Setting the Record Straight

As I turned to page six hundred and ninety three to begin reading “Setting the Record Straight” by Scott McCloud, I was shocked to discover that this was not like our standard readings. This reading was written in the form of a comic book.
Although comic books are not a component of my selected reading, McCloud did a wonderful job in assisting me gain a better perspective on this form of writing. McCloud began the comic explaining the various stereotypes placed on comics. “Comics were those bright, colorful magazines filled with bad art, stupid stories, and guys in tights”. I found it very interesting how McCloud breaks down the idea of comics into simple elements and eventually, as the comic progresses, illustrates the big picture ; comics are not just those magazines filled with bad art, but can be associated all the way back to ancient times which use illustrations as a way to convey information. McCloud also wanted to inform us that we should truly take an appreciation for comics because in history, they were only read by the rich and powerful and due to the invention of printing, that kind of luxury has been made accessible to the average person.
Another point which I found to be very interesting was how we view comics as being only for young children and yet, hundreds of years ago, all that was used to communicate to the reader was illustrations. We have become so advanced in writing that we want to communicate as much as possible in as little of a space as possible. Thus, the invention of words came to play allowing us to do just that. We have now gained the ability to communicate all that a thirty-six foot long screen-fold can converse in just a few sheets of paper. Reading “Setting the Record Straight” by Scott McCloud has certainly made me grasp the broader idea of comics. The manner in which he utilizes his words and illustrations reaches out to those readers who consider comic books as being nothing more than just colorful magazines with bad art.