Pg.138 & 139 of Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics

First off, I really enjoy McCloud’s use of repetition is this two-page spread. John Lovett explains that variation within a repetitive design is much more interesting to look at. Each box can no longer be absorbed properly with a single glance and the individual character of each square needs to be considered. On this particular page, McCloud is introducing the reality of using words and images interchangeably. He does so by creating sixteen rectangular boxes/shapes that stand vertically and they are all the same size. As a viewer, it is very easy to grasp the unity these shapes represent because of their similarity. They all work together to explain something larger as a whole. After analyzing each comic box from left to right, I can relate and connect to young Scott McCloud in each sequence without question.

Secondly, I probably would not have noticed this if I hadn’t read John Lovett’s Design Overview, but McCloud makes a lot of use of vertical lines on these two pages. Lovett says that vertical lines create a feeling of balance, formality, and alertness. In each of the sixteen repetitive boxes on this page, vertical lines fill the top of the boxes as opposed to utilizing white space. Because of this, the tone from dark to light produce aerial perspective, also known as a gradient.

Lastly, in the larger comic box on the bottom of page 139, McCloud does a good job at using dominance by making the cartoon version of himself larger than the rest of the characters in the image. This helps the reader to understand that he is narrating in this scene. John Lovett says that dominance of size adds interest and counteracts confusion/monotony.  I completely agree it’s a lot easier to understand what is going when sizing is demonstrated accurately.