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Scott McCloud
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Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art Paperback – April 27, 1994

by Scott McCloud (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 2,761 ratings
#1 Best Seller in Comic & Graphic Novel Literary Criticism
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    William Morrow Paperbacks
  4. Publication date
    April 27, 1994
  5. Reading age
    13 - 17 years
  6. Dimensions
    10.1 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    006097625X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0060976255
  9. See all details
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Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A comic book about comic books. McCloud, in an incredibly accessible style, explains the details of how comics work: how they're composed, read and understood. More than just a book about comics, this gets to the heart of how we deal with visual languages in general. "The potential of comics is limitless and exciting!" writes McCloud. This should be required reading for every school teacher. Pulitzer Prize-winner Art Spiegelman says, "The most intelligent comics I've seen in a long time."

Review

“If you read, write, teach or draw comics; if you want to; or if you simply want to watch a master explainer at work, you must read this book.” — Neil Gaiman

“McCloud’s masterwork is not just an indispensable treatise on comics, it’s also the best primer around on visual literacy and the mechanics of storytelling. A must-read for anyone interested in narrative of any kind.” — Alison Bechdel

“Cleverly disguised as an easy-to-read comic book, Scott McCloud’s simple-looking tome deconstructs the secret language of comics while casually revealing secrets of time, space, art and the cosmos! The most intelligent comics I’ve seen in a long time. Bravo.” — Art Spiegelman

“Reading Understanding Comics blew my teenage mind, and gave me a toolbox full of ideas that I still use today.” — Raina Telgemeier

“The best analysis of the medium that I have ever encountered.” — Alan Moore

“BRAVO!! ... A landmark dissection and intellectual consideration of comics as a valid medium. ... Anyone interested in this literary form must read it.” — Will Eisner

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (April 27, 1994)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 006097625X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060976255
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 17 years
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 2,761 ratings
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    Understanding Comics the Book! #artbooks #comics

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About the author

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Scott McCloud

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Scott McCloud has been writing, drawing, and examining comics since 1984. Winner of the Eisner and Harvey awards, his works have been translated into more than sixteen languages. Frank Miller (Sin City, 300) called him "just about the smartest guy in comics." He lives with his family in southern California. His online comics and inventions can be found at scottmccloud.com.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
2,761 global ratings
All Photos
Great book but arrived with water damage and wet
4 Stars
Great book but arrived with water damage and wet
The book itself is great. But I was a bit disappointed when I got it out of the box and the book was damp and water damaged. I can't blame the seller, the box did arrive damaged so I guess fault is more with the mail carrier. Still disappointing when a new book arrives damaged.
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Great book but arrived with water damage and wet
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Top reviews from the United States

Reed Chappell
5.0 out of 5 stars Scott McCloud makes comics come alive with his brilliant art and explanations.
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2023
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One person found this helpful
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Daniel
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Book
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2023
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Kibou
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting!
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2023
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RM
5.0 out of 5 stars Short Definition Of Comics
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2023
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2 people found this helpful
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Shin Splinter
4.0 out of 5 stars My review
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2023
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3 people found this helpful
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Lockszmith
5.0 out of 5 stars Quoting Neil Gaiman from the back cover "... you must read this book"
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2021
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5 people found this helpful
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ParaNormal
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for teaching!
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2007
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9 people found this helpful
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Steven
5.0 out of 5 stars Best text book I've ever owned
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2023
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2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Machuca
5.0 out of 5 stars Concepos basicos para entender la estructura del comic
Reviewed in Mexico on February 2, 2023
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Dmitry Rocha
5.0 out of 5 stars Great deal
Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2022
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One person found this helpful
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Matt
5.0 out of 5 stars Ottimo
Reviewed in Italy on January 12, 2024
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Arun N
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book
Reviewed in India on August 6, 2023
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative in a very different way.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2023
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One person found this helpful
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