comics

DATE DUE

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A Kitchen Sink Book for

HarperPerennialA Division ofl-IarpercoflinsPublishers

FEB i L(JU

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MAY 10 ZPflL___-

MA1ZOtY

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GAYLORD PR INTED IN U.S.A.

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A paperback edition of this book was originallypublished in 1993 by Kitchen Sink Press. It is herereprinted by arrangement with Kitchen Sink Press.

UNDERSTANDING COMICS: THE INVISIBLE ART. Copyright

© 1993 by Scott McCloud. All rights reserved. Printed in

the United States of America. No pad of this book maybe used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever with-

out written permission except in the case of briefquotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.For information address Harpercollins Publishers, Inc.,10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022.

HarperCollins books may be purchased for educa-tional, business, or sales promotional use. Forinformation please write: Special Markets Department,

HarperCotlins Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53rd Street,New York, NY 10022.

First HarperPerennial edition published 1994.

ISBN 0-06-097625-X (pbk.)

ANY SIMILARflY BE1WEEN CHARACTERS/INSTITUTIONS IN THISWORKTO ACTUAL CHARACTERS/INSTITUTIONS IS UNINTENDED

ENTIRE CONTENTS COPYRIGHT SCOTT McCLOUD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTEDUNDERSTANDING COMICS IS A TRADE,'MRK OF SCOTT McCLOUD

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WRITING AND ARTscorr McCLOUD

LETTERINGBOB LAPPAN

EDITORIAL ADVICE ANDSELECTIVE EGO-TRIMMING

STEVE BISSETTEKURT BUSIEKNEIL GAIMANBOB LAPPAN

JENNIFER LEELARRY MARDER

IVY RATAFIA

EXTRA SPECIAL THANKSWILL EISNER

EDITORMARK MARTIN

04 03 02 01 RIPON 20 19 18 17 16 IS 14

00

CHAPTER FOUR

V

$0,' zn-1: SEE.EACH PANEL OFACOMIC SHOWS ASitVIE ,ZIOMEWT

IN Y7ME A

AND RE7) WffiVTHOSE FROZENMOMENTS-- ØETWEENTHE FANEL& OURMINDS FILL IN tHEINTIPYE W4'C MO/i/JET9TJCREATING THE ILLUSIONOF Ti/ViE AND MOTION

Ix 111<wo -ri't0LIKE A LINE DRAWNBETWEEN! TWO POINTS.

TIME IN COMICSIS ,Wf7/ V/TEL 7WEIRDER THAN

7N477'

/YOMEIV7Pa

M4RVL >'-.'

FAR SLO/I'ER IS

THE DURATION OFTHE AVERAGE WORUNCLE HEPJVY ALONEBURNS UPAG000,SECOIVD IN THISPANEL! ESPECIALLYSINCE 'WMiZ if/Il

UNDOUBTEDLYPRECEPED TIlEFLASH.

LIKEWISE, THE NEXTBALLOONS COULD HAVEONLY foilOfl'EOTHE SURST OF THEFLASHBULB, THUSADDING STILL .410R'F

EVEN THE BRIEFSOUND OFA FLASH-31/19 HAS A CERTAIND1JM4T1cW, SHORTTO BE s'ue, BUT NOTITver4w7,qfvEovs'

JUST AS PICTURES AND THE INTERVALS 9ETM'EEN THEM CREATE THE ILLUSION OF TIMETHROUGH C1OS1/R5 WORDS INTRODUCE TIME BY REPRESENTING THAT WHICH CAN ONLY

EXIST liv TIME --SOUND.

94

WITH ALL ITS ACT/OP/f AND PEA CTIOTVSA PANEL SUCH AS THIS COULD LAST A

60017 ,V4iP Mi/Vt/re OR SO.

95

--THOSE FIGURES,FACES AND WORDSARE MATCHED INTIME AS WELL.

