The book Understanding Comics literally changes my perception of comics. McCloud unraveled the concept of comics by tracing back to thousands of years ago. In fact, most of the instances he took, I have never thought of them as “comics”. I initially thought of comics as simple lines and thought bubbles without too many details, and thought of them as some art works that is much easier than those hung on the museums’ wall to be appreciated. It turned out that it is not the case.
This book really impresses me for it tells me the truth which I have taken for granted throughout my time reading comics. Before reading this, I have never thought of the reason why comics are more widespread than those realistic sketches. McCloud explains that the universality of cartoon imagery the more cartoony a face is, for instance, the more people it could be said to describe, making people feel empathy while reading. The combination of cartoony characters and realistic backgrounds, especially in those adventure comics, let us identify ourselves with the characters. The most magical factors among all, is the scene beyond gutters. I have never thought of the reason why we can have scenario in mind by merely looking at two pictures. This is generated by closure, which is based on our former experiences of the world, so as our perception of those panels.
In my opinion, these are the reasons why comics painters are deliberate authors. We should appreciate beyond the surface to see what those talented authors actually aspire to convey through seemly-childish artpieces.