McCloud Response

McCloud Reading Assignment

1.       Before you read:

    My favorite cartoon when I was younger was Ed, Edd and Eddy. I really enjoyed this show because it was about these three best friends who did everything together and where always brainstorming ideas on how to make money or get back at other neighborhood kids. The show was really funny because they all had their own flaws like Ed was tall, goofy, and stupid and always did the dumbest things. Then there was Eddy who was always about making money and was extremely greedy and this greed always seemed to get them in loads of trouble. I think I connect to these characters and the show because me and my neighborhood friends were always running around in the summer making lemonade stands and selling toys, pretty much did whatever we could to make some money and buy candy or the next best action figure. Also we were always being risky little kids and getting in trouble with our parents or with the older kids for messing around with them. I think I really connected to this even though we were completely different or the things they did were extremes it all just reminded me of my life and my friends and all the crazy stuff we did and went through together.

2.       Summary:

In Scott McClouds article “Vocabulary of Comic” Scott speaks a lot on the idea of icons and representation. Scott is trying to convey to his audience which is students and professors both the concept of icons and how they play a big role in our brain. We all process icons and their meanings subconsciously and never truly think about their effect or role they play. He talks about the different types of icons like symbols which represent ideas, beliefs and different concepts. Also there is icons that represent the language of science and communication these are practical or real icons such as letters, words, numbers and so on. Lastly there is the icons that are known as pictures and images which show and represent their specific subject. He argues that we have all these icons but we often separate or linger from the real realm and go towards more simplistic images because it allows us to relate or see ourselves. Scott is saying that we are a selfish breed us humans, which we choose to see ourselves in all icons or to create and find a self-image. He talks about how everything we create or watch we somehow find a way to see ourselves in it. That the more we go towards simplicity and away from realistic representation the more we use this to see ourselves and relate to the image or icon. He believes that as children watching cartoons and using drawings are not just observing they are becoming; as children we use these things for self-identification and awareness and it carries on with us as we grow.

3.       Synthesis:

In this comic or short article McCloud talks about the use of comics and cartoons for children to self-identify. That when we are young we see these simple “icons” and use them to see and find ourselves which in turn takes effect in our lives as we progressively grow older. This relates to Kantz in a very weird way I think that both authors are very open-minded and seem to believe in the effect of things around us whether it’s TV or a magazine. The authors talk about two completely different subjects but the same idea for instance Kantz argues that we are often influenced by what we read and what the book or article tells us. She says that students always read this and take it for what it is instead of questioning or examining the claims of fact and fiction. McCloud is similar to this concept because he argues that we are influenced by these cartoons when were young that these icons have an effect on what we feel or believe. He talks about how we relate to these simple forms such as cartoons because it allows us to have identification and relation to the character which affects our concepts and beliefs as we grow.

1.      Discussion and Journaling:

I think that adults still like the concept of simple cartoons because it’s exactly like what we watched when we were younger. People grow older but these little things or icons that allowed us to relate and identify as a kid subconsciously helped and affected our lives so when we watch cartoons now we subconsciously search for that same chance and feeling of identification. I don’t think there ever is an age at which it’s inappropriate to watch or read comics. There is nothing wrong with them it’s just another form of art and entertainment adults often stop watching it claiming it is for children but there are many adult comic books and adult cartoons such as Family Guy, Furturama, South Park and the list goes on. These cartoons are created for adults to relate to and it’s often a simple and effective way to entertain people while still seeking a purpose whether it is just laughter or political views. I think that McCloud would be very upset with the idea of being too old to watch cartoons or read comics because he himself knows and argues for the idea that they are something we use to fill in the gap. They are there for us to discover or relate to who we are and what we choose to identify with or as.

2.      Discussion and Journaling:

The idea to use a comic book style to argue his point was very clever and effective. I think it really helped drive his point across because as you read on you thought exactly what he said next and it was almost as though he was reading your mind. Also that when he showed examples he would tell you how you saw it or what they meant to you and he was right, it’s pretty wild how he was able to relate to my thoughts and concepts as I read. Also this was very useful because it was a very good article written but also visually. The visuals and just the overall comic book theme drove his points across and allowed the audience to see and understand what he was saying much better. If Scott choose to write it just like an average article I think it would lose all of its effectiveness because many of his examples were visual such as simplify a character to a smiley face. If he just wrote it out there would be no way for the audience to see what he was saying and arguing.

1.      Applying and Exploring:

I think that visual imagery is a very effective way of teaching. This allows students to get more involved and help develop and see the idea or concept discussed a lot better. Teaching with visuals can be a great strategy for many classes and lessons. The use of visuals would be great for explaining and helping students perform math problems. Math students often suffer relating or getting the concept of a word problem when it is just written out but when given a visual example the students have something to relate and identify with so they no longer struggle to think of the concept.

2.      Applying and Exploring:

McCloud argues this because the more real or vivid an image becomes the more we see it for what it is. The difference is when you start to simplify and idea, image or icon you start to relate and see yourself as the character compared to when you see a real image you tend to just see the character for what they are and you just understand. McCloud believes that when the icon becomes simpler you not only understand but you relate and identify. I have related to many real images but it’s only through relation I never feel a connection or self-identification with the image. I have seen many cartoons and have related myself to characters or episodes but when the cartoon becomes simpler I am able to see myself as that person.

4.       Thoughts on the reading:

I thought this was a very fun and interesting article to read. This was a lot more drawing and interesting to me because it had many visuals and allowed me to really see and fully understand his argument and the concepts he was talking about. Also it was a lot shorter and directly to the point compared to the past articles which seemed very long and drawn out. This article is helpful because it allowed me to realize the effectives of comics and cartoons. This article showed me how icons affect us or appear to us subconsciously without even knowing its happening. I was glad we read this I learned a lot and it was actually just a fun article in the way it was presented and the subject he choose to argue about.