AN P TANGLES UP TIMEBEYOND ALL gEQONITf CIV'

SINGLE/MAeE

SINGLEMOmENt

PORTRAYING TIMEON A LINE MOVINGLEFT WRIGHtTHIS PUTS ALL THEI4TMGflOP4 THESAME VERTICAL AXIS,

PERHAPS WE'VE SEEN TOOf CONDITIONED W/ PHOTOGRAPHY TO

PERCEIVE SINGLE IMAGES As SIT VOLEM0M547Y. AFTER ALL, IT DOESTAKE AN EYE 7/ME TO MOVE ACROSS

SCENES IN R'EAL LIPET

BUT HOW COULD THIS 8ANYTHING 8UTASIIVGL5MOMEIV77OUR EYES HAVE BEEN fl'EW7KAIIVEJJ y THE P#O70S,C4Pt4'AND y REPREJ'ENIAT/O/V41 ,4grio SEE ANY SINGLE

CONTINUOUS IMAGE AS A .SINGI-E/,LTSTAI'1/77/V TIME ) THE PROPERTIES OF THE SINGLECONTiNUOUS IMAGE MEANWHILE, TENDTO MATCH EACH FIGURE WITH EVERYOTHER FIGURE.

BUT THE ACTIONS THAT WE SEEOCCURRING SEEMINGLY AT THE SAME

TIME OBVIOUSLY CAIV'TfE(

I

__reC) C C:?.:'

EACH FIGURE ISARRANGED FROMLEFT TO R7&/f I INTHE SEQUENCE WEWILL REAO"THEM,EACH OcCUPYING A

DISTINCT 77M5

iN SOME RESPECTS THIS PANEL BY ITSELF ACTUALLY F/IS OURPEfINlIlOfY OF COMICS! ALL IT NEEDS IS A FEW GUT TERS

THROWN iN TO CLARIFY ?we,s'EourncE.OH,,qtwgfl '\

PUT THAT CAMFEAAWAY WrIL

YOU?

AWW,LET HIM

36; MOM.HE'S JUSt//,4V/1V5

WELL, F01' HENIO' IS

6OMWA HAVE MU,MORE FUN, WE

MAY HAFTALOCK UP THE

W//E CELL.'

SnfIh,/

9697

IF SQO/VOIS INTRODUCED,

THIS CEASES TO BETRUE-

THEPANEL ACTS AS

A SORT OFSE/VERALIIVOICATORTHAT 7/tø'EOR

$PACE ISE1N6

DIVIDED.

FOR JUST AS THEBODY'S. LARGEST ORGAN--OUR $flN--IS SELDOM 77(0/AOEM AN ORGAN---rmr

TOO IS THE PANELovEgLOogw AS COMICS' MOST

IMPORTANT ICON'

?ANEL SHAPES VARY CONSIO& SLY THoUGH, AND WHILEDIFFERENCES OF SHAPE DON'T AFFECT THE SPECIFIC "flffA/VI/iA9S"OF THOSF PANELS VIS-A-VIS TIME, THEY CA/V AFFECT THE

READING ffXPSRENCF

I._Iip

WHICH BRINGS USTO THE STRANGERELATIONSHIPBETWEEN TIMEAS PEP/C/ED INCOMCS AND TIMEASSy TI-IF READER.

UC

98

00* EISNER DiSWsES i-ms mvUE 'WE HEAPING FRANIN6 77115

IN cOnItc aMp SEQ&'ENflAI 4I 99

OVA WINK ThE 50XCOULD RNALLW 00tTh15 YEAR?

I GUESS.

50, AS READERS,WERE LEFT WITH ONLYA VAGUE SENSETHAT AS OUR EYESARE MOVING THROUGH$PACE, THEYE ALSOMOVING THROUGH7/M5WE JUST

DON'T KNOW BYifon' /t4UCH,/'d

A IS THERE ANY WAY TO MAKE ASINGLE SILENT PANJEL LIKE THIS ONESEEM LOiVGRp HOW ABOUT WIDENING

THE SPACE artweE,vPMAtEiS'?ANY .O/PFERCM/CE7

HEY I 0E564VE A86T7t 308/ t'?s A N s,mseov.

