Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics

Coming from reading Shaun Tan's The Arrival, I would say I was feeling a bit more in tune with the subtle nuance of illustration, framing and other unspoken narrative. Really diving in and finding those different complex meanings and themes that riddle the page and ring strong and true without speaking a single word. Then none of that mattered with this week's assignment.

Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics touches on a lot of really solid points of the understanding comics in a very informative . What I found really interesting are the connections he made on a both broad and personal level. Being able to tie in both a large ideas of what comics are as sequential art down to the mastery of understanding the human mind to connect to the characters in the comics. What most resonated with me was the idea that McCloud related on icons and universality of it.

The idea of iconography isn't new to me. I understand creating images to relate ideas and themes, to send a message that can be universally understood and/or recognized. But the idea of connecting to that message through a personal relation is something I never really picked up on till now. Humanity's self love fueling a relationship and understanding with lifeless or inanimate objects is just so absurdly correct, insightful and makes total sense. Whats really great is the idea of this universality relates to all ages, although I'd say the younger you are the more attuned you are to these feelings.