Making Comics

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels is a book by comic book writer and artist Scott McCloud, published by William Morrow Paperbacks in 2006. A study of methods of constructing comics, it is a thematic sequel to McCloud's critically acclaimed books Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics. As with its two predecessors, Making Comics is itself in comic book form, with McCloud's avatar (now "aged" 13 years since Understanding Comics) leading the reader through the pages. The book details the processes behind storytelling, character design, and other challenges specific to the medium, with illustrative examples drawn from the history of comics. Complex topics are frequently boiled down to a few principles, such as classifying cartoonists into four types, or identifying the "six basic emotions". The book is dedicated to Will Eisner.