El Comic y el Arte Secuencial

Sequential Art #1

by Will Eisner

Will Eisner es, sin lugar a dudas, uno de los grandes maestros mundiales del arte del cómic. Este precursor del noveno arte, nacido en Nueva York en 1917, estudió anatomía y pintura, antes de dar con su verdadera profesión, la de dibujante. A partir de ese momento, Wtiliam Erwin Eisner destacó en los años 30 y 40 como uno de los creadores del formato comic book americano. Su primer gran éxito en este sentido fue The Spirit, publicado en todo el mundo durante muchos años y que acabó por convertirse en un clásico que influenció a toda una generación de dibujantes.
Tras una larga carrera de éxitos, este genial guionista y dibujante formó su propio estudio de cómic, del que salieron nluchos de los mejores historietistas del momento, como Bob Kane o Jack Kirby En 1952, concluida la brillante etapa de The Spirit, Eisner dedicó gran parte de su tiempo a la enseñanza por medio del arte del cómic, creando multitud de manuales técnicos y libros ilustrados que sirvieron de gran ayuda a colectivos tan diferentes entre sí como los estudiantes en edad escolar o el mismo ejército de los Estados Unidos.
Pero a mediados de los años 70, Will Eisner volvió de nuevo con lo que sabe hacer mejor: explorar el arte secuencial como medio narrativo. Un ejemplo de ello es Contrato con Dios, la primera novela gráfica publicada en 1978. Desde entonces, ha venido realizando otras novelas gráficas, además de algunas satíricas y serias.

El presente libro, El cómic y el arte secuencial, está basado en el popular curso que Eisner impartió durante años en el New York’s School of Visual Art y contiene un acopio de sus ideas, teorías y consejos acerca de la práctica de narrar historias a través del dibujo. Además, el autor ha revisado y actualizado los contenidos, incorporando el uso de las nuevas herramientas informáticas y electrónicas. Por este motivo, esta obra ofrece, tanto al estudiante serio como a los profesores de dibujo y guión, una oportunidad única para profundizar en el arte del cómic de la mano de uno de sus mayores maestros. Desde su publicación, este libro ha gozado de una excelente acogida en todo el mundo, e incluso se usa como material de referencia en universidades y otros centros dedicados al estudio del cómic, el cine y la literatura.

Genres: Comics, Art, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Writing, Reference, Drawing

155 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1985

About the author

William Erwin Eisner was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series The Spirit (1940–1952) was noted for its experiments in content and form. In 1978, he popularized the term "graphic novel" with the publication of his book A Contract with God. He was an early contributor to formal comics studies with his book Comics and Sequential Art (1985). The Eisner Award was named in his honor and is given to recognize achievements each year in the comics medium; he was one of the three inaugural inductees to the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[BigJohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comics and Sequential Art is the first of three books in a series of comic book instructional books written by comics legend Will Eisner. The creator of the widely-popular Spirit comic strip from the 1940s, Eisner wrote one of the earliest (if not THE earliest) books exploring the medium of comic book storytelling, dissecting it and distilling it for would-be creators to consume and enjoy.

I first heard of this book when reading Scott McCloud's incredible Understanding Comics, in which he makes multiple references to this book and how much it influenced him personally. Part of me wishes I would have read this one first, because compared to Understanding Comics, this book falls short on the meta-delivery of the information. In Understanding Comics, the entire book is itself a comic book, which uses comic book and sequential art precepts to communicate the instructional and educational components. In Comics and Sequential Art, the entire book is narrative and extant examples taken from Eisner's own creations (with one or two exceptions).

I can see how McCloud was influenced by this book, and how revolutionary and revealing it may have seemed. It still holds up as a book on comics theory, but pales in comparison, depth, delivery and content to McCloud's own books.

[Joel Griswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, hmm, I currently feel like the worst comics fan in the world--but I actually didn't like this book at all. In fact, it took me several weeks to read half of it, and then I just stopped. I'm not quite sure why. I found it just hard to read, even though it's a pretty short one. It seemed to be that Eisner wasn't really saying much that was particularly useful, or it just seemed really basic, I also didn't appreciate that every single example was from "The Spirit". I'm sure in it's day, it was a groundbreaking book, and I'm very grateful to it for being one of the first to treat comics with academic respect, but I just find it hard to swallow now. I strongly suggest reading Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics" instead, for a much more useful, comprehensive, and at the same time much more fun read.

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

This is one of the three instructional books written by Will Eisner. The other two are Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative and Expressive Anatomy for Comics and Narrative.

