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!

When my grandparents got me this book, I didn't think it could help me. I was looking for a "How to Draw" not a "How to Write". This book proved me so wrong. I couldn't believe how much fun it was to read, and it helped me a lot too. Almost everything I thought I knew was proved wrong and after reading it I felt like I understood comics so much better. As well as making me better at writing comic books, it made me a better writer altogether. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in comics or in just plain writing or art.

Well thought out, well written, quality throughout. I like this book the best so far; the previous weren't as appealing as this but were still very well done. The author really practices what he preaches as far as his message and the book speaks for itself. You won't be disappointed. Looking forward to the new books!

This is the best cartooning and illustration
book that has EVER been created. It accomplishes cartoons and
illustrating and explains everything. THIS is
the only book you will ever need. Don't let this
book escape you, you will NEVER forgive yourself if
you let this treasure get away. It is total visual
instruction. Easy to understand. Easy to attempt.
It is the book I keep on the drawing desk next to me
because it is so complete. Wow!!!!!!---- Luisa Felix

What I like about this book is the fact that it is not only instructional for comic book artists but also for all artists. He writes and draws to enhance what he is teaching so that it is not even noticed by the reader that he is being taught. I have met Scott and he is as entertaining and funny in person as he is in his book.

Great book for beginning comic artists. You will not be taught technical details for how to draw or lay out panels, but you will be shown how to pace comics, shown some basic face anatomy in the context of emotion, given a few inspirational tips on choosing characters, and so on. Probably an interesting read even for people who aren't sure that they want to get into comics.

Scott McCloud takes the insights that made him a celebrity in Understanding Comics and takes them further away in Making Comics, this time focusing in the craft itself. Much of his knowledge is useful not only to comic creators, but to people interested in visual and audiovisual arts, and sometimes to artists in general. His concepts and diagrams ("mmmmm... diagrams.") are clear and powerful. Scott McCloud: a theorist who likes to be understood.
I loved the much needed notes sections and the activities and exercises he suggests, which take the book one step even further from a great theoretical book.

I definitely don't care to make comics and although I occasionally pick-up a random issue or a graphic novel, I really don't read them much either. I was mainly interested in this book because I heard of good things about it and I wanted to be more informed about the process someone has to go through to make a comic. Although this book mainly focuses on creating a story, it held my attention and I feel like I walked away with a little more knowledge than I did before. I lot of the storytelling techniques I read in this book are things I've heard of in books about storytelling in other mediums, but it contains a lot of things specific to comics too. This is probably one of the more funny books I've read on the subject of storytelling and I like this approach better than a straightforward textbook approach. I don't think I'll be coming back to this book much for reference, but I'm glad I read it.

Understanding Comics was a brilliant deconstruction of comics. Reinventing Comics left me a little disappointed, but with Making Comics, Scott returns to his brilliant deconstruction of comics and this time, storytelling.

I would definitely recommend Making Comics to anyone interested in writing comics, but also to those interested in film, video or creative writing. Scott does an excellent job of deconstructing the things that make up a story and the things that make a story interesting. He does it in a very clear and precise manner that we have seen before, and he makes it easy to read and at times, funny.

Other recommended books if you are interested in Comics storytelling are Understanding Comics and Graphic Storytelling.

A quick read, but a great one. This guide to the techniques of graphic story telling (a.k.a. comics) is presented almost entirely in comic book format, and is a must read for anyone interested in writing or drawing comics of any kind (series comics, graphic novels, manga, comic strips, etc.).

I read Understanding Comics and liked it so much I decided to check this book out as well, and found it to be even more enjoyable. McCloud's artwork is very fun and whimsical, his writing is humorous and he puts many concepts about the writing and drawing of comics in very easy-to-understand language. I never thought about making comics before, but this volume was so inspiring I'm convinced it might be fun to try!

If you've ever wondered about the finer points of crafting a comic this is the book for you. This is not a how to draw book and if thats what you are looking for than this isn't for you. It IS a very intelligent and thought provoking insight into the story telling aspects of the creation of comics. This is a MUST HAVE for anyone serious about comics.

