[Comics] Reinventing Comics I

Scott McCloud’s aim with Reinventing Comics is to make comics a viable artistic and commercial option. He does this by describing 12 Revolutions – directions that comics can grow in.*

To start with, Reinventing Comics summarises the conclusions of McCloud’s previous book Understanding Comics**. It then describes the boom of the mid 80s to 90s followed by the slump as the speculator-driven market collapsed.

Finally, it suggests that to grow, comics need to appeal to “basic human needs and desires … To start with, that means tailoring them to a much broader audience, incorporating a more diverse spectrum of styles and subject matter.”

* I’ll go into more detail about each Revolution in later chapter summaries.

** Comics should be about more than just superheroes. The heart of comics is the juxtaposition of 2 images – and the space between them. Individuals have immense creative control over comics.