Wrap it up!

Let me start by saying that this unit has been extremely enjoyable and I have liked nearly every part of it. To tell the truth I have not learned that much from this unit that I didn't already know. I am speaking in general terms of the units aim of course not just towards comics, because I think the concepts raised in McCloud's book apply to every art medium. I think anyone who has studied a visual art medium whether it be films, television, painting, sketching, photography, multimedia design or comics will have the same sort of knowledge, because when you get down to it, they all apply.

There are parts of McCloud's book that I hadn't heard of before and I found interesting. Like his theory on The six steps. This subject was kind of covered when we read the Manifesto for Growth. It is all about concept generation and how to apply that concept, and the process we go through in our minds that gets us there. McCloud sets that process out in an interesting way that I hadn't seen or thought of before, and I do agree with it.

One of the other main things that stood out in the lecture was the week that was about the birth of motion graphics and After Effects. It is really stunning that this technology and 3D in general is only about 10-15 years old and yet it has come so far. Comparing something like motion graphics which is so young to painting or sketching which has been performed for thousands of years. You look at what changes the art of painting has gone through in its life time, but it has still stuck to the same basic rules and principles, and then think about what motion graphics will be like if it moves the same way painting has.

Comics themselves as an art form I came across by myself when I first saw Frank Millers Sin City novels. Before that I did agree with the consensus that comics where a throwaway medium and they were mass produced for the entertainment of children. When one of my friends first presented me with A Dame To Kill For by Frank Miller I immediately changed my mind. I would rate that ‘comic’ in the same status as any ‘real’ novel I have read. But I think reading McCloud’s book reinforced everything that I already believed.

Overall, this unit has been a great way for me to go back and re-evaluate the knowledge that I did have, and to update and change what I believed to be true. I believe and agree with nearly everything that McCloud says in his book and I think it is a great resource to understanding comics and many other art forms as well. The lectures also have been very informative on the details of the birth and life of things like Manga and Anime, Motion graphics and Image, Visual styles and much more, and I don't think I will be able to watch The Lion King in the same way ever again. Thanks for that Andrew.