Alton Brown is not a world-class chef but 'Good Eats' is indispensible educational television. It's the same thing with Scott McCloud, reviewers who say he hasn't produced anything earth shaking in the comics medium are missing the point. Making Comics is a wide-ranging, free-wheeling and passionate examination of what makes comics (and much visual art) tick, and provides a toolbox we can use to create our own stories. This is the best thing since Understanding Comics and goes more into the details of visual storytelling, the chapter on facial expressions alone is worth the price of admission. I want to send this book to Edward Tufte. Anyone interested in visual communication needs to read this book, and that goes double for aspiring comics creators.

You need to own Understanding Comics to accompany this one. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Making Comics is a complete book that refers to many of the topics that Understanding Comics expands upon. It is a great starting point for aspiring artists to look at approaching their own comic. McCloud explains the mutlitude of styles involved and how each of them works to engage the reader. He is truly a master of his craft.
He strips away the layers of superhero masculine fantasy to reveal comics as a storytelling vehicle. Not your typical how-to-draw book.

Excellent book - very well presented and detailed. Well worth the price. Our kids (9 and 7) are using it to create better comics

Great introduction to making comics. Great presentation. It explains the intricacies of the medium very well for a beginner.

Developing the skills to create good stories or improve your drawing skills need to be sought outside this book. There are some good looking references for these. While I can understand drawing being left out, would have been nice to go through some plot/story development.

This is by far the best book I have read when it comes to defining and breaking down the elements of the visual story. As the author states, there are some things that a well chosen image can say better than any words could hope to, and vice-versa. He does a fantastic job of describing in detail when and how to choose the appropriate image, word, or combination of both. The book is second to none when it comes to teaching the storyteller how to create the most compelling readership experience possible.

AND ~ this book is not just for Comics, but for ANYONE interested in telling a story with images. Whether those images are drawn, painted, photographed, or digital art. Definitely a MUST READ for anyone interested in creating a "VISUAL STORY".

This book has two audiences.

Many people will have come to this book through Scott's earlier "Understanding Comics," and read it to further their understandings of comic book history and the evolution of the comic-book language. I do not come from that direction and can not offer a review on those grounds.

Where I come from is as a long-time scribbler trying to learn how to tell a story in comic-book format. I learned of this book through mention in the blogs of practicing story-board artists, and as I understand it, it is one of a very small number of books to deal in detail with that part of comic book are that is larger than a single panel (Will Eisner's book is one of, perhaps the one, standout.)

There are a lot of "how to draw comics/manga" books out there. The vast majority of them deal with what is inside the panel. (The vast majority of them, particularly the Americanized Manga ones, tend to be less "Here's how to draw" than "Here's something I drew. Now just draw like that!")

(Ben Edlund drew a marvellous satire of this in a filler strip titled "How to draw The Tick."; "First draw a sphere. Now draw a horizontal line bisecting the sphere. Now draw The Tick, holding a bisected sphere.")

Scott is dealing with the interaction between the panels. How you break a story into parts, how you organize, how to develop moods and settings, how to pace. I could only wish for more. Perhaps the format is a bit at fault. The illustrations are lovely but too often serve more as a supporting visual for what is basically talking-head commentary. And the commentary, the meat of what he is saying, is crammed into balloons and margins and perhaps ends up being less complete than it could be.

In many cases, though, the integration of text and picture is useful and elegant.

There are odd surprises in what he chooses to cover with what depth. The treatment of various panel arrangements that work (and don't work) is surprisingly brief (perhaps there wasn't much more to say?) But there is an absolutely wonderful section on drawing facial emotion that is almost long and detailed enough to be a book on its own.

Perhaps my greatest quibble with this book is Scott can not quite step away from a larger perspective of the evolution and purpose of sequential art. He ends too many thoughts with "But who knows what the future will bring?" How about a few more didactic pronouncements on good storytelling methods, and save the musings on Art with the leading capitalization for his other books.

Scott, wisely, spends very little time on tools and perspective, and essentially no time at all on basic anatomy and drawing. However, the pages on drawing backgrounds and character design -- among others -- are great little refresher courses. But you need to know how to draw before you go into this book. You need to look elsewhere for human anatomy -- even elsewhere to find out how to lay out that perspective grid Scott shows off to good effect in several drawings. In fact, that old standby "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" makes a pretty good companion piece to this book as it give a good basic orientation to comic book page terminology, simple linear perspective, comic-book anatomy, pencilling and inking.


All in all, not the best book there could be on figuring out how to go from a script to fifteen pages of little boxes -- but one of the best books you can find that goes into any detail on the subject.

