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Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels | 
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| Author: Scott Mccloud
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: £12.99
Buy New: £7.01
You Save: £5.98 (46%)
New (41) Used (10) from £7.01
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 18575
Media: Paperback
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 10.2 x 6.7 x 0.7
ISBN: 0060780940
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5
EAN: 9780060780944
ASIN: 0060780940
Publication Date: November 2, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW - ***Delivery usually * 2 - 3 * working days - From Aphrohead of SOUTHPORT, Lancs, UK *** . Priority Airmail used Worldwide on International orders. Thanks from all at Aphrohead.
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| Customer Reviews:
A review after 15 pages October 20, 2008
Richard Pascoe (UK)
It seems insane to write a review having read only 15 pages, but I am so blown away by this book I have decided to do just that. It is partially inspired by the fact that the reviews so far have referred quite reasonably only to people interested in comics. I am writing this because the book should have a much broader audience.
Personally I am interested in communication and presentation skills (sad, I know), and that is the reason I got this book; hoping to learn a few things about visualisation of message. Within 15 pages I have learnt more new information than any other book I remember. The ideas are simple enough to be powerful while intelligent enough to be enlightening. The visual medium of the comic itself helps the ideas fly off the page and into your brain.
So if you are interested in understanding more about how to communicate effectively, and are not as sad as me so don't fancy reading a heavy tome on presentation skills, get this book.
Heck just get it because it is so much fun.
235 page to go... :o)
Great Look at How Stories and Art Combine into the Comics You Love August 7, 2008
Donald Mitchell (Boston)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've always found it fascinating to imagine how a comic book author/illustrator creates the stories and images that appeal so much. Having been a non-fiction book author for many years, I have a firm understanding of the writing process. I sometimes pick out a few illustrations to put into a book.
But building a story around the illustrations, that seems like a trip to the planet Neptune to me. I was very pleased to find that Scott McCloud is very good at explaining (and illustrating) the creative and production processes he uses. I was delighted when I realized that he had also described how an individual could make a few comics to share with friends.
With computer art getting to be easier to do, I can see that there's even hope for those of us who couldn't draw out way out of a paper bag.
Mr. McCloud has the kind of mind that sees everything in perspective, in this case as facets of an overall story-telling task. He always has the goal of engaging the reader in mind and relates his points well to that purpose.
The work is impressive at another level . . . it's a masterpiece of providing instruction. The book shows more than tells, as a book about comics should do.
If Mr. McCloud ever tires of making comic books and graphic novels, he should go into explaining non-fiction subjects. He would make a fortune!
Awesome May 13, 2008
W. Bailey (London)
Back in the 90s Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics became a seminal text in the field of comics theory, and he has repeated his achievement for comics practice in the noughties with this excellent book.
It is in a different league from all the other 'how to make comics' texts out there, which are usually really just 'how to draw in a manga/superhero/my style'.
Instead he merges theory with practice in a very accessible and engaging way, covering panels, text/image, facial expression, body language, environment, process, technique, genre and style, with a very useful bibliography.
If this book had existed when I was at art college I would have saved myself literally months of time figuring all of this out for myself, but even now I found it incredibly informative and useful.
An absolute must for all aspiring comics artists.
Another McCloud book to get excited about, and to get you inspired about your own comics! November 6, 2006
Emmeline Dobson (London, UK)
27 out of 27 found this review helpful
Scott McCloud scores again with another incredibly intelligent non-fiction comic! In Understanding Comics he wrote a groundbreaking literature analysis that unveiled the mysterious inner workings of comics - in can't-put-it-down attractive comic format! Making Comics is another important book for comics in general, its chapter topics are of immediate relevance, with lots of solid practicals.
There are stacks of "how to draw" books out there, but McCloud's applies his rare talent in the witty presentation of diligent research. Making Comics conveys years of reading, pattern-deducing and theorising, digging into fine art composition techniques, the psychology of involving the reader of comics, the life cycles of genres and loads more. I may risk giving the impression that this is an academic, highbrow or out-of-touch book. Again, it's very practical.
The reader can learn so much, yet it's impossible to liken it to a textbook because it's so fun! However, for those truly getting serious, at the end of each chapter is an invaluable new "Notes" section, which includes optional exercises to do. These are often group activities, benefiting circles of enthusiasts or art teachers and media courses.
McCloud uses the artwork in the format to demonstrate each point. Frequently he uses examples from other comics, but the artwork is predominantly his own which (despite his self-humbling comments) is skillful and clear. As the book explains how, words and pictures together act as more than the sum of their parts to get across deeper messages about emotions, sensations, craftsmanship and more. This book clearly charts the way towards barely explored territories among the endless possibilities of comics making. It also imparts the know-how for readers to confidently set out on their personal journey to get there! I think every reader is going to catch some inspiration from Making Comics, and be itching to start creating new comics by the end!
Manga fans should find this book invaluable, with a small ten-page section devoted specifically to comics from Japan. This contains eight specific manga features, and they're a far cry from big eyes and cute (this book is about substance, not surface remember!) The take on shojo (target audience is girls) and shonen (manga for boys) genres is a breath of fresh air, despite brevity. This sounds like very little, but the entire volume is as applicable to manga as to comics from any other culture. (Popular manga artwork in the examples crops up from introduction to ending.)
As my main complaint about this book, the strength of being practical leave me missing McCloud's intellectual flights in Understanding Comics somewhat. This reader was awed by Understanding Comics and the sense of enlightenment sparking from each page. This is a different kind of book. The earlier book is about history, purpose, the human mind, the future; this presents an approach to drawing faces, how attention to environments contributes to your work, pitfalls to avoid when placing text in a word balloon... However, it is an unbefitting grumble that its content is comparatively mundane. I reckon Making Comics is every bit as brilliant as Understanding Comics - instead of satisfying a hunger for knowledge, it will come into its own as a companion in MAKING COMICS.
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