Comics and Sequential Art

Plot Summary

Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art is an analytical treatise on the ways to make meaning in sequential art (of which comics are a form; he also groups film and animation in sequential art, but focuses mostly upon the format which made him famous).  He begins by establishing comics as a form of reading that is not really so different from reading a book.  He discusses the notion that decoding pictures and symbols is also a mode of reading.  In part he does to establish a legitimacy for sequential art and in part to show that reading images and pictures has a long history.  The second chapter proceeds to show the ways that imagery can tell a story without using words.  The third chapter deals with the way that sequential artists are able to indicate the passage of time and the way that they frame speech.  He discusses framing via the use of panels; using anatomy to express emotion; what it means to "write" sequential art (more than simply filling in the word balloons, composition is also placement of imagery, panels, etc.); denotes uses of sequential art (including its use as storyboard); and then in one of several updates, the book ends by discussing sequential art in the digital age.

Critical Evaluation

I thought perhaps that the book would be a simplistic how to, showing how to draw boxes and fill them in with your characters and settings.  It had clearly been awhile since I'd read A Contract With God, because I had forgotten how sagacious a mind Eisner possessed.  The book is thoroughly engrossing: Eisner relates how subtle changes create dramatic shifts in meaning.  An image in stark black and white contrast (a silhouette against a background) says something far different than an image lit to show detail.  The number, shape, and size of panels can speed or slow a reader's pace.  The shape of the panel shapes understanding, signals location, suggests the size of a space, and indicates time (as in flashback).  The book is truly a lesson not in how to make drawings, but in how to make drawings mean.  The book is filled with detailed descriptions explaining choices that Eisner made in his own work that brilliantly analyze the key features at play.  Reading Eisner's work after reading this book shows precisely why the greatest award available for sequential artists is called the Eisner.

Reader’s Annotation

If you are serious about making graphic novels on par with the masters, this book is necessary.  If you just want to slap some pictures on a page like Rob Leifeld, you can skip it.

Information about the author

From the author's official website: 

WILL EISNER was born William Erwin Eisner on March 6, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. By the time of his death on January 3, 2005, following complications from open heart surgery, Eisner was recognized internationally as one of the giants in the field of sequential art, a term he coined.  

In a career that spanned nearly seventy years and eight decades — from the dawn of the comic book to the advent of digital comics — he truly was the 'Orson Welles of comics' and the 'father of the Graphic Novel'. He broke new ground in the development of visual narrative and the language of comics and was the creator of The Spirit, John Law, Lady Luck, Mr. Mystic, Uncle Sam, Blackhawk, Sheena and countless others.  

One of the comic industry's most prestigious awards, The Eisner Award, is named after him. Recognized as the 'Oscars' of the American comic book business, the Eisners are presented annually before a packed ballroom at Comi-Con International in San Diego, America's largest comics convention. (Will Eisner Studios, Inc., 2013)

Genre

Drawing Technique and Analysis

Curriculum Ties

This book would be wonderful in an art class, especially a progressive one in which students are studying sequential art.  The book's analysis clearly reveals how subtle and sophisticated sequential art can be.

Booktalking Ideas

1. The blurb from Neil Gaiman might help sell the book: "When I decided I wanted to write comics, I bought a copy."

2. For some teens the very scholarly take on comics may be a turn off, but this is precisely what makes this books so remarkable, so it is worth playing up.

Reading Level/Interest Age

9th grade and up. 

Challenge Issues

Contains scenes from many Eisner comics including depictions of violence, sex, alcohol abuse, and strong language.

I would openly greet any patron who presented a challenge to the work, giving them ample time to detail their complaint.  I would listen attentively.  To respond to these challenges I would have some reviews of the work on hand.   I would be prepared to explain that as a public institution libraries "cannot limit access on the basis of age or other characteristics" (ALA, 1999).  I would have copies of the library's collection policy on hand.  I would be prepared to politely discuss that parents can control what their children are exposed to by coming to the library with them and examining books they check out.  If the Teen Advisory Group had written reviews of the work I'd have them handy.  While it may be of little comfort to certain parents, I would also be prepared to discuss my staunch support of intellectual freedom and abhorrence of censorship.  As a last resort, I would be sure to keep copies or a reconsideration form on hand.

I would use this book to defend graphic novels, anime, manga, and comic books in the library.  It's a brilliant work; though, it may be over the heads of some teens.

Why did you include this book in the titles you selected?

I picked the book up when I found out I'd be presenting on graphic novels, anime, or manga.  Though I was ultimately assigned the anime portion of the assignment, the book really stuck with me as a powerful tool for talking about comic books.  This book would be an amazing part of a defense file for any work of sequential art.

References

American Library Association. (1999). Strategies and tips for dealing with challenges to library materials. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/copingwithchallenges/strategiestips  

Will Eisner Studios, Inc . (2013). A short biography.  Retrieved from http://www.willeisner.com/biography/index.html