WE'VE SEEN HOWTIME CAN BECONTROLLED THROUGHTHE cO/v7p,'Vr OFPANEL-S, THE MU9EROF PANELS ANDCLOSURE 9E70/EEn/PANELS, BUT THERE'SSTILL aNt ,iast

IN MOST CASES IT'S NOT HARD TOMAKE AN EDUCATED GUESS AS TO THDURATION OF A GIVEN SEQUENCE, SO

LONG AS THE EIEMEtV7Y OFTHATSEQUENCE ARE PAM/i/AR TO US.

100

L

AS UNLIKELY AS IT SOUNDS, THE PANEL $WAPE CANACTUALLY MAKE A pirpegewce IN OUR PERCEPT/ON

OF TIME EVEN THOUGH THIS LONG PANEL HAS THE SAMEBASIC 'MEANING" AS ITS SHORTERVERSIONS, STILL IT

¼ HAS ThE fiffi WG OF GREATER LENGTH/

101

I GUESS.

IN LEARNING TO READ COMICSWE ALL LEARNED TO PERCEIVE

TIME SPA TIALfl' FOR IN THE WORLDOF COMICS, 7YMEMND SPACE

ARE OP/F At/V 7FfE SAME.

'0'Ai'i)- 1LL

BUT IF THE CREATOR or THIS SCENEWANTED TO £ENØTM?VTHAT PAUSE, HOWCOULD HE OR SHE DO SO? ONE OBVIOUSSOLUTION WOULD BE TO ADD MORE PANELS,

BUT IS ThAT THE ONLY WAY?

THE FEW CENTIMETERSWHICH TRANSPORT US FROM

t9ECVNP 70 SEC V,VO IN OMf'SEQUENCE COULD TAKE US A

NtOVPRED MIlhIQY YEARSIN ,q4'VuYE.

A 0

s2rr- 4?'

FROM A 1/FE 7/MEOf wwvegsAT,oMg,WE CAN BE SURETHAT A "PAUSE"PANEL LIKE THISLASTS FOR NO MORETHAN SEVERAL

SECONDS.

I ALWAYS FUREPt.R'/-ANwg WOUt.D60 FOR GIi-L164t4.

I GUESS.

_____ Iirwy r

— ____________________________ ___________

102

EVERNOTICED HOW THE

WORDS W//ORT" OR'ZONO" CAN REFEREITHER TO THE

F/KST DIMENSIONOR TO THEEQURT/IP

THE PANEL SORDERI IS OUR 011/Pt THROUOHI TIMEAA'Dô'PACgF, BUTI It WILL ONLY GUIDE USL SO EAR.

IN A MEDIUMWHERE TIME AND

SPACE MERGE SOCO/1'IPL (TEL)', 11-I E

DISTINCTION OFTEM1/AlWSHE6' I

AS MENTIONED,PANELS COME INMANY SHAPES ANDSIZES, THOUGH THECIASSICKECTAIS'OLEIS USED MOST OF TtW a MOSTOFUS ARE 50 USED TO

THE STANDARD gEC7AWGULARFORMAT THAT A"5ogpEgLesS'PANEL SUCH AS TillS CAN TAKE

ON A 7/Meted'S Q(J,4LIrY

HE, ARE YOUEV€M QflENN&

To tIC?!

WHEN THEOF A SILENT PANELOFFERS NO CLUES ASTo ITS DURA?7OX ITCAN ALSO PRODUCE

A 8ENSE OF7/MCI ESSA'ESS.

BUT UNLIKEOTHER MEDIA, INCOMICS, THE VASTIS MORE THAN JUSTMEMORVES FORTHE AUDIENCE AND

THE FUTURE ISMORE THAN JUSTPoSS'/SIL IT/ES!

