Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is an extremely useful and fun resource for anyone who is interested in the history and mechanics of the comics medium - whether you're an artist or writer considering working in the form, a new fan looking to better understand the technical mastery of your favorite authors and illustrators, a teacher or librarian seeking to incorporate comics into the classroom or library, or a hardcore collector and armchair critic who simply enjoys reading someone else's enthusiastic opinions of your favorite subjects. It might even be enlightening for people interested in or working in other story-,time-, or sequence-based artforms such as cinema, theatre, or animation. This book is appropriately written in comic book form and is wildly entertaining, but it's not exactly "light" reading - McCloud takes full advantage of the combination of words and pictures communicate what neither could express on its own (including lots of samples of comic art from different genres and countries, plus charts and models that help clarify the sometimes esoteric concepts McCloud has chosen to discuss).

Some long-time comics readers may find certain segments of the book repetitive, but readers less familiar with the standard lexicon and genre cliches of the format will likely need this reiteration (which isn't at all excessive) to keep from getting lost in the sea of new information provided them in this book. There's also a lot of art-theorizing going on, so if one finds that type of thing inherently pretentious you may want to subtract a star or two... however, if you're at all interested in the subject, you should find this book interesting anyway. McCloud's writing is always lucid, tightly-constructed, and pictorially illustrated, so any adult or teenager can easily understand and learn from this book.

For those who have read this book and want to explore more deeply what goes into producing a comic book or manga, the third book in this series - Making Comics - is highly recommended. Be warned though! Even though it's still in comic form, it's much more intensive and serious (like a text book), but if you're interested in making comics, essential.

So much is communicated in every comic image that is entirely below most viewer's understanding. This book is eye-opening! A must for filmmakers, artists, even writers. Your work will benefit from the insights provided by Scott Mccloud in this amazing book.

This book not only helped legitimize a misunderstood art form for a new generation, it also changed my perception on how I philosophically view the world. I've read this book many times now and have shared it with many of my non-comic exposed friends. They have all been taken aback by the amazing essay that explores the human condition in a friendly and accessible way. Whether you are a fan of comics or not, this book should have value for everyone.

Put aside any notions you may carry that comic books are for kids. In fact, tuck away any notion that comics are just for fun too, because McCloud takes readers on a journey through history, culture, time, and space in Understanding Comics. He does it all with a great wit and an eye for the kinds of things a casual observer might miss. In fact, so much of this book is about what you DON'T SEE in a comic and why that is just as important as what you do see.

This is college course material, hands down. No student or creator can pass this gem up and believe they have received a solid education on visual story-telling.

After writing an impressive history of comics that explores the foundational linguistic methodology of a marriage between art and story, McCloud plunges into the philosophical depths of representation and Platonic Idealism. And if that last sentence conjures up images of a boring college classroom and a rambling professor, then forget it because McCloud couples all this knowledge with a sense of humor that burns through fabulous illustrations on every page.

Learning has never been this much fun. This is must have book, don't miss the chance to own it and allow it to transform not just the way you see comic books, but the way you view the world as well.

This book provides an incredibly in-depth discussion on what comics are, why they exist, and how they are related to other forms of art. If you love comics, this book is a must-read and if you think comics are a waste of time then this book is a must-read for you as well. It helped me see comics in a whole new light...great work Scott.