A new course of material to accompany First Second’s widely acclaimed 2008 comics textbook. In their hotly anticipated follow-up to 2008’s comics textbook Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, School of Visual Arts cartooning professors Matt Madden and Jessica Abel bring their expertise to bear on the “second semester” of a course of study for the budding cartoonist. Covering advanced topics such as story composition, coloring, and file formatting, Mastering Comics is a vital companion to the introductory content of the first volume.
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About the Author
Husband and wife duo Matt Madden and Jessica Abel teach comics courses at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Mastering Comics brings together their most effective lessons. Abel and Madden are cartoonists in their own right. In their spare time, they edit the Best American Comics series.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Andy Shuping
Format:Paperback
Matt and Jessica have extensive experience creating and teaching comics and in their first book, Drawing With Words and Pictures, they shared a portable classroom. Now they come back to us with further lessons in this companion book. The book covers more advanced topics in creating a good comic, such as story composition; coloring and formatting pictures; and even more importantly it has a section on how to self-publish and getting published, surely to be helpful to young writers/artists just starting out. Just like the first book, this one is divided into easy to read sections so the book can be used as a textbook or for an individual course study, which is extremely helpful and makes the book very versatile.
This text is heavily illustrated with examples to help guide readers on seeing the lesson in action. Jessica and Matt use examples, not just from their own works, but examples from other professionally published artists so that readers have an extensive bibliography of images to look at (and look for.) They also supplement the text with "further reading" sections, which allow a reader/student to continue their learning and more importantly to get an additional point of view from other working artists. I also really like how they've broken down homework assignments in the book. Not only do they put assignments at the back of each chapter to help readers learn the concepts that they've been reading about, but they also put some right after they've talked about a particular aspect, such as scriptwriting. They walk the reader through how to start the process step by step and offer examples of things to do along the way.
My favorite section in this book might just be "The Horror of the Blank Page," which lists ways to overcome the fear of a blank page and getting some ideas on where to go next. It's helpful to know that even the authors, experienced artists that they are, still struggle sometimes with overcoming that scary empty white page. And I think that's something else that is helpful, that Jessica and Matt share some of their own personal experiences in this book, which for me helps make reading the book easier knowing that yes, they've encountered some of these same issues that have plagued me. An important addition to this book Matt and Jessica talk about webcomics, even encouraging the students to give them a try to gain experience with not only how they work, but to help artists/writers improve upon their skill set.
This this is a great book for providing practical lessons that will be useful to readers whether they are doing a self study or in a class. Even more so it's a great book for fans of comics/graphic novels to see what type of work goes into creating the these items that they enjoy.
Review copy provided by Gina at FirstSecond
This text is heavily illustrated with examples to help guide readers on seeing the lesson in action. Jessica and Matt use examples, not just from their own works, but examples from other professionally published artists so that readers have an extensive bibliography of images to look at (and look for.) They also supplement the text with "further reading" sections, which allow a reader/student to continue their learning and more importantly to get an additional point of view from other working artists. I also really like how they've broken down homework assignments in the book. Not only do they put assignments at the back of each chapter to help readers learn the concepts that they've been reading about, but they also put some right after they've talked about a particular aspect, such as scriptwriting. They walk the reader through how to start the process step by step and offer examples of things to do along the way.
My favorite section in this book might just be "The Horror of the Blank Page," which lists ways to overcome the fear of a blank page and getting some ideas on where to go next. It's helpful to know that even the authors, experienced artists that they are, still struggle sometimes with overcoming that scary empty white page. And I think that's something else that is helpful, that Jessica and Matt share some of their own personal experiences in this book, which for me helps make reading the book easier knowing that yes, they've encountered some of these same issues that have plagued me. An important addition to this book Matt and Jessica talk about webcomics, even encouraging the students to give them a try to gain experience with not only how they work, but to help artists/writers improve upon their skill set.
This this is a great book for providing practical lessons that will be useful to readers whether they are doing a self study or in a class. Even more so it's a great book for fans of comics/graphic novels to see what type of work goes into creating the these items that they enjoy.
