Reinventing Comics: How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art Fo

by Scott McCloud

Paperback, 2000

Status

Available

Call number

741.5

Publication

Perennial 25 July (2000)

Description

The new century manifesto on the many futures of comics art In 1993, Scott McCloud tore down the wall between high and low culture with the acclaimed international hit Understanding Comics, a massive comic book that explored the inner workings of the worlds most misunderstood art form. Now, McCloud takes comics to the next level, charting twelve different revolutions in how comics are created, read, and perceived today. Part One of this fascinating and in-depth book includes: The life of comics as an art form and as literature The battle for creators' rights Reinventing the business of comics The volatile and shifting public perceptions of comics Sexual and ethnic representation on comics Then in Part Two, McCloud paints a breathtaking picture of comics' digital revolutions, including: The intricacies of digital production The exploding world of online delivery The ultimate challenges of the infinite digital canvas… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member jakegest

I enjoyed this book, but much of it is very dated simply because it was very topical. Other works by Scott mcCloud about comics as a literary and art form like "Understanding Comics" seem to withstand the passage of time better for me personally. This work speaks more about how technology has

changed comics, and much of the speculation he details came to pass in the years since the books publication.

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LibraryThing member ValerieAndBooks

As with the first book in Scott McCloud's trilogy on comics, I read this at the same time as my teenage son. About halfway through, though, I lost interest because the computer technology discussed (the book was originally published in 2000) was out of date and while some predictions about the

future of digital comics were fairly accurate, a lot of then-un-forseen, and thus un-mentioned, technology has developed such as Wi-Fi and smartphones and tablets. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I was a computer geek -- and if it had been a newer, updated version (which has yet to be done, and certainly should be).

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LibraryThing member DarthDeverell

Scott McCloud's Reinventing Comics: How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art Form builds upon his 1993 work, Understanding Comics, to further explore the role of comics in culture and to examine what role the Internet and digital technology might play in comics. Though he wrote in

2000 and some of the ideas he describes have come to pass, the basic theories he elucidates remain useful as they encourage comics readers and makers to think beyond the limitations of print or other forms of media. McCloud identifies twelve key developments from the late 1980s through the period in which he wrote (many of which continue to develop 18 years later): Comics as Literature; Comics as Art; Creators' Rights; Industry Innovation; Public Perception; Industrial Scrutiny; Gender Balance; Minority Representation; Diversity of Genre; Digital Production; Digital Delivery; and, Digital Comics. His examination of the first nine establishes the parameters by which he explores the last three. This examination is particularly useful both for those looking to break into the comic field and those studying it within academia.

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LibraryThing member ashleytylerjohn

Interesting, but dated, but interesting because of that--he was certainly ahead of many in imagining ways computers/the internet could change things. Though as deftly handled, the subject of this book wasn't nearly as compelling to me as his earlier Understanding Comics, and I would probably have

survived nicely if I'd never read this one--but would really regret not having read the first.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).

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LibraryThing member Rex_Lui

Scott McCloud's "Comics Trilogy" is the official textbooks of Graphic Literature 101.

LibraryThing member LibroLindsay

Better as a cultural artefact than anything else (though I did occasionally enjoy certain historical tidbits). Perhaps this would have been more hard-hitting if I had read it when it was published in 2000, but half-assed discussions of diversity and cutting edge technology like CD-ROMs makes it

woefully obsolete (and the writing wasn't anywhere near as engaging as its predecessor). Understanding Comics needs an update just because I'm interested in his take on the subject matter now; this is in dire need of an update for it to maintain any measurable relevance.

*******
Counting as my (FINAL!) Panels Read Harder item for a book about comics.

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