The book focuses on the creation of comics and the various techniques one can use. Specifically, it talks about the why the techniques work and the concepts behind. The various lessons touch on timing, framing, composition, expressive anatomy, writing for comics and other application of comics.

Every page of comics included that serve as examples come with captions. They explain the effect to achieve on readers. One example would be to tilt a composition of a moving train to simulate the rocking on the tracks.

How Will Eisner uses his panels and framing is amazing. He can use doorways or windows on a plane as frames, and he can so easily blend his panels together using the environment. Paneling and pacing when done right really just enhances the story. You'll see and understand why it works. It's all explained.

This book will serve as a very good introduction to comic artists. Professionals might learn some new ways of doing things too.

This review was first published on parkablogs.com. There are more pictures and videos on my blog.

[Nicole Speranza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to assist me in developing a project for my graphic design course. Despite reading a lot of comics, and feeling like I have a vague sense of their history and development, this book caused me to look at the actual composition of comic books in a completely different way. I am legitimately looking forward to picking up my next graphic novel or comic book, since I know that I, thanks to this book, now have the means of looking at its composition critically. A lot of the things discussed feel like common sense, like the portion that focused on how readers' eyes move across the page, but it was explained in a manner which not only brings the matter to the reader's attention, but forces them to analyze it and comprehend the idea on a much higher level

While I had no difficulty reading the book,the style of writing is my only complaint. As I mentioned, it's not difficult to read, but oftentimes things are written with "fifty dollar phrases" when a "fifty cent" one would do. Simple ideas are often phrased using long, extravagantly-worded sentences, and the technicality of the writing surpasses most science textbooks I have read. At several times throughout the book, Eisner recognizes the fact that,many times, comics are not taken seriously by many critics and the general public. This frequent observation makes it appear that Eisner is trying to overcome those stereotypes by treating comics, or "sequential art", as he refers to the genre, as a very, very serious subject, with no room for humor or triviality.

This, however, is a minor complaint, since I really don't feel like it negatively impacted my reading of the material. It just made the going a tiny bit slower.

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a lot of ideas for reading comics at a deeper level. It is well illustrated with examples from Will Eisner's "The Spirit" series. The only downside is that it tries to cover too much ground, so some sections are very light. If I were the editor, I probably would have cut all of the digital comics stuff, and focused the book more on the structure of comics.

[Cintia Andrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente para quem busca saber um pouco mais sobre teoria de quadrinhos e arte sequencial.

[Lisa Feld · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was torn between rating this 4 or 5; it's dry and a bit of a slog in places, but it's also a really revolutionary work, even 30 years after its first printing. Lee and Buscema's How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, which came out in 1978, told aspiring artists how to create different perspectives (bird's eye view, worm's eye view), how to lay out a page, how to pick the most dynamic pose for each panel, etc. A few years later, Eisner turned all that advice on its head: he breaks down how panel layouts, perspective, and pose all contribute to tone, clarity, and complexity of a given work. He shows examples side by side to reveal how head-on perspective, bird's eye view, and worm's eye view all create different emotional nuances, and sometimes you really do need something understated to bring out the impact of the action. He shows how the juxtaposition of words and pictures can add complexity, humor, or threat to a given scene. And, having worked as a writer, an artist, and a publisher, he's uniquely suited to talk about how the abilities and limitations of each shape the finished work: how the writer and artist collaborate or work at cross purposes, how the printing method changes the level of artistic subtlety the finished work can support.

While Scott McCloud borrowed and further developed some of this material for his book Making Comics, there's a lot here that you won't find anywhere else, and it remains an incredibly sophisticated and helpful manual that should be in any comic book artist's library. One warning, though: because Eisner's career stretches from Depression-era pulps to modern graphic novels, there's some wince-worthy racism and sexism in the illustrations.

[Sarah Schanze · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm beginning to think I'm becoming desensitized to a lot of these drawing books. They all have something solid and good to say about comics and art and what-have-you, but after a while it all starts to repeat. Still, some good stuff in here, especially if someone doesn't know anything about comics.

Just try to ignore the blatant racism in some of Eisner's sample comics. They were written in the 40s and 50s, after all.

[Edanur Kuntman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I most certainly should have read this sooner. So well written, touching upon great points on the unique qualities of comics as a medium. A must read for folks who create visual narrative and comics.

[Justine Cucchi-Dietlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read Will Eisner for a while, and I decided to start with his non-fiction series about making comics.

