Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In Understanding Comics, McCloud makes a claim about the universality of comic art.

• What specific claim does McCloud make on this topic? (topic sentence)
• What evidence does McCloud offer to back up his claim?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how McCloud’s claims about the universality of comic art are intended to bolster his larger claims about Comics as Reflective of the History of Art and Literature.

2. In Understanding Comics, McCloud is concerned with Prejudice Against Comics. One of his concerns is that comics are seen as simplistic.

• What relationship does McCloud see between the alleged simplicity of comics and people’s refusal to take them seriously as an art form?
• What evidence does McCloud offer to show why comics are not as simple as they seem?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate whether McCloud has successfully argued against this misunderstanding of comics and supported his theme that Prejudice Against Comics is unwarranted.

3. In Understanding Comics, McCloud offers contradictory perspectives about the profession of comic artist.

• Based on McCloud’s comments throughout Understanding Comics, does he seem to see comic art as a desirable career or occupation? (topic sentence)
• What are the positives of getting involved with comic art that McCloud discusses?
• What are the negative aspects of this career, according to McCloud?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, sum up the balance of evidence as to whether or not McCloud really believes more people should become involved with creating comic art.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Understanding Comics is intended to demonstrate that comics can successfully be used to convey complex ideas. Does the book do this, or does it fall short? What would your criteria be for “successfully” conveying complex ideas? Are there other formats that might be more successful? Does it matter that many of the ideas McCloud is trying to convey are visual in nature? Write an essay in which you take and defend a position about whether the format of Understanding Comics is an effective argument for the proposition that comics can be used to convey complex ideas. Support your assertions with evidence from throughout the text, and be sure to cite any quoted material.

2. What claims does McCloud make about simplified images and universality? What does this imply about how the communicative power of images is related to their specificity versus their abstraction? What claims does McCloud make about abstraction and the transition from representative images to written language? What is the basis for his argument that comics can communicate more effectively than written language alone? Write an essay in which you examine the various points that McCloud makes about abstraction in language and in comic art and come to a conclusion about whether these points are logically consistent. Support your assertions with evidence from throughout the text and be sure to cite any quoted material.

3. In Understanding Comics, McCloud makes a strong claim for Comics as an Underappreciated Fine Art. What does McCloud’s definition of “fine art” seem to be? Is this a complete and accurate definition? By the criteria he establishes, does Understanding Comics itself function as a piece of fine art? Write an essay that evaluates Understanding Comics as a piece of fine art and that comments on the meaning of its success or failure in meeting this standard. Support your assertions with evidence from throughout the text and be sure to cite any quoted material and outside sources.