3. This presentation will be going over the
McCloud Concepts and what they mean. This
will also show how these concepts are used in
the comic issue of, The Adventures of Superman.
4. This is where I believe the
concept of subject to subject
transitions are put in play
because it shows a
conversation between
Superman and a civilian
while going back and fourth
amongst their faces.
The concept shown here is “Subject to
Subject” it is a transition in which a
sequence will go back and fourth
between two characters.
5. This is an example
of “Choice of
Frame” it shows
different views of
the room allowing
the reader to get a
good look of what's
in the room.
“Choice of Frame”, this is what an artist has
to decide in order to figure out what his
readers will be able to see. Especially when
there are details that are important in the
future.
6. This frame shows an
example of symmetry. Both
sides of Superman's face are
essentially the same, from
his eyes to his eyebrows. It
makes the reader see how
much he is like us.
The concept talked about in this section is
“Symmetry”. It is part of the building
blocks of life. People tend to see most living
things in one way and giving them
symmetry strengthens that idea.
7. The concept of facial
expressions is put to work
here as the reader can tell
from the confused look on
Superman's face that he
doesn’t know why the
woman is pouring the salt
out.
The concept explained in this panel is
“Facial Expressions”. Expressions can
help to show a characters emotions or
thoughts. If someone is sad you cannot
give them a happy look you would need
to make them cry or frown.
8. This is a scene that puts the
concept of body language
in to focus. You can tell
that superman is being
stern by his strait face and
the pointing of the finger
as well as the clenched fist.
The concept of body language is
explained in this panel by
McCloud. It gives the reader an
idea of the type of person that
the character is. It also allows the
character to send a message
without speaking.
9. This scene shows the use of words
to create sound, and add a clearer
environment to the picture by
using words to make chewing
noises.
This concept is about how words can
give a character a voice and can also
give the scene an emotion or
atmosphere.
10. The concept portrayed in this
scene is the Picture-Specific
concept. As you can see in the
bottom panel, Superman is
confusingly staring at the
woman and no words are
needed to portray this.
The Picture-Specific concept is used to
create a scene without using words. It
is essentially the artist ability to make a
picture speak without the use of
words.
11. This is a scene that uses a balance of
words and pictures to create the
scene. As depicted there are people
asking for change and superman
offers to buy a sandwich for him.
The man gets offended and begins
complaining about people do that.
The concept used the
“intersecting” concept. In which a
scene uses a balance of words and
picture to create the scene and the
environment allowing the reader
to easily figure out what is
happening.
12. In this scene there are words used
within a picture to give important
information to a reader about
someone's dad who has gone missing.
The concept that is being used is
a “Montage”. A montage
incorporates words into a picture
to give a reader important
information or to create a new
environment.
13. In this scene Sense of Depth is
used. The environment picture
here starts off clear and gets
more blended and smaller
toward the back . This creates
the scene of a deep
environment.
The concept that is covered in this panel
is “Sense of Depth”. This concept gives
an environment a real feeling because it
adds distance and perspective into the
scene making the scene look more
realistic and not so much of a cartoon.
14. In this scene you can see multiple
Establishing Shots. The dark and
eerie scenes are used to allow the
reader to see that the story takes place
in a bad area and makes the story
more suspenseful.
An “Establishing Shot” is used to
give the reader an idea of where the
story or next few scenes will be
taking place. It lets them see the
whole area versus what is just
shown in a small panel when people
are talking or fighting.
15. This scene depicts another aspect of
body language. This shows high
versus low body placement and from
that you can tell that in the middle
scene that superman is the person in
power as he is higher (taller) than the
other man.
The concept of high versus low is
explained in this scene. The idea of
this concept is that the character who
is depicted higher in a scene is
generally more powerful than the
lower character.
16. In this scene you can see the use of
the emphasis concept. In the word
bubble the woman says “Excuse
Me?” and it is bolded. Because of the
larger letters you can tell that she is
more authoritative when she says it
compared to the rest of the words.
McCloud talks about Emphasis in
this panel. Emphasis is the
enlargement of letters and words to
add emotion or to add a little extra
something onto the word.
17. This scene is using the concept
of perspective to create a
realistic environment. This scene
shows a street view in a city and
as can be seen the buildings in
the distance seem to all meet at a
single point as they get smaller
and closer.
The concept that McCloud talks about in
this panel is that of “Western
Perspective”. This is basically the
background of a scene disappearing in the
distance at a horizon point to add depth
to the scene.
18. In this scene you can see the use of the
Action to Action concept. It starts of
with Superman and a woman walking
down an alley then climbing trough a
fence then finally walking up to some
people.
The “Action to Action” concept
that is explained here is basically a
series of panels in which characters
stay in a single scene but go throw
sequential actions, like from
punching to kicking between the
span of two panels.
19. In this scene the use of
exaggerated body language is
prominent. As Superman is
lecturing his attackers you can see
that he is very flexed for just
yelling at someone. This makes
his lecture seem more serious.
The concept depicted in this panel by
McCloud is of “Exaggerated Poses”. It is
the used to add more emotion or character
to the scene making it more “serious”.
20. This scene shows the importance of
hands in a picture. As can be figured
out, Superman is getting anxious and
a little irritated by the interlocking of
his fingers while he waits for his
guest to finish her food.
The concept talked about in this panel
is the use of hands in body language.
They can add deeper emotion or
another emotion into the mix by their
placement and the actions that the
hands are involved in.
21. Through the course of reading the McCloud
book the reader got a better idea of just how
much work goes into creating comics, and that
its not just about drawing pictures and adding
words, but immersing the reader in the world
which it all takes place. It also shows how the
smallest details can help bring a story forward.
All of the concepts that were shown in the
McCloud book can be utilized to create better
comics. They also can help any artist even if it
is not for a comic.
