Making Comics

McCloud starts with the basic choices every comic artist makes: which moments to show, how to frame them, how to arrange panels and how to combine words and pictures so that the reader follows the story easily. He then explores how to draw characters readers will care about, including detailed chapters on facial expressions and body language, and how to build convincing settings and worlds.

Later chapters look at tools and techniques, both traditional and digital, and at the different traditions of comics around the world, including manga. Each chapter ends with exercises and notes for further study. The book is aimed at storytellers rather than at teaching drawing itself, so it suits artists with any level of drawing skill. McCloud's enthusiasm and clarity make even complex ideas easy to grasp.

Clear, practical and inspiring, a companion to Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics. Many comic artists and teachers consider it essential reading, and it is useful for anyone interested in visual storytelling. Its lessons apply equally to webcomics, printed graphic novels and storyboards for film. About 272 pages in the Harper paperback.