WHEREVER YOUREYES ARE FOCUSED,THAT'S NOW BUTAT THE SAME TIMEYOUR EYES TAKE INTHE SL/PROLJA'O/IVGLANDSCAPE OFP,49T AND FUTI/gef

WHEREVERTHE EYE HITS

LAND, WE EXFECTITTO BEGIN

MovINe

THIS MYI IN FART,BE THE INFLUENCEOF OTHER MEDIALIKE FILM AND

TELEVISiON WHEREVIEWER CHOICE

HAS NOT GENERALLYBEEN PEA 3191 5

#1ANY PANEL

SEPORE THIS--THAT LAST ONE,

FOR INSTANCEREPRESENTS THE

lIaEND

SIit [iitc3;t'CONSiDERED Kxor/cHJ__J 'I

LIKEWISE, ALLPANELS STILL 70CO/WE--THIS NEXTF'ANELI FOR INSTANCE--

REPRESENT THEfit/TURE

LL JUST DRIVEAROUND AWWL

LIKE A 670fl4 PgON7 THE EYE MOVESOVER THE COMICS PAGE, PUSHING THEWARM, HIGH-PRESSURE FUTURE AHEADOF IT, LEAVING THE COOL, LOW-PRESSUREP,4ST1N ITS WAKE

F

_

CONDITIONED AS WE ARE TO REAPLEFT-TO -P/GIfT AND IJP-TOPOWNA MISCHIEVOUS CARTOONIST CANPLAY ANY NUMBER OF Tq/CKS ON US.

,,

;S

104 105

\\

DESPITE COMICS' ZVR"E 7WOIJSAiVDYEAR ,47STOfl IT WASN'T UNTILTOPFFEIZ'S MID —/800& DOOPZfNSTHAT $P5CIFIC MOTIONS WEREPORTRAYED IN COMICS IN THE NOW-FAMILIAR. PAP/eL-7O-PATVtL FORM.

WITHINFE YE /

HOWE VER,MOTION WAS AHOT TOPIC

/NDEED,'

AS DISCUSSED IN CHAPTERTh'R6t MOTION IN COMICSIS PRODUCED S'E7WEEIVPANELS YTHE MENTALPROCESS CALLED CLOSURE—

--USUALLYY TRANSITION

TYPES ONE7W0..BUT LET'S

NOT GET INTOYZflTAGAIN!0

0 ( \\

106

t404 I') IRiéHt AWD WJTNS,,c.,e-,9, cue 54O'1t1 PES&ArD ., onis -i-c SOFOF M<$4ms_K rliEaiee, CASFA/oS, iC€, OME OOMp U WITh

r.c LA'S1 IJOUSE-Meg M aE-.E-aal__.nae OF I_AuGi4Te.

107

1

iNTl-It "LAST QUARTER OF\

THE MNE TEEN TN \CENTURY IT SEEMED \LIKE EVERYONE IWAS TRYING TO I

CAPTURE MOTION /TUgO UGH

SCIENCE>'

EVENTUALLYTHOMAS ED/SONTHAT OLD SCALLYWAO,FILED THE FIRSTPATENrON APROCESS UsING STRIPSOF CLE,4RP1/l$TICPHOTOS AND

IF YOU'KEGOING TO

PAINT A

DUCHAMP SOON MOVED ON, THE FUTURISTSD,WUANDED AND FINE ARTISTS GENERALLYLOST MITER'EST IN THIS OTHER TYPE OF

700 VIMItS PICTURE"

SUT THROUGHOUT TuftS SAME PERIODANOTHER MEDIUM, LESS CONSPICUO&'S1X

HAD BEEN INVESTIGATING THISSAME AREA.

BY ,8O, INVENTORS THE WORW OVeR KNEW

THAT'MOV/NSP/CTUifES" WERE JUST AROUNDTHE CORNER. EVER)VNE WANTED TO BE F1R577

1'rtrfl g S S

MY $TKOSOSCOPF ISWAY TV ?W5 OSSOLETE 2057

flt.n-wr-

e,W/MYPe4XINOSCOPEIS BETTER!

COPED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE.

