Those who recognize the name Scott McCloud probably do so because of his cult-classic, superhero comic book series "Zot!," or perhaps his series of comic theory books, "Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics," and "Making Comics" are familiar. He has lectured at Pixar, Microsoft, The Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University and MIT, and soon he will be coming to Dartmouth College with his presentation "Comics: A Medium in Transition."
Born in Boston, Mass., McCloud has been drawing and writing independent comics ever since his highly successful debut in 1984 with "Zot!" -- a lighthearted superhero series created in response to the increasingly grim path the superhero genre was sauntering down in the 1980s. His other published comics include "Destroy!!," a single issue superhero spoof comic, the graphic novel "The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln," and 12 issues of writing for DC Comics' "Superman Adventures." He hosts his more 'bizarre work' online at his website, where he experiments with 'trails' (a McCloud-coined term for panel links) and the 'infinite canvas' the web browser provides, as opposed to the finite space on the printed page.
Probably better known as a comic theorist than a comic book artist, McCloud has published a series of books, including the aforementioned "Understanding Comics," which has been translated into 15 languages and is described by Will Eisner as "a landmark dissection and intellectual consideration of comics as a valid medium." It was a Harvey and Eisner Award winner, and was followed by the more controversial "Reinventing Comics," which advocates the importance of web comics and looks into the future of the genre. This year, McCloud released the third book in the series, "Making Comics."
His visit to the College is, in fact, part of the "Making Comics 50 State Tour" -- a country-wide trip that McCloud and his family embarked on in September 2006 in order to celebrate the Harper Collins release of "Making Comics." The McClouds are booking seminars and blogging their experiences (http://community.livejournal.com/mccloudtour) along the way. The journey is set to finish on August 2007 in Hawaii.
The presentation is one of many public speaking events that McCloud has headed. He has given visual lectures at a variety of prestigious venues, and also has taught seminars at MIT and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He has covered such topics as comics storytelling, online comics, and Japanese comics, or manga.
In his presentations, he utilizes a technique called the "visual lecture" in which there are fast-changing images, browser demos and on-screen sketching.
In "Comics: A Medium in Transition," McCloud will be covering such topics as the ambitions presented by the graphic novel and the international influences on American comics.
McCloud is obviously able to place the unpredictable trends of the comics landscape into perspective, as he is an inventor of several revolutionary approaches. He developed the 24-hour comic in 1990, with the aim of minimizing contemplation that restricted the creative flow. He also produced one of the first comics influenced by Japanese manga, and was one of the earliest supporters for the online comic revolution.
"Comics: A Medium in Transition" will take place on Oct. 19, at 4:15 p.m. in Rockefeller Room 002.
