Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Understanding Comics

         Understanding Comics opens our eyes to the world of comics. Taking the formula of the comics we see everyday and shows us all the pieces that go into making a comic what it is. Being a comic itself the narrator does a lot of 4th wall breaking all in ordering to example the fundamentals of a comic. Normally when reading a comic we read it from left to right, unless it's a manga then it's the opposite, but in some panels he directs our eyes so we read it from top to bottom.
         One thing I found interesting was how he breaks down the ability of comics to showcase the illusion of time passing in a single panel. Naturally our eyes read at a certain pace, so for me I figured that a few seconds had passed between each dialogue bubble. But he breaks it down further, he explains how sound shows the passage of time, since there is a speech bubble that could only come before a camera flash and one that would only make sense if it was said after the camera flash.
         I think one of the biggest take aways from this comic is the basic structure he has shown has. Idea/Purpose, Form, Idiom, Structure, Craft, Surface. He explains how the importance of making a story is understanding each part of these steps in order to make a comic great.  

The Arrival

The Arrival
By

Shaun Tan

When I read the first chapter of the Arrival I thought that maybe the story could be a metaphor for dying and the man going to heaven. In the beginning of the story we're greeted with this nice looking family but towards the end of that scene we learn that the city is over run by these dragon tails or shadows of such. The family was walking side by side but then the father disappears after that scene and the mother and daughter continue their walk. The father then goes to this strange and mysterious place. My initial thought was that he had been killed and that this new place was a sort of heaven. But as the story moves on I start to realize that his isn't the case since he was able to mail to his family.

The story really pulls off the imagery in the story were you don't need dialogue in order to understand the interactions between two people. Through body language and facial expression it's clear when someone is asking where is a certain place when they have a questioning or confusing look when they point to a map. Or when someone tells their life story. The story has a way of putting us on the same page as our protagonist, with each passing scene and with every new discovery we essentially know as much as our hero knows. The main character is exploring this new city and it's unique culture and we're right along with him, and just as confused at some points. It lets us truly understand the protagonist and how he feels when it comes to adjusting to a new place.