Gardening Sale!
 
 

Special Offers see all

Enter to WIN!

Weekly drawing for $100 credit. Subscribe to our Specials newsletter for a chance to win.
Privacy Policy

More at Powell's

Recently Viewed clear list

Original Essays | April 29, 2013

Edward Lee: IMG How to Clarify Butter: A Writer's Tale

2 comments By Edward Lee

Chefs don't have time to write. While I was working on Smoke and Pickles, I was running a restaurant — a daily regimen of testing recipes,... Continue »
  1. $20.97 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen

    Edward Lee 9781579654924
spacer
Ships free on qualified orders.
$14.95
List price: $22.99
Used Trade Paper
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Burnside Graphic Novels- Toon History

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art

by

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art Cover

ISBN13: 9780060976255
ISBN10: 006097625x
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 1 left in stock at $14.95!

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Praised throughout the cartoon industry by such luminaries as Art Spiegelman, Matt Groening, and Will Eisner, this innovative comic book provides a detailed look at the history, meaning, and art of comics and cartooning.

Review:

"If you've ever felt bad about wasting your life reading comics, then check out Scott McCloud's classic book immediately. You might still feel you've wasted your life, but you'll know why, and you'll be proud." Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons

Review:

"In one lucid, well-designed chapter after another, [McCloud] guides us through the elements of comics style, and...how words combine with pictures to work their singular magic. When the 215-page journey is finally over, most readers will find it difficult to look at comics in quite the same way ever again."Garry Trudeau, New York Times Review of Books

Review:

"BRAVO!! Your Understanding Comics is a landmark dissection and intellectual consideration of comics as a valid medium. Its employment of comic art as its vehicle is brilliant. Everyone...anyone interested in this literary form must read it. Every school teacher should have one." Will Eisner

Review:

"With Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics the dialogue on and about what comics are and, more importantly, what comics can be has begun. 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

Review:

"Cleverly disguised as an easy-to-read comic book, Scott McClou'?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

Review:

"Understanding Comics is quite simply the best analysis of the medium that I have ever encountered. With this book Scott McCloud has taken breathtaking leaps towards establishing a critical language that the comic art form can work with and build upon in the future. Lucid and accessible, it is an astonishing feat of perception. Highly recommended." Alan Moore

Review:

"[A] rare and exciting work that ingeniously uses comics to examine the medium itself." Publisher's Weekly

Review:

"[A] brilliant comic book discussion of what makes comics work." L. A. Times

Review:

"[Understanding Comics] might well turn out to be the rosetta stone, the secret decoder ring, the lyrics sheet, for pete's sake, to all that has gone on in comics art. [This] 216-page book is one of a kind, a combination of everything funny and profound, cool and quirky." Chicago Sun-Times

Synopsis:

Traces the 3,000 year history of storytelling through pictures, discussing the language and images used.

Synopsis:

This detail-packed book includes a history of comics that reaches back to pre-Columbian picture manuscripts and Egyptian monuments and a running analysis of comics as art, literature, and communication.

Description:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [216]).
back to top

About the Author

Scott McCloud is a four-time Harvey and Eisner winner. His comics have been translated into 14 languages. He's lectured on lectured on digital media at M.I.T.'s Media Lab and the Smithsonian Instution.
back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
corabora4, September 1, 2011 (view all comments by corabora4)
I bought "Understanding Comics" from Powells.com for a college course I am taking in Graphic Design. It cost almost 20 dollars less than the book-store version, and it cost less than any other discount text book website. I bought a used version and was impressed to see it seems practically new. The shipping was reasonable and they sent it to my P.O. box at college, something other websites won't do. This book so far is great and I'm understanding comics a lot more. Scott McCloud is great!!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
report this comment
ahah, June 20, 2008 (view all comments by ahah)
Brilliant. People have noted in the past that The Elements of Style is a near-perfect example of the very qualities it espouses.

Here is another book that approaches the same perfection. Absolutely essential.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(5 of 11 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Tobey, November 16, 2006 (view all comments by Tobey)
Back in the Dark Ages of college, my Senior Seminar was working on Post-Modern and Deconstruction philosophy in a hope of understanding conflict around the world. By pure chance, I found this book in the New Books section of the college Library. It intrigued me enough to check it out and the next thing I know ...