Review copy provided by Gina at FirstSecond
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'll start by confessing that one of the many reasons I've been excited about reviewing Mastering Comics: Drawing Words & Writing Pictures Continued, is that I am a (very amateur) comic strip artist myself. And with graphic novels and new comics exploding, I'm certainly not the only one who wants learn more about visual storytelling.
Mastering Comics is a follow up book to Drawing Words & Writing Pictures: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels and Beyond by comic artists Jessica Abel and Matt Madden. The first book is essentially an introduction course on comic creation, while this new book is a continuation of that course, offering advanced tips to help serious comic artists really hone their skills and to give teachers a great textbook for their students.
This beautiful book is a meaty 318 pages of detailed technique and creative homework assignments. The book starts with lessons about building stories by drawing pictures and working through the challenges of facing blank pages to come up with original ideas. In the section called Writing Words, there are detailed instructions on how to develop a story and write a script while thinking visually.
Readers will also learn how to create visual relationships with their comic panels, create comics for books vs. screens and choose the right style to tell their story. In addition, there's essential information on lettering and web comics and even an incredible section about using ink and making your own paint tools. The last sections of the book deal with gray scales, color, book covers and getting your comic ready for the printer. There are also a couple of vital chapters dedicated to selling your comics, whether on your own or through a publisher.
Reading this book is a reminder that being a true professional comic artist requires great skill and technique, which take time and hard work to develop. Mastering Comics is like having a private mentor guiding you through the learning process and challenging you to think in wonderful ways you never thought you could.
Mastering Comics is a follow up book to Drawing Words & Writing Pictures: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels and Beyond by comic artists Jessica Abel and Matt Madden. The first book is essentially an introduction course on comic creation, while this new book is a continuation of that course, offering advanced tips to help serious comic artists really hone their skills and to give teachers a great textbook for their students.
This beautiful book is a meaty 318 pages of detailed technique and creative homework assignments. The book starts with lessons about building stories by drawing pictures and working through the challenges of facing blank pages to come up with original ideas. In the section called Writing Words, there are detailed instructions on how to develop a story and write a script while thinking visually.
Readers will also learn how to create visual relationships with their comic panels, create comics for books vs. screens and choose the right style to tell their story. In addition, there's essential information on lettering and web comics and even an incredible section about using ink and making your own paint tools. The last sections of the book deal with gray scales, color, book covers and getting your comic ready for the printer. There are also a couple of vital chapters dedicated to selling your comics, whether on your own or through a publisher.
Reading this book is a reminder that being a true professional comic artist requires great skill and technique, which take time and hard work to develop. Mastering Comics is like having a private mentor guiding you through the learning process and challenging you to think in wonderful ways you never thought you could.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you are serious about making a comic book, this is the book for you
November 30, 2012
Format:Paperback
If you are serious about making a comic book, this is the book for you. Be warned: it is not for the half-hearted, or those with the attitude, "I might want to do this." Mastering Comics: Drawing Words & Writing Pictures Continued will eat up your free time and require a strict work ethic, but it will help you start and finish your comic book. From drawing practice to scriptwriting technique, inking, coloring, and even binding, authors Jessica Abel and Matt Madden take you step-by-step through the process with explanations, examples, and exercises. They even take you beyond the final product, giving tips on finding publishers and distributors.
Make no mistake, Mastering Comics is a great book, but only if it is used properly. If you are willing to commit yourself to completing the activities, to truly studying and working on your craft, Mastering Comics will help you improve your skills.
Make no mistake, Mastering Comics is a great book, but only if it is used properly. If you are willing to commit yourself to completing the activities, to truly studying and working on your craft, Mastering Comics will help you improve your skills.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
best of it's genre
I've always wanted a book like this to be published. Very remarkable effort by the autors. Congratulations. I'am actually using it as a resourse as iám teaching cartoons.
Published 2 months ago by carlos jesus corona v
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome!
As Scott McCloud mention, this edition is a gold mine of essential information for comics guys that think to, one day, be a comics artist.
Published 3 months ago by Mario Silva
4.0 out of 5 stars
Essential reading for all aspiring cartoonists
Mastering Comics, the follow-up to the Eisner Award-nominated Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, is inspiring, accessible, and comprehensive. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Marcela Landres
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