And, of course, it is a delight to read. Marvelously illustrated, cleverly scripted -- and one of those books that will send you scurrying to your own drawing pad, eager to try out some of the things he suggests.

This book has two audiences.

Many people will have come to this book through Scott's earlier "Understanding Comics," and read it to further their understandings of comic book history and the evolution of the comic-book language. I do not come from that direction and can not offer a review on those grounds.

Where I come from is as a long-time scribbler trying to learn how to tell a story in comic-book format. I learned of this book through mention in the blogs of practicing story-board artists, and as I understand it, it is one of a very small number of books to deal in detail with that part of comic book are that is larger than a single panel (Will Eisner's book is one of, perhaps the one, standout.)

There are a lot of "how to draw comics/manga" books out there. The vast majority of them deal with what is inside the panel. (The vast majority of them, particularly the Americanized Manga ones, tend to be less "Here's how to draw" than "Here's something I drew. Now just draw like that!")

(Ben Edlund drew a marvellous satire of this in a filler strip titled "How to draw The Tick."; "First draw a sphere. Now draw a horizontal line bisecting the sphere. Now draw The Tick, holding a bisected sphere.")

Scott is dealing with the interaction between the panels. How you break a story into parts, how you organize, how to develop moods and settings, how to pace. I could only wish for more. Perhaps the format is a bit at fault. The illustrations are lovely but too often serve more as a supporting visual for what is basically talking-head commentary. And the commentary, the meat of what he is saying, is crammed into balloons and margins and perhaps ends up being less complete than it could be.

In many cases, though, the integration of text and picture is useful and elegant.

There are odd surprises in what he chooses to cover with what depth. The treatment of various panel arrangements that work (and don't work) is surprisingly brief (perhaps there wasn't much more to say?) But there is an absolutely wonderful section on drawing facial emotion that is almost long and detailed enough to be a book on its own.

Perhaps my greatest quibble with this book is Scott can not quite step away from a larger perspective of the evolution and purpose of sequential art. He ends too many thoughts with "But who knows what the future will bring?" How about a few more didactic pronouncements on good storytelling methods, and save the musings on Art with the leading capitalization for his other books.

Scott, wisely, spends very little time on tools and perspective, and essentially no time at all on basic anatomy and drawing. However, the pages on drawing backgrounds and character design -- among others -- are great little refresher courses. But you need to know how to draw before you go into this book. You need to look elsewhere for human anatomy -- even elsewhere to find out how to lay out that perspective grid Scott shows off to good effect in several drawings. In fact, that old standby "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" makes a pretty good companion piece to this book as it give a good basic orientation to comic book page terminology, simple linear perspective, comic-book anatomy, pencilling and inking.


All in all, not the best book there could be on figuring out how to go from a script to fifteen pages of little boxes -- but one of the best books you can find that goes into any detail on the subject.

And, of course, it is a delight to read. Marvelously illustrated, cleverly scripted -- and one of those books that will send you scurrying to your own drawing pad, eager to try out some of the things he suggests.

Firstly, this is a worthy companion piece for Understanding Comics and a great book in its own right. Continuing the easily understood style from the previous books, the book delves into the stylistic construction of comics in a much more detailed way than Understanding Comics and features an utterly jaw dropping section on anatomy.

The anatomy section, although only a few pages long, is well worth the price of the book alone. In a few diagrams McCloud shows a deep and considered understanding of facial expressions and clearly explains how to draw them. I cannot stress enough how inspirational and useful this section is to aspiring artists and people who struggle with this aspect of their drawing.

Overall the book is a very easy read, which belies the importance of the ideas and ease with which McCloud communicates them. Put simply, this is essential reading for anyone who wants to do comics or improve their drawing in general.

Si hacer comics fuera una religion, Scott seria el profeta.
Este, junto a sus otro 2 libros, es uno de los indispensables en la biblioteca del artista del comic. No importa el nivel en el que te encuentres, tanto para novatos y expertos, la lectura de making comics te lleva mas alla de lo que tipicamente un libro de "como hace comics" enseña.
Este no es un tutorial de como dibujar de cierta manera o de hacer guiones, sino una guia de como aplicar tu estilo y recursos de la mejor manera... y seguir descubriendo tu propio arte.
Muy inspirador.
-----------------------
If "comics" were a religion, Scott would be the prophet.
This, with his other 2 books, is one of indispensable in the comic artist's library. It does not matter the level in which you are, for novices and experts, the reading of Making Comics takes you beyond which typically a "how to" book teaches.
This it is not a tutorial to draw certain style or to write scripts, but a guide to apply your style and resources at your best... and keep discovering your own art.
Very inspirating.

