What I really liked about this book, too, beyond its style and engagement, was the sheer breadth of topics he discusses from that singular vantagepoint of comics. That he published this book way back in 2000 when the internet was slow and clunky doesn’t dampen his insight into the possibilities of comics-turned-digital. Reinventing Comics apparently takes over where Understanding Comics left off, taking the discussion into a new direction of why comics are true art, why they touch nerves the way that they do, and how they’ll adapt to a new and changing digital-online world.

That’s shocking to me (because this book is amazing) and I certainly need to keep my eyes peeled for that one too! The more I look into Scott McCloud, the more I get that he’s “just about the smartest guy in comics” (Frank Miller) and that his other non-fiction book, Understanding Comics, is reported to even more insightful than this. Better yet, although this is a non-fiction work done in a graphic-novel style, it’s definitely not just an ordinary graphic novel. While this is definitely a comic book, it’s not just a comic book.

Although I read this book later in the year (and although it cost me just $1 at Goodwill), Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud might just be my favorite book of them all. How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art FormĪs we near the end of the year, I’m starting to look back on all the books I’ve read and things I’ve learned, trying to recognize the cream that’s risen to the top.

Scott mccloud graphic novel