Understanding Comics
by Scott McCloud
★ Top 10 book of 1993 · #6 on Best Books of 1993
Scott McCloud takes a close look at comics as an art form, tracing its history, its technical building blocks and its cultural weight. He invites readers to explore the meaning hidden between panels, lines and symbols.
Best for: Comics fans and curious readers wanting to understand how the art form works
Understanding Comics is #6 on BookWard's Best Books of 1993, out of 36 1993 books that cleared our data bar.
What Understanding Comics is about
Scott McCloud explains how comics work, and he does it in the form of a comic. His central argument is that comics are defined by sequences of images, and he builds from there with a playful, analytical, and easy-to-follow touch. He looks at how readers fill in the gaps between panels, a process he calls closure, and at why simple cartoon-like faces draw us in more readily than realistic ones.
He also sketches a long history of visual storytelling, from the Bayeux Tapestry to Rodolphe Töpffer, and offers tools such as masking and the Big Triangle for thinking about how artists choose their style. It will suit anyone curious about comics, from lifelong fans to newcomers, as well as artists, writers, and teachers who want a clearer sense of how images tell stories.
Understanding Comics on the Best Books of 1993
Understanding Comics came out in 1993. Of the 36 books first published in 1993 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #6 on our Best Books of 1993 list.
Why it made the list: 369 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (26 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1993 list
- A Suitable Boy Vikram Seth, #4
- Girl, Interrupted Susanna Kaysen, #5
- Trainspotting Irvine Welsh, #7
- Night of the Living Dummy Robert Lawrence Stine, #8
See all Best Books of 1993 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1992 Best Books of 1994.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 320 want to read it, 12 are reading it now and 37 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.2 out of 5 from 26 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 86 | 55% |
| Reader love | 86 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 53 | 20% |
Questions about Understanding Comics
When was Understanding Comics published?
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud was first published in 1993.
Was Understanding Comics one of the best books of 1993?
Understanding Comics is #6 on BookWard's Best Books of 1993, out of 36 1993 books that cleared our data bar. 369 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (26 ratings).
Why is Understanding Comics on the Best Books of 1993 list?
369 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (26 ratings).
More of the best books of 1993
- The Giver Lois Lowry, #1
- The Scam Debashis Basu, #2
- Along Came a Spider James Patterson, #3
- A Suitable Boy Vikram Seth, #4
- Girl, Interrupted Susanna Kaysen, #5
- Trainspotting Irvine Welsh, #7
See the full Best Books of 1993, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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