This is a wonderful book that is filled with numerous fascinating ideas. For instance, McCloud writes that humans perceive the world through our senses, but that our senses can only observe fragments of the world at best. (Example: Even the most ardent traveler can only see so much of the world in a lifetime). As such, our minds constantly engage in "closure", i.e. create the sensation that we are observing the whole, when in reality we are only perceiving fragments. This ability to engage in closure is exploited by comic book artists. In other words, when a comics fan reads a graphic novel, they are presented with a sequence of separate illustrated panels. But from this fragmented set, the mind constructs the illusion of the passage of time. McCloud goes on to discuss numerous other ideas -- such as the ability of a purely visual form to create the other senses, such as smell and sound -- while providing a fascinating discussion on the history and potential of comics. A great read that I highly recommend.
5 out of 5 stars
