I finally finished reading Making Comics by Scott McCloud (I read much of the material two or three times over), and the book left me breathless. It reminded me of Scott’s presentation of the book’s contents at Comic-Con 2005 that had everyone standing, cheering and clapping until their hands hurt. In fact, on many occasions throughout the book, I felt like standing, clapping, and yelling “good one, Scott!” It’s quite simply the best book created on the subject of making comics, period.
As I was reading Making Comics, I felt like Scott was actually right there guiding me through the pages, and I was amazed at how well he covered nearly every facet of what we do as cartoonists, at times to a ridiculously detailed degree. And despite the lengths he goes to in order to analyze the craft, it all remains perfectly relevant and on point. I was often nodding my head in agreement, laughing at many parts thinking “how true”, and thought about how if I were still teaching a class I would have half of my curriculum right here in this book. It is a gift for teachers as much as it is for artists, and for the curious outsiders, it is the perfect welcoming committee for when they enter the world of creating sequential art.
Most of all, I enjoyed watching Scott make his journey across the landscape of comics’ creation, all the while inadvertently turning the medium into a subject worthy of academia, and I didn’t want the adventure to end. What most people will say about the book is that it is an amazingly well-researched and well-executed document on the craft of making comics, and it is that, but what might get glossed over is that it is also one of the best graphic novels ever made. The story of Scott himself exploring the medium of comics and sending it such great, big valentine kisses in the form of this book and its two predecessors in the Comics Trilogy make for some of the most compelling and focused works of literature in the world of comics and graphic novels. Not since Watchmen have I seen a graphic novel carry such density with aplomb, though Scott would probably shake his head at the comparison. :)
Making Comics is the best graphic novel of 2006, and the generosity with which it is written is a rare thing in any medium. We are all very, very fortunate to have a Scott McCloud. The world is a much better place because of him.
Another fantastic graphic novel that I finished reading this week is American Born Chinese, by Gene Yang. It was just recently announced that the book has been nominated for a National Book Award! (link) Anyway, I have a pretty glowing review to write about that one too, so that's coming soon.
