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phoenicality's review
4.0
The only reason this didn't get the 5 stars of its predecessor is that it dates itself - consciously so, but the effect is the same. It specifically talks about comics in the here and now - of the year 2000. It talks about the way computers have begun to influence comics - but at only 8 years old, much of it is already outdated, from predictions (come true or otherwise) to referencing the current state of computers and comics, both of which have changed rather dramatically in the interim. Still an excellent read, and has more yet- and ever-true issues it deals with.
joemcduck's review
2.0
The other two of McCloud's books written in this format are so good that it's difficult to criticize this one. (This is the second of the three.)
Most of it is a simple matter of the book dating itself, but that's pretty significant. It focuses on the business and industry of comics, and there's a lot of speculation on the "future" of comics. Some of what's covered in the book ended up seeming moot as comics went in other directions. A lot of it ended up being pretty accurate. And the industry cycles back around to some of it. But really it just focuses on the mechanics of the world of comics that are far less interesting and, in my opinion considerably less essential, than the material in the other two books.
It's worth reading as some good material in a great trilogy, but in my opinion Understanding Comics was the true game changer, and Making Comics is its true worthy sequel.
Most of it is a simple matter of the book dating itself, but that's pretty significant. It focuses on the business and industry of comics, and there's a lot of speculation on the "future" of comics. Some of what's covered in the book ended up seeming moot as comics went in other directions. A lot of it ended up being pretty accurate. And the industry cycles back around to some of it. But really it just focuses on the mechanics of the world of comics that are far less interesting and, in my opinion considerably less essential, than the material in the other two books.
It's worth reading as some good material in a great trilogy, but in my opinion Understanding Comics was the true game changer, and Making Comics is its true worthy sequel.
dreamingdust's review
4.0
An interesting read, as always with Scott McCloud's work, especially the latter half where he talks about the digital future of comics. Some of the ideas he described have come to pass in the 20 years since Reinventing Comics was written - bandwidth is so cheap that audio and video streaming are as normal as websites in frames were in 2000, and the infinite page is alive and well in Webtoons - but the rise of the independent creator was not as great as he imagined, though Patreon and sites like itch.io are helping there, and the wild west freedom of the Web of 2000 has been eaten by corporations, aggregate sites and social media.
drtlovesbooks's review
3.0
I picked up this tome because I thoroughly enjoyed McCloud's first book, Understanding Comics (which I strongly urge you to check out if you haven't yet). That first book is focused on timeless theories about what makes comics and graphic novels worth reading, and how to read them. This one is longer and, because it's about the early 2000's and the technology that was coming on the scene at the time, it feels a lot more dated. There are still some interesting ideas and insights, and it's sad that nearly 20 years later, some of the battles for equality that McCloud thought were just over the horizon are still being fought; but McCloud's sincere belief in the importance of comics to tell stories as no other media can is engaging and refreshing.
bitterbyte's review
3.0
Es una lástima que hayan tardado tantísimo en traducirlo al español. McCloud es todo un visionario que supo adivinar el futuro de Internet aún estando en el año 2000.
whattiea's review
5.0
Everyone should read this. I don't know how to explain it, but really the concepts Scott McCloud illustrates (literally, it's illustrated) are applicable not just to comics, but to all art forms and how they meet with society and business and technology. Please read these books, they will stay with you!
olivia_piepmeier's review
3.0
This took me longer to read than expected. I think that says a lot about the subject matter. While the first McCloud book felt like an art history text, this felt like straight up critical literature in the first half and business and economics in the last. That being said, I much preferred the first half. This was written in 2000 and so many of the ideas he puts forth are being talked about and addressed in comics now (gender, race, genre, literature, etc.). It was enjoyable to read what had been floating in my head without the proper words to describe it. I might use a chapter or so in my graphic novel class this fall, especially the one talking about comics as literature.
Since it was written 15 years ago, a lot of the technology talk felt very dated. That paired with the many pages on the business of comics made me very sleepy. The first half would get 4 stars, but the boringness of the last part brings the average down to 3.
Of course I'll read his next book, Making Comics, but I would really like to see this revised at some point.
Since it was written 15 years ago, a lot of the technology talk felt very dated. That paired with the many pages on the business of comics made me very sleepy. The first half would get 4 stars, but the boringness of the last part brings the average down to 3.
Of course I'll read his next book, Making Comics, but I would really like to see this revised at some point.
rexlui's review
5.0
Scott McCloud's "Comics Trilogy" is the official textbooks of Graphic Literature 101.
lindsayb's review
2.0
Better as a cultural artefact than anything else (though I did occasionally enjoy certain historical tidbits). Perhaps this would have been more hard-hitting if I had read it when it was published in 2000, but half-assed discussions of diversity and cutting edge technology like CD-ROMs makes it woefully obsolete (and the writing wasn't anywhere near as engaging as its predecessor). Understanding Comics needs an update just because I'm interested in his take on the subject matter now; this is in dire need of an update for it to maintain any measurable relevance.
*******
Counting as my (FINAL!) Panels Read Harder item for a book about comics.
*******
Counting as my (FINAL!) Panels Read Harder item for a book about comics.
neven's review against another edition
4.0
A more pragmatic book than his Understanding Comics—and thus a bit less timeless, perhaps—this is nevertheless a clear, well argued and explained essay.