It's pretty good. Disclaimer: I'm not a comic book creator nor a person who works in the industry. I'm just a simple librarian. However, I think this is a great instructional resource for those looking to get into the industry.

I definitely recommend reading Scott McCloud's comic-making books first, though. They help get your feet wet to understand the more complex language used in Eisner's books. I don't think I would've understood a lot of the concepts in this book if it wasn't for Understanding Comics. Eisner is much more technical in his writing and comic examples.

[Justyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book goes over the basics of comic books and the art intended within comic strips, the reader gets a clear view of how much work is put into a single comic panel. Not that graphic novel or comic art goes unnoticed, but from a well rounded readers perspective, having insight on the making of different genres betters the knowledge of any reader.
Eisner not only gives insight on how the creators of famous comics have told their stories, but allows the reader to get clear and thought out examples of work. Also giving references to online resources as well, from webcomics to film. From start to finish, how a comic or graphic novel is made is explained in this book. Again, giving the reader a perspective of the amount of thought goes into some of the world’s most loved characters.
This is usually something I don’t normally read, and as a way to become more well rounded as a reader, I feel this book allows the right about of history without giving textbook vibes. It’s heavier than a comic, but lighter than a novel.

[M.A. Garcias · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing that makes this book less important is that Scott McCloud did with the same subject a masterpiece for the ages a few years later, building on what Eisner had started. The high prophet of comics, this is a must read for anyone intetested in understanding the medium, and appreciate its historical importance, even if McCloud makes it feel small and irrelevant by comparison. Funny that Eisner uses only examples from his own work to discuss techniques and elements of the comics syntax, but that's part of being a creator of language.

[MaiMarraz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro imprescindible! Recomendado a los amantes del cómic y dibujantes que esten interesados en trabajar este arte secuencial!

[Tati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaaeeee finalmente li alguma coisa esse ano!!! Tudo bem q foi pro meu tcc mas já é um avanço

[Alex Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to a local comic book store to buy something for my sister (Fables: Animal Farm--Those of you who like topsy-turvy fairy tale stuff will probably enjoy this) and wanted to pick up a book for myself about drawing (a new, but very engaging activity for me) or a comic with illustrations that I liked. I flipped through a bunch of things at the counter and handed the guy at the counter a stack of things I didn't want and couldn't seem to put back in their protective plastic bags without getting the tape stuck on their covers. In the stack of items I handed to him was this Will Eisner book--still in its plastic cover. Before I got to it I decided that I had already spent too much money and would check this book out another time. He was clearly not pleased that I was putting the Will Eisner back and insisted that I get it. He was so confident that this was the book I needed, he gave me a ridiculous discount. He was right. This book is simple and succinct. Each illustration is amazingly instructive and educational. As silly as it is, I'm working on a short illustrated story (that I am sure will take me forever and be of questionable quality) and I keep going back to this book. I can't thank the guy in the comic store enough...well, I did go back and buy more stuff.

[Adamsloj]

Jak zrozumieć komiks? Czym jest? Jak powstaje? To pytania, na które Will Eisner stara się odpowiedzieć w „Komiksie i sztuce sekwencyjnej”, czyli „Comics and Sequential Art”. Jest on pierwszym kompleksowym tekstem (i nie tylko), który podszedł do tego tematu. W jego ramach W. Eisner zastanawia się nad swoistą poetyką i narracją komiksu, a także jak rozwój technologii wpływał, wpływa i będzie wpływał na wygląd komiksów.

Jego lektura z pewnością to duży krok do zrozumienia komiksu, ale nie jest to „Zrozumieć komiks” Scotta McClouda. Czytając oba, jednak nic się nie straci – jak to określił McCloud: Will Eisner zaczyna od ogółu i przechodzi do szczegółu, gdy on sam skupia się na ogólnej i teoretycznej warstwie. Przez to dzieło W. Eisnera jest bardziej dla twórców komiksów in spe, ale inni też mogą zaczerpnąć z niego wiedzy.

Wydane w 1985 roku „Comics and Sequential Art” tworzy atmosferę, że wszystko już było. Z tego ponadczasowego charakteru tego dzieła wybija nas jednocześnie lata doświadczenia i perspektywa Willa Eisnera. Nie zawsze trzeba się zgadzać z jego oceną pewnych omawianych technik (np. jego krytycyzmu wobec rozbijania jednego zdania na wiele dymków, ale na pewno trudno odmówić mu obycia z komiksem.

