[Insert Image Here]

We have done a bit of a travel throughout these couple of assigned readings for this class. From John Locke and Derrida, we went from dissecting the meaning of words, to reconstructing language based off of one’s knowledge and connection. Now that we are approaching McCloud's “The Vocabulary of Comics” I can’t help but notice that he is eliminating words and focusing on images and icons. What a transformation indeed. His approach on tackling his main point by using a comic strip was genius! For some reason it was a lot more relatable reading his points in that manner, and understanding how he may feel as well as others based off of the images he used. 

This is Not LAW

This is Not a Pig

This is Not a Car

He basically explains to us that these are just icons, of what we connect to the image. "these are images we use to represent concepts, ideas, and philosophies." (pp. 27) McClouds definition for the word icon is "any image used to represent a person, place, thing or idea."

Place (icon)

Idea (icon)

Person (icon)

In Scott McCloud’s ‘Vocabulary of Comics’ he explains the theory of simplicity and how it works in our minds. Humans use icons to represent things, some being more realistic then others, but in our heads they are all realistic. "We humans are a self-centered race. We see ourselves in everything. We assign identities and emotions where none exist. And we make the world over in our image." (pp. 33) And the iconic image he uses multiple times to exemplify "our image" is this simple straight face smiley which to me may be exemplifying a sad emotions  but to others may be giving a sarcastic look. Because it is so bland  there is an endless possibility of emotions flowing from this cartoon.

 By creating things in less detail it helps us focus on certain things besides a lot of unnecessary details. We see ourselves in less detail so it’s easy for us to put ourselves in the place of a cartoon and connect to them. Maybe that explains why i was able to read this reading and enjoy it so much. I was able to relate to the cartoon "icon" representing McCloud. When he was confused, i was confused, when he understood an idea and showed some excitement  i was able to relate and insert my own emotions. Now if it was a real image of McCloud, i wonder if i would be saying the same thing. McCloud summarized cartooning in an interesting way. Cartooning (icons) allows the author to express emotions or specific characteristic of a face easily by leaving out unnecessary details and emphasizing on the ones he wants to show. By eliminating the unnecessary details and emphasizing the ones the you want to express, it becomes possible to tell a story without using words.

Guess The Song:

Guess The Song

Works Cited

McCloud, Scott. “The Vocabulary of Comics.” In Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: Harper Collins, 1994. 24-45.