Scott McCloud has distilled the content from his previous two works (Understanding and Reinventing Comics) into one very accessible graphic novel. If a person is more interested in comic language, I suggest reading "Understanding Comics". It provides a framework for analyzing the comics form and is more intellectually stimulating. "Making Comics" has wide appeal and is perfect for younger folks with interest in using the medium to produce comics. Most of all it's a fun read.

Oh! what fun! This is an excellent way to learn how to portray many expressions, movements, emotions, drama and more. I sit back after work and sketch out a hand, an eye, whatever I want and it is pure relaxation for me. Soon I'll be able to put them all together and portray a friend or family member. Personally, I'm not interested in putting together a comic book, but in sketching to decorate letters, gifts, cards,etc.

Want 3 of the best-ever books on the general topic of comics? Here they are! (each generally sold separately)

1.*Understanding Comics- A *landmark* & bestselling examination of the medium. A comicbook on comics! While I try not to use the "genius" label *too* liberally, with Understanding Comics it really seems to fit(!). 5 Stars!

2.*Reinventing Comics- Maybe his best *looking* book (in my opinion), it's basically split into 2 sections: The 12 Revolutions in comics; and then basic Internet/Computer/Web Comics. It's the least popular & practical in the Trilogy, yet I still really like it! 4-1/2 Stars.

3.*Making Comics- It's like Understanding Comics refined, as well as a "hands-on" introduction to the medium. It's the thickest book of the three, dealing with the most critical questions involved in the comics creating process. Since making comics basically means writing with pictures, McCloud begins with this. How many panels do we need? What should they contain? What's the clearest way to communicate our ideas? He first helps us with these things, and then moves to our real center of interest: characters! How to create and illustrate interesting characters is a central theme throughout. Once we establish our pictures & characters, words can be added to complete our ideas. He explains various ways to do this, basically refining his ideas in Understanding Comics. Perspective is only barely touched upon here; most books similarly briefly mention it. He explains that it's a difficult yet necessary part of the picturemaking process, and that it can actually be quite fun(!). He also touches on eastern/western differences in comics, explaining how & why Japanese methods are still gaining in influence. Common materials & equipment professionals use, as well as common philosophical approaches are included. It's basically Understanding Comics made even more practical & clear- with many added hints, tips, and tricks along the way. It competes with that 1st title for most popular in the Trilogy, and it's highly recommended to anyone who wants to make comics! ! I like it! 5 Stars.

In conclusion: The 1st is genius; the 2nd is fascinating; the 3rd is highly refined- get this great McCloud comics trilogy today!

I bemoan the reviewers who refer to SmC as not a successful artist. Let us judge the book itself and not the man's whole life.

SmC is a gifted teacher when it comes to his subject. That is all! The book can be used as a reference, as a teaching tool, a source of inspiration, and a way of finding and fixing your mistakes.

This book will be used again and again.

A very gifted teacher...

When it comes to artwork, I am at the stick figure level. My talents for making visual art, whether painter, comic book artist or whatever, are, at best minimal. At first glance, therefore, it might seem that I am not the right audience for a book like Scott McCloud's Making Comics. I am, however, a long-time comic book fan. The advantage to Making Comics for a drawing layman like myself is the same as watching a "making of" documentary of a movie (or listening to a DVD commentary). You gain a better understanding of what you are looking at.

Unlike a painting, comic strip writing is a sequential art, a depiction of a series of pictures that, typically with text, tell a story. McCloud gets into the narrative aspects of comics writing immediately with a chapter on writing with pictures in which he discusses how the sequence of pictures (or panels) typically relate to each other. For example, panels can go from moment-to-moment, depicting a single action as a series of moments (like showing a baseball player swinging a bat. A different panel transition is action-to-action, showing a subject doing a series of actions (panel one shows the player hitting the ball, two shows him running, three shows his sliding, etc.). Besides these choices of moment, there are also choices of frame (essentially, point of view), choice of image, choice of word and choice of flow.

McCloud also goes into how to draw people, how to blend word and picture, how to build worlds, and, in the only chapter that is really specific to actual artists, what the tools of the trade are. There is a lot in this book, and it's all told with McCloud's easy going narrative where a depiction of himself guides us through all the ideas.