Will Eisner jako twórca pierwszych powieści graficznych (taki film dla seriali, tj. serii zeszytowych) na zawsze zapisał się w historii komiksu. Korzystając ze swoich znajomości, nauczania o komiksach, a także swoich dzieł, uzupełnia on swoją eseistyczne dzieło o przykłady. Czasem ciągną się całymi stronami i towarzyszy im narracja autora.

Te przykładowe komiksy potrafiły być bardzo interesujące. Zastanawiałem się już wcześniej, czy warto czytać „Spirita” Eisnera, ale przedstawione w „Comics and Sequential Art” przykłady skutecznie przekonały mnie, że nie trąci on znacząco myszką.

Trzeba przyznać, że mamy tutaj do czynienia z przemyślanym i przyjemnym tekstem. Jednak niestety od połowy zaczął mnie męczyć, szczególnie właśnie ilość (a raczej długość) przykładów. Nie wiedziałem, w jakim stopniu ich lektura jest konieczna do zrozumienia komentarza. W dodatku zajrzałem już do „Zrozumieć komiks”. Choć narracja W. Eisnera jest pożywna i przyjemna, to lekka metanarracja McClouda jest na zupełnie innym poziomie.

Z racji na skupienie się na innych tematach obu dzieł, warto zapytać, o czym opowiada Eisner. Przelane na papier jego przemyślenia mogą uzupełnić i uporządkować, cokolwiek czytelnik wcześniej nie sądził o komiksie. A nawet jeśli nie, to otworzy oczy na wiele nieoczywistych aspektów sztuki, jaką jest komiks.

Eisner oferuje nam przemyślenia na temat kreowania rytmu (przez wielkość kadrów), tworzenie iluzji ruchu (przez odpowiednie przedstawienie postaci i przedmiotów), kadrowania perspektywy (jak w filmie), po wyrażanie emocji bohaterów (charakterystycznego dla komiksu). Jednak to tylko pod wieloma względami początek.

Z jednej strony niektóre z rozdziałów z omawianego dzieła znalazło rozwinięcie w innych pracach Willa Eisnera. W niejakiej trylogii „Comics and Sequential Art” towarzyszą „Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative” (1996) i „Expressive Anatomy” (2008). To drugie powtarza nawet nazwę jednego z rozdziałów.

Jednak sam koniec „Comics and Sequential Art” zaczyna historyczną analizę uwarunkowań komiksu. Prosty opis technik drukarskich, które ograniczały komiks, prowadzą ostatecznie w przyszłość. Ta krótka lekcja historii tłumaczy, czemu komiksy były na początku proste i czarno-białe, by przejść do obrysowanego koloru, a ostatecznie móc dziś skończyć z bezkonturową sztuką Stjepana Šejića.

Jednak najciekawszy jest przedstawienie przez W. Eisnera „electronic comic” („komiks elektroniczny”), który dziś nazywa się raczej cyfrowym lub web-komiksem. Zauważa on już, jak komputery wpływają na narrację komiksową. Eisner widzi oglądanie komiksów kadrami (jak film), co całkowicie zmienia jego rytm i narrację (nie widzimy 2 stron kadrów).

Te początki rozważań nad komiksem w komputerze jeszcze przed siecią WWW to dopiero początek, który został zrealizowany m.in. przez Infinity Comic od Marvela. Jak Eisner przewidywał – czytanie tradycyjnych komiksów przerobionych na nową modę jest koszmarne.

To, czego Eisner nie przewidział, to zastosowanie przewijania (scrolling) w takich dziełach. Jednak natywne komiksy oparte o przewijanie okazują się nie tak złe. Eisner nie przewidział także traktowania jednej strony jako obrazka. To też zmienia narrację, bo bez odpowiedniego interfejsu imitującego podwójne strony, tylko 2-stronicowe splashe występują jako jeden obraz. Można tak czytać stronę za stroną, imitując obracanie kartki, ale doświadczenie jest już inne.

Jednocześnie Eisner, co zabawne, przewidział elementy interaktywne i animowane w webkomiksach. Niestety dla nich – z góry uznał je za obce dla komiksu. Nie wiem, czy byłbym tak kategoryczny na nie, ale widziałem tylko animowane dodatki. Nie sądzę jednak, że to problem. Koncepcja Gesamtkunstwerk już istnieje, a eklektyzm raczej służy sztuce.

Na koniec ciekawe tejki od Willa Eisnera, który przewidział m.in. dolinę niesamowitości tzw. live action „Króla lwa” stwierdzając, że gdyby zwierzęta były bardziej ekspresyjne na twarzy – to ludzie mniej by je zabijali.

