There’s a plethora of books out there on how to make comics. I’ve got quite a few in my library (all packed up in boxes but I know I have them somewhere.) Yet, with the exception of the books by Will Eisner (one of those packed away somewhere too), ninty-nine percent of those books aren’t really about making “comics.” They’re about how to draw in a particular style, whether it is like a particular American comic book artist, or drawing manga-style characters. There are some excellent books on drawing backgrounds as well as characters (such as this How to Draw Manga book on perspective which I found to be a good reference.) Many of the how to draw manga books from Japan go into specific techniques on how to use various tools of the trade. A good example is this book on Pen and Ink which highlights the techniques of Yasuhiro Nightow (Trigun) and other artists. If you’re wanting to get started with pen and ink, which can be tricky, that book had some great insights and practice drills. While some of these are very helpful on how to draw, very few books delve into how to actually tell a story through sequential art, actually making a “comic.”
This is why I’m excited about a new book by Scott McCloud entitled Making Comics. He was the author of Understanding Comics, which was essentially a comic book about comics and the theories behind how they work. I never really read that one because it just didn’t catch my interest at the time. He also wrote Reinventing Comics, which I did read some of, and I thought he had some interesting ideas about the future possibilities of comics. Even so I didn’t get really excited about it because I’m more into practical how-to books. That’s why his new book has sparked my interest more than the first two. It aims to give practical help in actually making a comic: how to actually tell a story, choose the right moments to make into panels, understanding body language and facial expressions, etc. These are things not often talked about in other books, but are vital to making a good comic. Seeing how I’ve been doing everything mostly by trial and error, I’m hoping this book will have some good insights. Scott McCloud has been creating comics for over twenty years so he definitely has the experience. We’ll see. It comes out September 5th.
After I mentioned not really being interested in McCloud’s first book, Understanding Comics, I decided to read a bit while in Barnes and Noble (I love being able to read in a bookstore). Before I realized it I had reached chapter four. It’s done as a comic book and is excellent. The writing is witty and fun to read. By the fourth chapter he had me seriously excited about comics as an art form and all its potential. If you like comics, I heartily recommend this book and can’t wait for his new one. (Hope it’s as good.)