Part of the magic of comics is the way the reader's mind fills in the gaps, an idea that McCloud first introduced in Understanding Comics. With a couple dots and a line, we can see a face. When we see two panels, one showing a player swinging at a ball, the next with him making contact, we "see" the motion even if it's not really there. Similarly, we feel like it is actually McCloud talking to us, even if it's really just a picture of him (and making is nothing like what he really looks like).

In short, this is a brilliant book. I am not a huge fan of Reinventing Comics, but Understanding Comics is a classic and this book follows right in its footsteps. If you enjoy comic books (or comic strips), this book is a must-read, even if you can't draw.

McCloud has essentially responded to Understanding Comics becoming the classroom textbook about Comics. But an Art Appreciation textbook isn't an Art Textbook. This is finally a coursebook for the medium, and a breath of fresh air to the aging shelf of comics "how to" volumes.

Scott McCloud has continued his unique series of books on comics with another outstanding volume, "Making Comics."

If you ever felt that comics as an art form isn't given its due or hasn't lived up to its potential, you should read Scott McCloud's books, "Understanding Comics" and "Reinventing Comics." In these graphic volumes, comics are treated with respect as a developing art form, analyzed in their historical and cultural context, and demystified.

In "Making Comics," McCloud goes further and elucidates some of the more important and less obvious artistic techniques used in comics. If you want to make comics yourself, or if you just want to increase your appreciation of the art form, read "Making Comics."

I have to agree with a previous reviewer --- Scott is mostly known for his entertaining educational comics series, but he hasn't had any REALLY successful comic books, so, although this new book is interesting and somewhat educational about comic book creation, I'm not sure he really has the authority to tell people how to make a successful comic. I mean, if Jim Lee wrote such a book, or Frank Miller, or Alan Moore --- I would believe their tips/secrets/advice wholeheartedly. I think I'd have more confidence if Scott were able to create a very successful comic book based on his own advice. I haven't seen this happen yet (I hope he does).

Oh, and what's up with Chapter 5 and a half? He instructs the reader to go to his website and look for this button to learn his take on online comic production (which is what I'm most interested in) and there's nothing there. ETA was supposed to be September. It is now a month later and still no Chapter 5 and a half. What's going on, Scott?

Truly educational book. If you are into making comics, this book is for you. Get it.

Scott Mccloud's Making Comics resembles a constitution for those want to establish their comics either as a hobby or as a carrier. It goes through so many details regarding creating your panels, establishing scenes, storytelling, characters designs and feelings, drawing styles, and the list goes on. Simply, the book gives you a guideline for establishing a living world in papers. What makes "Making Comics" unique is that it can teach you how to be a comic artist even if you're not good enough in drawing. The book illustrates the fundamentals of drawings comics and let you be creative for starting your own comic book. All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book, and it will help me a lot for my comics' drawings.

The previous reviewer accuses Scott McCloud of lacking the authority to write a guide to making comics. But McCloud's book is based on clear demonstration, not on authority.

McCloud does a remarkable job of showing--not just telling--the reader about how details of characters' expressions and body language reflect their mental states, how different "camera angles" and types of panels control the flow of the narrative, how the way an environment is presented affects our relationship to it, and more.

Reading the book, I encountered insight after insight about things that I had noticed intuitively about comics but never really been conscious of.

...this book might have more authority. But I haven't seen him do anything much since "Zot," which frankly wasn't especially great. It was just kinda okay. Kinda cute sometimes, often schmaltzy, nothing mind-blowing.

Scott McCloud has become the Prometheus of the Comic Book idiom dispelling the knowledge of the gods to us mere/ mortals...!!
This book WILL become the Guidebook, Map and Talisman to the ART of Graphic Narrative.

All the chapters in the book lend merit to ANY artist wishing to explore content as well as form:

The 5 Choices is well thought out and begins to give you the WHY as well as the HOW in graphic narrative. Many books show you HOW to draw comics; this book gives you the keys to [ahem..] MAKING COMICS!!!

The following chapters: Stories for Humans and Power of Words are exceptional explorations and discourses into the mechanics of REAL story telling. The section in "Stories for Humans" with the SIX basic facial expressions and the various "recipes" [83] of expressive combinations is WORTH looking into. I was looking at SPANISH tele-novellas [soap operas] and comparing expressions w/ Scott's formulas...IT WORKS!!! I wish Scott focused equally on bodily expressions.

