Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art

The introduction, like the rest of Understanding Comics, is a graphic story that resembles a black-and-white comic book. It is a single page of hand-drawn sequential panels used to describe a conversation between Scott McCloud and his friend Matt Feazell in which he explains his new project, “a comic book about comics.” McCloud portrays himself as a bespectacled, casually dressed 30-something enthusiastic about said project.

He says, “It’s more an examination of the art-form of comics, what it’s capable of, how it works. [...] I’ve even put together a new comprehensive theory of the creative process and its implications for comics and for art in general” (Introduction). The panels imply that Feazell listens quietly to McCloud’s explanation and, after a moment of thoughtfulness, simply responds, “Aren’t you kind of young to be doing that sort of thing” (Introduction).

(McCloud renders some words in bold face for the sake of emphasis; all quotes are bold faced just as he printed them. The text is fully capitalized, but this guide only does so as per ordinary sentences.)

McCloud recounts his own introduction to comics, which left him believing they were too childish for him. When a friend persuaded him to take a second look, he began to see greater depth in comics and resolved to become a comics artist by the 10th grade.