Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels

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.

How come it's never occurred to me that the best way to teach is by demonstration? Scott McCloud is so effective in balancing the visual and verbal in this book, providing examples and key ideas about the art of creating comics that make complete and total sense! A lot of the "how-to-make-comics" books out there are decent, and occasionally provide a paragraph or two that has some good insights into the medium, but none of it truly made sense to me until it was applied in a visual format—a literal comic, no less! While other books focus on the "how-to" part and provide an occasional visual example or step-by-step of how it's done, Scott demonstrates every aspect of comics creating he discusses in each page and panel so that the reader isn't left with any question on clarity about the information being presented—clarity being a big point in comics writing that is a recurring theme in the world of comics creation. I especially love that he ends each chapter with some optional exercises to try that helps even a beginning/aspiring comics creator to see if they have what it takes to make their own comics by applying the skills and understanding that Scott discusses throughout each chapter into short-form comics. I know that I benefitted a great deal from testing my mettle with some of the exercises in the book. I usually end up discussing what could be improved upon when it comes to product reviews, but in the case of this book, I have nothing critical to say about it. It is criminally underrated and underread for those looking to go into the world of comics creation. I am practically devouring this book like a textbook, taking notes and marking with page flags all the key takeaways that I've gained from Scott's advice and experience in comics creation—much of which was highly researched and full of thought for any kind of comic creator, whether someone wants to write a superhero comic, a webcomic, or even a manga. Hands down, *this* book has reached the top of my list of best comics-creation resources. I highly recommend this as required reading for anyone dipping their toes in the realm of writing or drawing their own comic!

Scott McCloud is a master at presenting features, jargon, and process for making stories into comics. This book is amazing for the beginning writer as well as the comics lover and cartoonist. The table of contents is a guide with the headings that explain the structure of this "manual." Many hours of enjoyment as I plan a chapter book of paragraphs and panels. If you are interested in graphic novels, but need background foundation this is the book for you.

Es simplemente la guía más completa que vas a encontrar para adentrarte en el mundo de la creación de cómics y similares. Si bien puede llegar a beneficiarse de juntarlo con sus obras hermanas, creo que por si solo se mantiene perfectamente bien pues abarca un poco de ellas. Totalmente recomendado para cualquier nivel de experiencia de forma didáctica e incluso como lectura recreativa.

This. Is. Great. Now let me explain why: I remember picking up this book ages ago, taking one look at the cartoony interior and putting it back on the shelf. I was very much unimpressed with the drawing style inside and it was far beneath my discerning tastes. Of course...I was an idiot back then. Now being a little bit older and a lot wiser, I've finally cottoned on to what exactly this book is about. It's not there to teach you how to draw, there are a gazillion other ways to learn how to do THAT, this is here to teach you how to 'draw words and write pictures' and it delivers on that promise and then some. You can take this book in two ways. You can either; a) dip in here and there and extract the bits of information that you need (though i would recommend reading it all once through at least once) or b) take it as it was intended and work through it as you would any other course. Each chapter is similarly laid out to a tutor's lecture and it followed up with a set of 'homework' assignments. Sounds boring and a lot of hard work but -hey- if you're doing comics, hard work is the way to go. The effort is worth it. Nearly everything in this book is just the sense your mother raised you with but you will find yourself reading it and saying "oh, RIIIIIGHT...". It makes sense of things that can otherwise be undefinable and helps you learn things that you might otherwise have dismissed as being purely instinctive and impossible to learn. I could go on like this for quite some time, but i do beleive there is a word limit, so i shall finish with this: If you're serious about getting into comics and learning the art for what it is -seemlessly combining good writing with good art- then you need this book. BUY IT!

An excellent book for understanding visual storytelling and comics. A great follow up to Understanding Comics. I highly recommend both books, even if you aren't an artist / maker.

Overall pretty happy with my purchase is a very informative book!

Making Comics by Scott McCloud is an essential guide for anyone serious about storytelling in the comic medium. Unlike traditional how-to books, McCloud transforms his insights into a comic itself, making complex concepts easy to grasp and visually engaging. This book goes beyond just drawing—it dives deep into the why behind great storytelling, covering panel composition, character expression, pacing, and how to create emotionally compelling narratives. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist, Making Comics challenges you to think critically about your craft and refine your storytelling techniques. McCloud’s passion for the medium is infectious, making this more than just a reference book—it’s an inspiring roadmap for bringing your stories to life. If you’re serious about comics or manga, this belongs on your shelf.