Rating: 
Summary: Competent but sometimes labored follow-up to _Understanding_
Review: Let's call this 3 1/2 stars for most people . . . add a 1/2 star if the first book floored you.Scott McCloud continues his analysis of the world of comics, this time spending more time on the history of the industry and possible future paths. The reinvention in the title refers to McCloud's suggestion that Internet will free comics from the tyranny of print distribution and retail channels. I think he makes a good case -- some really amazing online comics are starting to appear -- but it does take him a long time to do it. Many parts of _Reinventing Comics_ are just as brilliant and well-crafted as _Understanding Comics_, but as a whole it's a bit long and not as well paced as the first book.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard to read, distracting format, nothing new.
Review: Maybe this review is unfair, as I could honestly not get through the entire book. This book is written in a sort of graphic-novel format, which is innovative and interesting at first. As the book gets into more complex concepts, it is INCREDIBLY distracting to have every five-to-twenty-word phrase accompanied by its own (often abstract) image, sending your eyes hunting through the comic panel for the continuation of the sentence you are trying to read. Of what I read, most was fairly obvious and basic: the three-page introduction on Understanding Comics was easily the most worthwhile part I read, and I will probably read the author's original book. This one, however, was an irritating bore.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical college crowd ideological faire
Review: McClouds first book was a wonderful little study of the form and function of comics. I was hoping he would continue the lesson, but instead he seems to moan and complain about the economics and politics of the CONTENT of some comic books. He, like many a whiny, disillusioned liberal before him, paints a picture of evil corporations bogging down the "pureness" of unfettered art. And no hippy rant would be complete without the standard straight white male bashing; for, as everyone knows, we are the root cause of everyones problems. McCloud conveys clearly that he wants to stay at home and create masterpeices untainted by monetary, social, or racial boundaries and very poorly any real means of attaining these ends, all while very conveintly avoiding the subject of comic art. My suggestion is to file this one under "ivory tower political bilge" and focus more on his first work (providing you were looking for a comic book in the first place).
Rating: 
Summary: OK but marred by political correctness
Review: On the whole, _Reinventing Comics_ is not as good as his previous book, _Understand Comics_. The device of using comics to convey his ideas isn't nearly so effective as it was before. One place where it is quite effective is in making points about the economics of comics distribution, a theme he spends a lot of time on. There is one major flaw I have to warn you about. The first half of the chapter _Big World, The Battle For Diversity_ is politically correct junk. (The second half is non-political, about diversity of genre, eg sci-fi, superheros, westerns etc) On the whole, Scott McCloud obviously knows a great deal about comics, but for this section, he appears to forget facts that are obvious to even the very casual reader of comics. For instance, anyone who's even glimpsed comics in passing, even just in the checkout line at the supermarket, has seen female heroines such as Wonder Woman created expressly to feminize comics, to lure female readers with a female image. Yet McCloud simply ignores this relentless feminization of comics and won't acknowledge that it undercuts his arguments. Rebutting this half-chapter point-by-point is beyond the scope of this review, so suffice it to say, it is dishonest stuff and really lowers the quality of the book. The book is otherwise OK. I don't entirely regret buying it, but I wish I'd been warned about the political correctness.
Rating:
Summary: The Next Difficult Steps
Review: Scott McCloud is one of the most knowledgable persone that you'll run across concerning the science and effects of the comics medium. This book is quite a bit more difficult to understand than the previous book Understanding Comics but it is interesting to read his views on economics, the future of comics, and the effects of computers (not necessarily better comics). I'll have to agree with McCloud that the major companies seldom have a clue about how to write about different ethnic groups (Marvel and DC's Asian characters have been atrocious). The use of computers in comics has made possible a wider variety of colors and special effects but it has not produced a more readable comic. The bottom line still is a good story and I think McCloud overrates the impact of the internet in comics' future. Understanding Comics should be read first before attempting this volume and Will Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art is most highly reommendeded.
Rating: 
Summary: Understanding the present of comics
Review: Thankfully this book is neither a 'How-To' in digital comics, nor a book praising the wonders of clunky web comics (which I feared when I first heard about it), for Scott McCloud the future of comics is much more about diversity, and a more direct connection between the reader and the author. If you read "Understanding Comics" (if not, you should), you already experienced Scott McCloud's love of sequential art firsthand in his very accessible analysis of the form. Having acknowledged the incredible potential the medium has to offer, "Reinventing Comics" brings us to terms with why we're not quite there yet. This book is not so much about comics themselves, as about comic books today in America (brief mentions are made to European and Japanese comics, but mostly to make clear what the book is not talking about). McCloud uses his concept of the 'twelve revolutions' to visit the shaping moments of American comic book history, and the current state of the industry. The book abounds with examples of comics that push the medium farther, facing many of the challenges posed (like ethnical diversity, feminine presence, and diverse genres and subject matters), most of which will be familiar to readers of current alternative comic books (Maus, Ghost World, Bone, Love and Rockets, Joe Sacco's works, etc.) The exposition is very clear and enjoyable, even for non comic book readers, which might as well be touched by the passion for the medium shown in every page. A vision is shared by McCloud with the reader, through this book, for a future of exciting possibilities. The future, indeed, is the theme of the second part of the book, in which the eventual marriage of digital technology and comic books is discussed. A somewhat lengthy (for my taste, I admit) explanation of the internet and other current technologies is given, along with very conservative calculations of what the future might look like. McCloud's case is very solid, as he doesn't try to predict, but rather to open a window, for everyone to see some of the many possibilities available. A final analysis of the form is made, as questions are raised about what sequential art is when free from the "tyranny" of the page.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely NOT "Understanding Comics"
Review: The idea behind this book was "computers, internet, and comics." Sounds great, but there was a bit too much explaining the history of computers and internet. It was necessary for those people who don't know, and I reccomend it for those who want to learn about computers / internet in general. However, as a seasoned computer tech of sorts, reading most of this book was like "eating 10 pounds of potato salad" as McCloud himself described his book at one time. Another problem is that the book is somewhat outdated. Comics on the web are proliferating successfully, and broadband and VERY fast computers are quite affordable now. It has good moments, though his first book "Understanding Comics" is much, much better. That is a landmark title for comics.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely NOT "Understanding Comics"
Review: The idea behind this book was "computers, internet, and comics." Sounds great, but there was a bit too much explaining the history of computers and internet. It was necessary for those people who don't know, and I reccomend it for those who want to learn about computers / internet in general. However, as a seasoned computer tech of sorts, reading most of this book was like "eating 10 pounds of potato salad" as McCloud himself described his book at one time. Another problem is that the book is somewhat outdated. Comics on the web are proliferating successfully, and broadband and VERY fast computers are quite affordable now. It has good moments, though his first book "Understanding Comics" is much, much better. That is a landmark title for comics.
Rating:
Summary: Hmm...
Review: There are some good points
This is not mind-altering
Not quite the first one
Rating:
Summary: Scott McCloud has helped legitimize an art form....
Review: This book is great in it's exploration of the topic and giving us beautiful new perspective on one of the most under rated and overlooked art forms. However, this book doesn't reach the peak that McCloud reached in his masterpiece "Understanding Comics" simply because of the more technical tone and the more specific relevance. His first book not only expanded minds on the idea of comic art or "sequential art" but he also expanded minds on the world in general and how we as humans express ourselves in life. This newer book expands on comic specific ideas so it loses the broad relevance. Still a must read for anyone who believes in this art form... and we all should.
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