Post-Modernism and Deconstruction are exactly like comics. Holy smokes! I recommended it to my professor for next year's seminar. I don't think she saw it quite as serious as I did. Oh well.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(31 of 53 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
View all 3 comments
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9780060976255
Author:
McCloud, Scott
Publisher:
Harper Perennial
Author:
by Scott McCloud
Location:
New York
Subject:
Form - Cartoons & Comics
Subject:
Comic books, strips, etc.
Subject:
History and criticism
Subject:
Humor
Subject:
Cartooning
Subject:
Comic books, strips, etc. -- Illustrations.
Subject:
Comics & Cartoons
Subject:
Techniques - Cartooning
Subject:
Form - Comic Strips & Cartoons
Subject:
Cartoons
Subject:
Cartoons and comics
Subject:
Periodicals - Publishing
Subject:
Art - Cartooning
Copyright:
1993
Edition Description:
Trade PB
Series Volume:
103-226
Publication Date:
19940531
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
224
Dimensions:
10.36x6.78x.56 in. 1.02 lbs.
back to top

Other books you might like

  1. Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets...
    Used Hardcover $12.00
  2. The Artist's Complete Guide to... Used Trade Paper $10.95
  3. Perspective for Artists (Dover Art... Used Trade Paper $3.95
  4. Visual Thinking Used Trade Paper $8.95
  5. Principles of Color Design Used Trade Paper $9.95
  6. Drawing Words and Writing Pictures:... Used Trade Paper $22.00
back to top

Related Subjects

Arts and Entertainment » Art » Cartooning
Arts and Entertainment » Humor » Cartoons » Comics
Arts and Entertainment » Humor » Comedy Business and Criticism
Fiction and Poetry » Graphic Novels » General
Fiction and Poetry » Graphic Novels » History and Criticism
Fiction and Poetry » Graphic Novels » Toon History
Health and Self-Help » Health and Medicine » General
Health and Self-Help » Health and Medicine » General Medicine

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$14.95 In Stock
Product details 224 pages Harper Paperbacks - English 9780060976255 Reviews:
"Review" by , "If you've ever felt bad about wasting your life reading comics, then check out Scott McCloud's classic book immediately. You might still feel you've wasted your life, but you'll know why, and you'll be proud."
"Review" by , "In one lucid, well-designed chapter after another, [McCloud] guides us through the elements of comics style, and...how words combine with pictures to work their singular magic. When the 215-page journey is finally over, most readers will find it difficult to look at comics in quite the same way ever again."
"Review" by , "BRAVO!! Your Understanding Comics is a landmark dissection and intellectual consideration of comics as a valid medium. Its employment of comic art as its vehicle is brilliant. Everyone...anyone interested in this literary form must read it. Every school teacher should have one."
"Review" by , "With Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics the dialogue on and about what comics are and, more importantly, what comics can be has begun. 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."
"Review" by , "Cleverly disguised as an easy-to-read comic book, Scott McClou'?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."
"Review" by , "Understanding Comics is quite simply the best analysis of the medium that I have ever encountered. With this book Scott McCloud has taken breathtaking leaps towards establishing a critical language that the comic art form can work with and build upon in the future. Lucid and accessible, it is an astonishing feat of perception. Highly recommended."
"Review" by , "[A] rare and exciting work that ingeniously uses comics to examine the medium itself."
"Review" by , "[A] brilliant comic book discussion of what makes comics work."
"Review" by , "[Understanding Comics] might well turn out to be the rosetta stone, the secret decoder ring, the lyrics sheet, for pete's sake, to all that has gone on in comics art. [This] 216-page book is one of a kind, a combination of everything funny and profound, cool and quirky."
"Synopsis" by , Traces the 3,000 year history of storytelling through pictures, discussing the language and images used.
"Synopsis" by , This detail-packed book includes a history of comics that reaches back to pre-Columbian picture manuscripts and Egyptian monuments and a running analysis of comics as art, literature, and communication.

spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...




Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.