Week Two: Understanding Comics

Detail from A Harlot's Progress by William Hogarth

This image is a detail from William Hogarth's A Harlot's Progress. This week we are looking at the history of some early comics.  We will also be talking about some of the ideas in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. Please read Understanding Comics for this week. If you already have read Understanding Comics or if you just want to know more about  how to make them, then read Making Comics by Scott McCloud. When you write your blog this week, talk about an idea or insight that McCloud presents and that you find interesting. Focus on discussing that one idea with a bit of depth instead of trying to cover several ideas from the book. 

Here is a link to an excellent 17 minute talk by Scott McCloud that recounts some of his perspective on Comics and seeing the world through comics. This talk was given at the TED conference which is an amazing conference of short talks and performances that are often completely mind-blowing. 

Link to Scott McCloud TED talk.

22 Panels that Always Work by Patrick Alexander

Here is a link to a Comic about Visual and Spatial Language

Assignment for next class: Next week please read The Smithsonian Book of Comic Strips and/or some features from the selected list of comic strips. . Please read at least some of Winsor McCay's Little Nemo, George Herriman's Krazy Kat, Charles Schulz's Peanuts and Bill Waterson's Calvin and Hobbes as essential reading for next week's class.

Link to The Adventures of Obidiah Oldbuck

Link to Hogarth's The Harlot's Progress