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Analysis of “Understanding Comics,” by Scott McCloud

           The point that I found to be most profound in the work was his discussion on the human imagination, and how it bridges the “gap” between comic panels, and in effect interprets everything that happens over the course of a comic. The human mind’s ability to interpret a collection of ink as a symbol of an apple or religious institution or even the IDEA of a symbol is amazing; going far beyond basic visual association. Taking something so relatively basic as seeing a recognizable symbol, (which in itself already relies heavily on the user’s ability to connect symbols to themes established) and creating a character we often project ourselves onto becomes more fascinating the more thought you put into it! All visual narrative is meant to provoke some sort of response, be it deep psychological inquiry about the nature of humanity or a quick joke about a dated, modern issue, sequential art like comics take this to extreme levels. Whether a simple strip or hundreds of pages, comics of varying sizes, backgrounds, characters and purposes have captured the imagination and used it as both its source of power, and main deposit for sharing their own imaginative thinking. These characters and ideals start out in a creation that, regardless of it being based in reality or not, is not reality, and yet have influenced so many people in reality it’s impossible to deny their collective effect on a person’s mind. How many people have taken an interest in other cultures because of manga or other international comics? How many teens remember sharing their problems with the likes of Peter Parker as the "Spiderman," or feeling a sense of national patriotism with "Captain America" DURING the Nazi threat? And when life was dreary, it’s impossible to ignore the comedic relief the likes of "Archie," "Garfield,""Popeye," and so many more had on our lives to take us out of reality. Comics have, are, and will always be just that, ways to escape reality; though many times simultaneously influencing it heavily.

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