I hadn't been eagerly awaiting Scott McCloud's online supplement to his book Making Comics, since I haven't been able to get back to the States to pick up a copy yet... but reading Chapter 5 1/2 online has given me yet another reason to look forward to getting to an English Language bookstore! Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics are so amazingly thorough in their exploration of the medium, that I had to wonder what was left to discuss in the last book in this "trilogy". If Chapter 5 1/2 is any indication, this book has a great deal to look forward to.



One of my mentors, Joseph Amorino, described the quality of a good art lesson in a very memorable way - I can't quote it exactly, but it was something like this: Create an appetite. If you don't feed them enough, they won't care about the meal. If you feed them too much, they'll throw up.

McCloud knows how to create this appetite in his readers. Understanding Comics gives a rich background on the language and history of comics, and has permanently changed the way that I read them. Reinventing Comics explores the potential of comics in what it has to say, and how it can say it. My appetite is whet for Making Comics and knowing Scott McCloud's compelling writing, I hope I don't forgo my other responsibilities to take up "Making Comics" full time.

I'll be picking up my copy in late December. If it gets too quite around the Revolution, you'll know why!