Week 2: Scott McCloud: Understanding Comics

As someone who has a special place in their heart for comics, Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is the best tool I can think of for teaching others, and yourself, the reason why comics (or the graphic novel) are important and compelling. I've always known that I love comics, but reading this book helps me understand why I love them, and provides further proof that this is a high art form and is intended for all audiences in all walks of life. And I think it gives comics enthusiasts, artists, and writers the articulated ideas they need to explain comics to people who haven’t yet experienced them.

The discussion I found most interesting was about how we perceive ourselves in our minds compared to how others see us, and how we can accept a simplified versions of ourselves and even gain more insight into the thoughts and feelings of these abstractions despite their simplicity. 

I was reminded of a show on Disney Channel that I watched when I was in elementary school called Lizzie McGuire, about a 13-year old girl’s life and times. One of the things I really liked about the show was the animated alter-ego of Lizzie that would come on screen so we could experience her inner thoughts about a situation she’s in. Literally, it was the little voice in her head, the concept that Lizzie has of herself. This cartoon character was very simple, just some lines and shapes. Yet it represented her true self, and the feelings and emotions she doesn’t necessarily show to others.

I think all of us have this little cartoon version of ourselves that we see in our heads as we go about our day, but I hadn’t read anything that discussed this phenomenon until Understanding Comics. When McCloud talks about seeing yourself in cartoon characters as opposed to more realistic images, I start to see what makes them so appealing to me, and others. It makes it easier to accept and experience any kind of world that is presented to us. The simplicity of a cartoon becomes a vehicle for the messages a story is trying to convey to an audience. Very cool!