FOOLS" MY \HA!CHIIflPIAX?r/,Ve'MAWSCOIE) THEY ARE BUTWILl. SHOW YOU!jME2570Y$ NEXT

TO THE AWESOMEP1/AN7XSMA TN OPEL

--FILLEDWITH

DUCHAMP, MORECONCERNED WITHTHE IDEA OF

MOTION THAN THESENSATION WOULDEVENTUALLY REDUCESUCH CONCEPTS As

MOTION TO AsinaceLIME.

AS THE MOVIN6 P/C7ZJR'E BEGAN ITS SPECTACULAR RISE,AFEW OFTHE MORE RADICAL $4/fliERS OF THE DAY EXPLORED THE IDEA THATMOTION COULD BE DEPICTED BY A SINGLE IMAGE ON CANVAS.

THEFUTURISTS IN ITALY AND MARCEL Dud/AMPIN FRANCE BEGAN THE SYSTEMAT1C17ECOMPOSITfON OF

MO V/f V'S /MAGt$' IN A STA TIC MEDIUM.

Duchamp

108 109

II '4

FROM ITS EARLI5SIDAYS, THE MODERNCOMIC HAS GRAPPLED WITH THE PRO5LEMOF SHOWING MOTION IN A STA TIC MED//I/fl.

I-lOW DO YOU SHOW ThIS ASPECT OF TIMEIN AN ART WHERE TIME .2TAAJDS Sr/IL p

IN TIlE EeNNING, MOTION LINES—OR t71p-RIeeowe"AS SOME CALL THEM--WERE 0710, MESSX ALMOST DESPERATE ATTEMPTS TO REPRESENT THE PATHS

OF MOVIA/6 OBJECTS THROUGH SPACE

THOUGH SEQUENTiAL ART SURVIVED FOR MANY CENTURIES a'zrsoiirDEPICT/NG MOTION, ONCE THE GENIE WAS OUT OF THE BOTTLE IT WAS PERHAPS//i/fl'/7?ISLE THAT MORE AND MORE EFFICIENT MEANS WOULD BE SOUGHT.

AT FIRST, THIS SEAH CENTERED ON /1IULT/PLE IMAGES IN SEQUENCE

OVER THE YEARS, THESE LINES BECAMEMORE ,'7NED AND STYLIZED, EVEN

IJIA SPA /LIMA 7/C.

EVENTUALLY, IN THE HANDS OF/IERV/CPANZSY P'RT(STS LIKE S/U FXERETTAND JA C/C K/flY—

(--SOTOOCAN A SINGLE \V PANEL REPRESENTI A SPAN OF TIME' THROUGHpic

— .1

SOMEWHERE ETWEEN THE FUTURISTS'DYNAMIC MOVEMENT N4D DUCHAMP'SDIAGRAMMATIC CONCEPT OF MOVEMENTLIES COMICS' 21107/ON LINE"

UT JUST AS ASIN6LE PANEL CANREPRESENT A Sf44'OF TIME THROUGH

SOUND—-

-—-THOSE -SAME LINES ØECAME O STYLIZED AS TO ALMOST HAVE A i/FEAND PHYSICAL PRESENCEALL THEIR QIVN';

IART (CEPflR AND ABOVE RIGHT) e D.C. COMICS. (LEFT AND RIGHT)C MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP NC.110 111

cOLAN, WHO WAS ALSO A PIIM-ffUfnWAS OF COURSE AWARE ThAT WHEN ACAMERA'S SHUTTER SPEED IS TOO SLOw TOFULLY FREEZE A MOVING OBJECT'S IMAGE,AN NTERESTINc3T 5ZUKRhti/S EFFECT OCCURS.

.eur IF THE CAMERA MOVES WITH THE MOVING OSJECT,THAT OBJECT WILL REMAIN FOCUSED WHILE THESACKGROIII%ID WILL NOW BE S7R'EAKED.

AMER/CAP! COMJI ARTISTS TOOKI LITTLE OR NO INTERESTI IN THIS KiND OFI P1/070 64'A PH/CK. 7R'ICKERX

AND IN iowanWHERE MOTIONLINES WERE USEDONLY3P,4gffs/GflçIT WAS LIKEWISE

IGNORED.

