comics
DATE DUE
*MiQCTZ UOU3
NOVt
H0V032 )U4
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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
'N1V2020 r
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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