A poza tym to, że technologia to zawsze narzędzia, która demokratyzując sztukę, pchają ludzi w głębszy artyzm. A ostatecznie można powiedzieć, że styl artysty to forma niedoskonałości.

Jeśli zatem nie boicie się angielskiego z odrobiną trudnych słów, a także nieco bardziej szczegółowego komiksu, to „Comics and Sequential Art” może być dla was. Jeśli jednak chcecie zrozumieć komiks w lekki i przyjemny sposób, przy jednoczesnej głębi teoretycznej, to „Zrozumieć komiks” na pewno będzie lepszy. Ostatecznie pytanie, to czego się szuka – analizy i kursu narracji komiksowej, czy metodologii komiksu?

[Khari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Scott McCloud better.

What a horrible way to start a review. Oh well.

The book is good, it's very instructional, very practical, and useful. It's just not very in depth and not at all concerned with ideas. That's probably why I liked McCloud better, his was all about theory and WHY things are the way they are while Eisner was just like, here it is, that's they way it is and who cares about why, just do it this way.

I did however find some excellent illustrations to use in my classes, so that's all that matters, I suppose.

[Ietrio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superseded by Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, the latter would not have been that good without this volume. Compared with the junk pushed in the last two decades by the Marvel gang, it is still a very necessary book.

[Natalia L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I'd say it's more for the artists than the writers of the medium, I found this book interesting and informative. Its contents include imagery, timing, the frame, and writing. I'll definitely be keeping Eisner's pointers in mind. I also enjoyed the examples of comics throughout the book.

[Sherif Fattah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very inspiring and informative read. It's hard not to recommend this book (and Scott McCloud's Making Comics) to anyone interested in the sequential art field. Reading them has set a foundation to a lot of things that I used to do by instinct. Totally recommended.

[Lucie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I read this for class. It wasn't the most interesting book ever but it was enjoyable. I found that some of the example comics were actually a bit confusing because I didn't always understand the story.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 2008 edition.

[Paulo Vinicius Figueiredo dos Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acho que se eu posso falar de um material que seja essencial para qualquer um que deseja trabalhar com quadrinhos esse é um deles, sem dúvida alguma. Seja para roteiristas, artistas, curiosos, críticos. Eisner é um dos grandes artistas da era moderna e deu uma outra visão ao que significa fazer quadrinhos. E ele explora ao longo das páginas desse livro todas as nuances por trás da narrativa gráfica. Ele usa vários de seus trabalhos como exemplos para falar sobre um determinado assunto. E é algo único ter um assunto exemplificado com páginas de The Spirit, ou Ao Coração da Tempestade.

A obra também teve vários complementos acrescentados em que aspectos da obra de alguns autores contemporâneos como Jason Lutes e Alison Bechdel serviram para mostrar como estes abordam determinadas características chave. Inclusive há um capítulo dedicado a falar sobre web quadrinhos, suas características e importância na atualidade. Uma modalidade de publicação que serviu para lançar inúmeros novos talentos.

Podemos até dizer que a obra possui alguns pontos ultrapassados, mas isso é devido à própria pesquisa sobre o fazer quadrinhos. Como qualquer teoria, ela está sempre em reformulação. Mesmo Scott McCloud é motivo de debate hoje com suas ideias. É natural que tudo avance de uma forma ou de outra. Mesmo assim, é um livro necessário para compor as bases, as fundações para o pensar quadrinhos.

[Ivan Markovskyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Якщо ви хочете навчитися створювати комікси, ця книга повинна бути першою до прочитання. Тому що усі книги, які ви прочитаєте після неї, розкажуть вам приблизно те саме, тільки краще.

Мені не пощастило і я прочитав Comics and Sequential art після двох книг Скотта Макклауда (власне, саме з рекомендацій Макклауда я і дізнався про неї). Уроки, які дає Айснер - це основне, що треба знати і на жаль, я уже це проходив. Варто також зауважити, що уроки ці ілюструються на прикладах коміксів 40-их років і треба розуміти, що медіа досить змінилося з тих часів.

Усе це в жодному разі не означає, що книга не заслуговує на увагу. Особисто мені зд��вся цікавим і корисним розділ WRITING & SEQUENTIAL ART, у якому Айснер розмірковує про взаємодію сценариста і художника. Крім того, у останньому розділі йде мова про технічну сторону видання коміксів, що цікаво для розуміння деяких тенденцій в їх історії.