7 BUT IN .JAPAIV ONCE ___________I AGAIN, AVERY PIPPEPF,vrI COMICS CULTURE EMBRACED

THIS VERY DIFFERENT______________CONCEPT OF MOTION AS ____________

_____ ____ THEIR' On/N,' ______

77t1

* MULT!PLE IMAeES CAN B fOUND IN 111kwog or KRIGSTEIT4, INFANT1NO ANDOTHERS,

1,

113

- -na in- -.-=--- -' - -

-

r 'WU&/ECT/VE,00770N1 AS I CALL

EEZ%fl-THATOBJECTSHOULP$EMORESO

JAPP¼NESARTISTS, STARTINOIN THE LATE 60's,

eSe•

SECAN PUTTING THEIR °READERS 7W THE

ag/ven SEAT" WITHPANELSLIKE7WFSF

ANDSTARTINGINTHE

MID —FISH ES,A FEW AMER/CANARTISTS BEGAN TOADOPT THE EFFECT INTHEIR OWN WORK,UNTILBYThEFARLY

I

.M///VE7YESITHAS

COMLY

-'F'

t-,-

F

-

L

I

4I

-

-

p1,.gr

-

--

,*-_-:)

-1

in- e

It-_____-- - .- -

'av, .!4:q0

IF THE COMPOSITIONOFASINGLE PANEL

ARE THESE IS TRULY "PEfEC77'

NTHE ONLY WAYS POESN'TTHAT IMPLY= WE CAN PORTRAY THAT IT CAN -OR

MOTION IN A EVEN SHOULD--STANDS//LE PANEL r AtONEr-

THINK ABOUT

TE114

BY INTRODUCIN67/ME INTO THEEQUATION, COMICS

ARTISTS AREARRANGING THE

PAGE IN WAYS NOTALWAYS CONDUCIVETO TRADITIONALPICTURE-MAKING,

ITHE NATURAL WORLD CREATES GREATSEAU7Y EVERY DAY, YET THE ONLY RULESOF COMPOSITION IT FOLLOWS ARE THOSE

OF Fl/NC TIQA' AND CHANCE.

115

-- AND THECOMPOSITION IOF MEMORY

HERE, THECOMPOSITION OFTHE PICThRE ISJOINED BY 'ThECOMPOSITION OFCHAMSE, THECOMPOSITION OF

L DRAMA - -

AS WE'VE SEEN, THE INTERACTION OF 7141ff ANDCOMICS GENERALLY LEADS US TO ONE OF TWO SUBJECTS

IOU/VP OR norQ/'/

SOil VP BREAKSDOWN INTO TWOSU8SETS: WORD9AL1OOM ANDsoaxo,ciFCTs

BOTH TYPES ADD TO THE DURATIONOF A PANEL, PARTIALLY THROUGH THENATURE OF SOUND/7SEZF AND BYINTRODUCING ISSUES OF 4C7IO/V AND

CT/ON

THE Q'gTYP--MOTION If//TN/NPANELS--CAN BE FURTHER' DIVIDEDINTO SEVERAL DISTINCT &7flES. I'VECOVERED -rHE ONES 7 KNOW, BUT THEREMAY BE MANY OTUERtS. TIME WILL TELL,ii .

THE WORKINGS OFI 7/ME bY COMICS SHOULD\. sEASSIMPLEAS--

ALLDEPENDS ONYOUR FA'AME

Of MiND.

)))))) ) ) ) )

I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUTWHAT MAKES COMICS "TICK" FORYe,qRs AND I'M STILL AMAZeDBY THE $TR',4NSENESS OF IT ALL,

BUTNO MATTER HOWSIZARRE THEWORKINGS OF TIME

IN COMICS IS--

4407/0/V ALSOBREAKS DOWN INTOTWO SIJBSETS.THE FIRST TYPE--P/WEt-TO -PA/VEtCLOSURE-- WASIMPORTANT ENOUGHTO MERIT ITS OWNCHAP7ER

A V

7/

S116 117