Indie Edge August 2011: Scott McCloud

SCOTT MCCLOUD

Scott McCloud has been making comics professionally since 1984. His first series Zot! garnered multiple Harvey and Eisner Award nominations. He began the international 24-Hour Comics movement, wrote the Bill of Rights for Comics Creators, and was one of the very first American comics artists to incorporate Manga influences into his work — nearly 20 years before Manga exploded onto the American comics industry.

McCloud's books, Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics, have inspired generations of readers in over 15 languages. His theories have been influential in game, web, and interface design and he's lectured on comics and digital media at Google, MIT, Pixar, Stanford and Sony. Frank Miller (SinCity, 300) has described McCloud as "…just about the smartest guy in comics." His online comics can be found at scottmccloud.com.

McCloud is working on a massive graphic novel project for First Second Books (working title: The Sculptor).

Classic Works from Scott McCloud…

Making Comics (SEP108133)           $22.99	Understanding Comics (JAN098101)          $22.99	Reinventing Comics (JAN074155)   $22.95

For Your Reading Pleasure, Scott McCloud Recommends These Personal Favorites

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Anya's Ghost (MAR111153)	Smile (DEC090873)	Mercury (OCT091070)

Right now, I'm especially encouraged by the rise of young adult comics by women. Some of my favorite new artists are creating in this space now, building an army of young readers who'll change the face of comics in the coming years. Raina Telgemeier's dental drama Smile (DEC090873) is a model for comics about everyday life that hits readers where they live. Hope Larson's Mercury (OCT091070) has all the richness of the best young adult fiction (and she's now adapting A Wrinkle in Time—wow!). And Vera Brosgol's long-anticipated Anya's Ghost (MAR111153) is my pick for best book of the year. This is an audience hungry for great stories; and great storytellers are taking up the challenge!