Загалом, отримати задоволення і максимальну користь від ці книги можна за умови, що це ваша перша книга з теорії коміксів - це хороша стартова точка для розуміння цієї художньої форми, після якої можна переходити до більш поглибленого вивчення (наприклад, Making Comics того ж Скотта Макклауда). Якщо ж ні, то як на мене, вона несе виключно історичний інтерес.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book where a master of the comic artform explains how to tell a story in images and a few words. Several different expressions of a specific scene, such as a backshooting in an alley are given and the differences explained. No artistic ability is needed to understand why if the figure getting shot in the back is depicted the proper way, there needs to be no text telling the reader that he was shot in the back.
Emotional expressions are also compared and contrasted, several different facial expressions are demonstrated and how different they are in depicting the same emotion. My favorite section of the book is another expression of the Shakespearean story of Hamlet. The main character is a male in a hippie attire on the rooftop of an urban building. It opens with the classic lines, “To be, or not to be. That is the question.” He goes through the lines, expressing alternate forms of melancholy and anger, finally going down the stairs carrying a knife and a lot of anger. This is Shakespeare that the modern teen can relate to.
Whether you are an aspiring comic artist or are just interested in how they are created, this book will pique your interest.

[Jasper O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a good reason why this is considerd the seminal book regarding the theory of comics. Will Eisner explains the thought processes and human psychology behind reading comics, which will give creators the tools to implement this in their writing and drawing of comics. It is truly a meta-level commentary, as Eisner does not discuss genres or styles (US comics, EU comics, manga, superhero, none of those), but really talks about the medium as a whole, and the infinite possibilities it held back then (and still holds today). He explains how comics can be made short or long, comical or serious, cartoony or realistic. A truly inspiring book, and one that all aspiring comics writers, artists, or both (as Eisner would want us to be) should read!

One fun fact: Eisner thought the advances in computer technologies would not change much in the way of comics (we would still be reading pages and panels), whereas Scott McCloud (another famous comics author) thought it would change our reading experience dramatically since pages are no longer required on screens. Guess who was right? The old master.

[Stephane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it a bit dry at times, even though I realize this is a textbook and as such I wasn't the target audience.

Had the merit of opening my eyes on the process of comic creation, as Eisner says himself, nothing on the page should be left to chance, everything has a function, everything needs to be thought out.

Expensive sections on frames and layouts, more in details than I though possible. Appreciated the long examples and the commentary. I found myself looking at those aspects now when I read a comic and trying to understand the intent of the authors.

Eisner doesn't seem to think much of the dynamic writer/artist. It seems to him that both jobs are better done by the same person. I disagree. To a point. For instance, Astérix was never the same after Goscinny's death, and frankly it shows that its just not anyone who can carry on.

Last section, about comic as instructional material, made the book feel a bit dated; maybe I am out of touch, but are comics really used to deliver instructions these days? Does show the amplitude of Eisner's career.

[James Hold · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Will Eisner is one of those names one risks accusations of sacrilege when criticizing. My only exposure to him were some Spirit reprints followed by a few interviews in comic fans magazines. And because I'm interested in succinct story-telling I felt I might pick up a hint or two to help me with my own writing. Only something about this didn't hit a chord with me. Maybe it was a wrong impression on my part but Eisner's personality came across as too authoritative, a kind of my-way-or-no-way approach. That and his absolute insistence that word balloons must always be the first thing done before anything else. I'm sure he has a good reason for feeling this way, but it came across as too crotchety to me. I'll give the man props for what he accomplished, except for the Ebony White character, but otherwise I didn't feel like I'd enjoy spending time alone with him.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in preparation for the 24-Hour Comic Readathon

This is a very technical looking at what makes the comic reading experience so unique, and some techniques so you aren't just doing an illustrated novel or motion picture without sound. It's got a lot of practical knowledge and has quite an academic slant to it.

It's got a fair amount of application and "things to consider", as well as plenty of examples from Will Eisner's oeuvre. While Eisner is a pioneer and master--there is a slight risk that his style becomes dates as time comes on--it's definitely not involving digital computer use nor thinking about the dynamic/cinematic style that's employed so much in comics today.

That being said--many of todays current creators could probably use a little more thinking, creativity and planning in their panels rather than the impressive splash pages.

[Isto R. Eipäs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though informative, Comics and Sequential Art is rather outdated after the thorough analysis of Scott McCloud's book Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. However, this pioneering work has some nice details on what a comic book artist must consider to become a pro (e.g. line of movement / emotional expression / symbols / panels).

A-okay for somebody who likes to dig deeper into it.