Understanding Comics

McCloud claims that in order to reclaim the potential of comics, all of us, creators, readers and distributors, need to take a fresh look at what exactly it means when we call a work a "comic." He proposes the following definition for comics: Juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer.

The picture plane provides a framework for classifying art. From left to right it represents the idea of "realistic" artistic rendering to more "iconic" or "cartoonish" rendering. As we move up the plane the artwork becomes more abstract.Iconic images are more accessible to the reader because they can represent a wider range of people. We tend to associate ourselves with and listen more to iconic looking characters. “The cartoon is a vacuum into which our identity and awareness are pulled… an empty shell that we inhabit which enables us to travel in another realm. We don’t just observe the cartoon, we become it!” (36)

The Space Between Panels: Comics are a sequence of images. The space, both physical, and mental, between panels is called the gutter. The difference of mood, time, location, or subject that happens in the gutter is called a transition. The connection that the reader makes between panels in order to interpret them is called closure. Closure is something that we do all the time, it isn’t unique to comics. McCloud identifies six transition types.

1. Moment-to-moment deals with small segments of time, and gives a slow or thoughtful tone.
2. Action-to-action is often the most common transition, and deals with a progression of related events.
3. Subject-to-subject asks the reader to make a connection between the subjects of the two panels.
4. Scene-to-scene crosses large units of time or space between the panels.
5. Aspect-to-aspect moves like the eye of a camera giving different, but related perspectives on the same subject.
6. Non-sequitur transitions seem to have no logical
7. in the relationship between the subjects of the panels.

Some types of transitions require the reader to work harder in order to make the connection, and therefore allow more room for interpretation and imagination. Another factor in choosing a transition type is control over time. Just like the time inside the panel, time between panels can be non-existent or as long as eternity. “The panel acts as a sort of general indicator that time or space is being divided.” (99)