t understand the essence of the comics. So if a comic seems hard to understand by those kind of people, it failed.
Also, I do admit that the innovative way of narrating and reasoning and explaining in the form of comic is quite bold and refreshing, but I can barely say that I’m a fan of the idea of “a comic about comic”. When I was reading this comic, I didn’t feel like I was reading one because the narrate and explanation part seemed a little bit too long for a comic, and I can hardly see a difference between it and a novel if the paragraphs were any longer. It seemed to me that I would rather read a series of article with good detail and vivid depiction about the essence of comic than reading this.