Book review
The Plot summary
Comics have their own share of readers who seek amusement and entertainment via visual elements of text and the effectiveness of comics lies in their efficient use of their imagery and textual components in them. However, the above-stated assumption is majorly limited to the visible elements of communication like images (cartoons) and the texts in spite of the fact that there are many other significant elements of visual communication used in the comics which jointly craft the desired impact. ‘Understanding comics, the invisible art’ is a book which encompasses the conceptual application of various such elements of visual communication in an extremely elaborate way.
My recommendations on interesting concepts in the book
There are a few concepts which I have found extremely interesting and this review aims at bringing the best out of those points. These concepts are discussed in coming segment.
The concept of ‘Gutter’ :Usage of the ‘Closure’ in comics
Comics often use a jagged and fragmented rhythm created by using fractured elements of time and space which integrate to create a series of connected events (McCloud 67). The phenomenon of ‘Closure’ enables the perception of readers to connect the dots between these different events and results in mentally developing a continuous chain of events in reality (McCloud 68). The comics use the concept of closure to provoke the notion of visual iconography in the reader’s mind to setup association with their earlier experiences and consequently lead to the development of reality like situation arranged for the readers. The closure enables the readers to connect two or more different images which are visually linked in succession and which deliberating aim at explaining the different phases of a moving or varying object just by simulating the effects of time and motion (McCloud 69). The actual functioning of closure is estimated by the extent of involvement for the reader which further determines the resultant impact on his senses.
Relevance of closure and its interesting application
The concept of Closure is used to work as a silent link between the readers and comics. It helps the readers to connect and perceive that natural phenomenon which might be actually impossible to explain on a two-dimensional visual panel in comics. For example, in the case of depicting a baseball game, the ball leaving the hands of a pitcher and striking the edge of a bat can be explained in comics via 4 simple images which actually show different stages of movement. The Closure can work as a link between the scene, the unseen elements and the perceived notion. Closure can be applied for linking a moment to moment as in the case of showing an eye blink. It can link an action to an action as in the case of a bat hitting a coming ball or linking a subject to subject (dialogue within a scene). It can also join a scene to another scene (sunrise to sunset) and aspects to another aspect (zoom-in and zoom out images). It can also be used to link two non-sequential elements or two linking two non-connected elements.
The concept of ‘Colour’ :Evolution of coloured comic panels from black and white
The Usage of bright and primary colours in the costumes of characters has added to the iconic image of some superheroes. This presentation tended to be more effective than the traditional black and white format of newspapers and earlier comics (McCloud 187). There has been a significant impact of single colour saturation over the minds of readers and on the overall perception of causing an emotional shift in the minds of the readers (McCloud 188). For example, the Superman logo was more effective due to its colour contrast (red over yellow background) enabled setup and the logo’s presence dominated over the basics of shape and form. It was envisaged that the flat colours had the capability of defining the shape and size of most of the inanimate and animate object (McCloud 190).
The importance and usefulness of colours in visual communication
Colours represent the shift of focus, energy, movement, aggression, emotions, etc. Readers are more aware of a physical form of a subject when objectified by a specific colour (McCloud 190). For example, dark green or coral green colours can signify shallow sea waters, bright red for the hot cup and lush green for vegetation locations. The usage of colours enables less reliance on the shape and form factors for designing visual images. The use of colours causes closure phenomenon to aid in perceiving the rest of image. Closure enables the reader to perceive the rest of unspoken elements in the image. Eventually, the usage of colour got extended into showing the dominance of a mood or a physical situation. The modern day comics have an advanced edge over traditional black and white comics as they use more specific notations and colours for explaining the shape and form of objects explained in a scene.
The concept of ‘Time frames’ : Simultaneous occurrence of multiple events
A timeframe is a visual panel in comics which is used to express a moment within some time duration and in a dimension of some space enclosed (McCloud 99). These time frames are used in comics to rely on the closure phenomenon when a reader perceives a relative sequence of multiple activities occurring within a particular time frame (McCloud 100). This concept works when a time frame represents many events occurring within common time duration and the perceived image in the minds of the readers is totally based on their capability to analyze multiple events in a single time. The above-stated phenomenon separates the representation of time-based events in comics to that of their occurrence in reality (McCloud 101). The duration of the time covered between a stimulus and its response is generally marked by a sense of closure and simultaneous occurrence of a chain of events is generally depicted using the notion of multiple events covered in a single time frame.
The interesting usage of timeframe in comics
The cartoonists use the concept of timeframe to override the actual impact of time duration during the simultaneous occurrence of various events lined up in a single visual image. For example, Comics use time frames to explain supernatural capabilities of superheroes for having multiple presences at the same time and also to use the notion of time travel when they can link an event from the present to its predecessor in the past and to its successor in the future. So, the time progression in the comics’ world is not at all in linear regression format (as it happens in reality) but the usage of time frames provides a special visual impact over the perception of readers as they develop closure for sequentially aligning all events within a time frame.
Works Cited
McCloud, Scott. "Understanding comics: The invisible art". New York: Harper Perennial, 1994. Print.