In "Power of Words" you see correlations between the 7 types of word/picture combinations and the 5 choices.

The "World Building" section is equally rich and compels one to create worlds/ environments of substance with which one's characters can traverse.

The "Understanding Manga" is an refreshing excursion into a sub-set of comics much imitated but not much understood.

The chapter on "Tools & Technique" is worth the price. And, the examples at the end of chapters 1-3 are worth LOOKING INTO, APPLYING and DOING THE WORK!! I have seen a MARKED improvement in my comics as a result of using these excerises.

As an art educator, college instructor I have ALREADY incorporated the excerises within my current curriculum.

This book is worth using as a reference time and time again.

Scott McCloud has become the Prometheus of the Comic Book idiom dispelling the knowledge of the gods to us mere/ mortal humans...!!
This book WILL become the Guidebook, Map and Talisman to the ART of Graphic Narrative.

The chapter on "Tools & Technique" is worth the price. And, the examples at the end of chapters 1-3 are worth LOOKING INTO, APPLYING and DOING THE WORK!! I have seen a MARKED improvement in my comics as a result of using these excerises.

As an art educator, college instructor I have ALREADY incorporated the excerises within my current curriculum.

This book is worth using as a reference time and time again.

Scott McCloud became the premier comics theorist with his first book, Understanding Comics. His second book, Reinventing Comics, was much more controversial and not nearly as well received as his first. Finally, 13 years after his first magnificent insight into the comics world, Scott McCloud publishes Making Comics, a book he was destined to make since 1993. All of the theories in Making Comics are not only sound but brilliant and insightful, covering a vast range of topics from body language and facial expressions to the tools of the trade to the ever expanding genres and ways to publish comics. McCloud thoroughly dissects and examines every issue comics creators come across during the creative process and presents it in a way that's easy to comprehend and mindblowing at the same time. Along with presenting these findings, he tacks on notes to the end of each chapter with exercises that are easy to do and perfect for getting the creative juices flowing for aspiring comics creators. Not only is Making Comics an effective textbook for learners but, as a structured book, it's an intriguing narrative as well with McCloud bending, breaking, and exemplifying every rule he discusses. Through his narrative and visual style, Making Comics becomes an adventure with a character that can literally do anything. All through the book Scott displays a drive to create the ultimate comic book story he knows he's capable of making but all indications show that with Making Comics, he's already made it.

Scott McCloud is known best for his masterpiece, Understanding Comics. Whereas Understanding Comics clarified and simplified the principles of comics in a universally appealing way, Making Comics succeeds at removing the screws and getting into the cogs and gears that keep juxtapozed-pictorial-and-other-images-in-deliberate-sequence ticking.

That understood, this isn't really a book for someone that isn't interested in making comics, because most of the information within isn't easily applied to other disciplines, media, or general understanding of our own cognitive processes--at least not in the ways it so successfully did in Understanding Comics. That being said, the book also doesn't seem to offer a lot of useful information for the thoughtful veteran of comics creation, either. It's a bit like he's describing the subconscious actions that go with driving a car, but those won't necessarily make you a better driver.

Making Comics is definitely worth a gander, though--it's important to realize that even an average performance by Scott McCloud is quite well-done.

"Making Comics" is true to its title -- it's very well suited for folks eager to learn the craft of "making comics." I teach a Sequential Art class at California State University, Fullerton and I have made it a required reading book, because it so solidly articulates the elements of comic art from the perspective of the artist. McCloud has been teaching comics at workshops and guest speaking engagements across the country. His having been in the teacher's seat manifestly helps make his points all the more applicable and meaningful. For instance, McCloud uses examples from comics from around the world (Asian mangas, Eurocomics or BD, Western superheroes and alternative comics) that will resonate with modern audiences who perceive comics as more than the "mainstream" superhero comics. "Making Comics" casts the same clarity and passion that made "Understanding Comics" so compelling, and it is not as speculative as "Reinventing Comics." Readers of "Understanding Comics" may find that "Making Comics" covers a lot of the same ground, and that is inevitable (so if you are more into analyzing comics rather than making your own, "Understanding Comics" is for you). In a nutshell, Making Comics is a solid starting point for budding and eager comic artists!