Understanding Comics, The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud

Using a combination of interesting graphics, cartoons, and text, Scott McCloud takes the reader on an illuminating tour of art, communication, and design.

Cover of Comics, The Invisible Art

Who hasn't thought "gee, it would be great to create comics!" Many think about it, but few put in the time, effort, study, sweat, and tears that it takes to actually do it. Scott McCloud clearly has and it shows. He has thought about comics a lot, and shares what he has figured in Understanding Comics, The Invisible Art.

It's not a "how to draw" or "how to write" comics guide. But, anyone aspiring to the art or seeking to gain a better appreciation of this often maligned medium will be richly rewarded by the short time it takes to absorb it.

Graphics About Graphics

Go ahead, try to define "comics" (comics is a plural that takes a singular verb). It's not that easy. Which is why McCloud's definition is so impressive:

Juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or produce an aesthetic response in the viewer.

Or, perhaps his shorter version is preferred: Sequential art.

McCloud support his definition with fantastic examples. He proceeds to explain the problems that comics artists face and the ways they have discovered to overcome them. It would be hard to improve upon a simple list of the chapter titles to properly describe the rich and thorough treatment McCloud gives his subject:

1. Setting the Record Straight
2. The Vocabulary of Comics
3. Blood in the Gutter
4. Time Frames
5. Living in Line
6. Show and Tell
7. The Six Steps
8. A Word About Color
9. Putting it All Together

That pretty well covers it as well as it can be done in 215 pages.

 

Comics, the Invisible Art

Why "the invisible art?" Interesting subtitle. At first it doesn't seem to make sense because comics is, above all else, a visual form of expression. But despite the clever techniques comics creators use to show the passage of time, the existence of sound (KAPOW!), and motion, all the images in comics can be nothing more than static symbols. Some symbols are pictures (varying from the highly realistic to the extremely abstract), some are words, and others are simply lines.

Yet the potential for engaging story telling are nearly infinite. Something as simple as the size and shape of a panel, or the space between panels (the gutter) can have a profound effect on how a comic is perceived and reacted to by the reader. Hence, much of the effect produced by a masterfully designed comic or graphic novel are not readily apparent and happen in the subconscious imagination. Invisible indeed.

From Primitive Art to Graphic Novel

McCloud pays due respect to many artists (both comics artists and others of note) as he attempts (only partially by his own admission) to explain where comics came from, how they have evolved, and their relation to other art forms. Wisely, he makes little attempt to predict where comics may be going. That would be beyond the powers of human prediction.

After reading and viewing (experiencing really) Understanding Comics, the world of graphic novels and comic books cannot be perceived in the same way as it was before--no matter how familiar the subject may have been. McCloud effectively elevates comics to a form of expression on par with any other. It's a well deserved promotion.


McCloud, Scott; Understanding Comics, The Invisible Art; New York, NY: HarperPerrenial, 1994

The Beginner's Guide to Pinhole Photography by Jim Shull

The Beginner's Guide to Pinhole Photography

 Fancy digital SLR cameras are a lot of fun and take great pictures. In this world of continuing advancements in the ease of use and capabilities of all manner of gadgets, it's easy to to forget the simple ideas that had to come first. So much can be learned from revisiting the more primitive implementations of just about any technology. Making and using pinhole cameras and learning about pinhole photography is a fun and valuable experience for any photographer and can be rewarding in its own right.

Jim Shull's 1999 book The Beginner's Guide to Pinhole Photography is a classic in the field. Although it is not the most technical treatment of the subject, it is a perfect introduction to pinhole photography, or—as Shell prefers to call it--"fotography."

Easy Ideas for Pinhole Cameras

Before deciding how to make a first move into the world of pinhole, it is a good idea to read through the entire book. Having accomplished that, the interested reader will know where to comfortably begin. Some outside help in the form of web research to get more specific advice on camera construction would be helpful. You could get really creative and even make a camera out of LEGO.

After a brief explanation of why a pinhole camera works, basic ideas on constructing a camera are presented. The aperture is of course a critical component of any pinhole camera. It is possible to create an image using a hole poked in the side of a shoe box with a pin, but a good pinhole camera that does not make. Shell provides an excellent method for constructing a good aperture using a thin sheet of brass.

A pinhole camera housing can be made out of just about anything so long as few basic requirements are met. For those unusual cases where a suitable box or can cannot be found, a plan for a camera made out of card stock is included in the back of the book.

Getting Started With Pinhole Photography

Camera in hand, it is time to take and develop some pictures. Oh, and a dark room of some sort will be needed. No worries. Shell gives some practical and useful tips for constructing a simple darkroom, set up with the bare essentials for producing prints.

The author has left plenty up to the photographer. Shell has not provided a detailed step-by-step guide to becoming an expert in the technique and art of pinhole. Some data for aperture diameters, focal lengths, and exposure times are provided. It's just enough information to get started.

A first pinhole camera probably won't be the ultimate. Initial attempts at producing an image may fail and learning to develop film takes some practice. The best way to learn any new skill is to get out and do it and learn from mistakes. This book provides an excellent starting point to begin that journey.

Although it seems to out of print, The Beginner's Guide to Pinhole Photography is available used (at collector's item prices) and there is a good chance a decent-sized library system will have a copy. Thanks to the publisher, it is also available in e-reader editions.

The Beginner's Guide to Pinhole Photography; Jim Shull; Amherst Media, Inc.; Buffalo, NY: 2010

Note: This book review first appeared at Suite101.com.

On Speed by Nicolas Rasmussen

The Many Lives of Amphetamine

On Speed is an account of the discovery, marketing, and sale of a simple yet powerful drug. It's a history of legal use, abuse, amphetamine addiction, and money.

Cover of On Speed

It goes by many many names on the street: speed, crystal, meth (or crystal meth), crank, and go fast. In medical and pharmaceutical circles benzedrine, amphetamine sulfate, dexedrine or methamphetamine are common monikers. It has helped the obese to lose weight, decongested sinuses, inspired soldiers to charge hills, offered housewives an afternoon pickup, and more recently found a use in treating attention deficit disorder. Powerful and profitable stuff for sure.

Nicolas Rasmussen, Associate Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of New South Wales, has written a detailed and scholarly history of one of the most controversial drugs ever invented. This isn't a "meth is bad" diatribe—in fact, methamphetamine is not the focus, although it is a powerful derivative of the base drug amphetamine. On Speed is a well-researched look at the discovery, marketing, and legal use (both good and bad) of amphetamines.

Benzedrine—The First Blockbuster Pharmaceutical

Although Gordon Alles was not the first to synthesize what he called beta-phenyl-isopropylamine (amphetamine), his own synthesis and injection of 50mg of the substance in 1929 set the compound on a billion dollar journey that isn't over yet. Alles seems to have rather liked it. It certainly piqued his scientific curiosity (and his business sense).

Alles was interested in the drug's ability to increase blood pressure and heart rate, and its potential to improve breathing. Eventually Alles joined up with pharmaceutical firm Smith, Kline and French (SKF). SKF had a new decongestant (identical to Alles' amphetamine) they called Benzedrine which was packaged in an inhaler. The company needed new drug discoveries, and Alles seemed like just the guy it needed. It turned out to be a good deal for both parties and together they turned Benzedrine and other amphetamines into highly profitable products through well-funded research, mass marketing, and by building cozy relationships with doctors.

The Amphetamine Pill Craze of the 50's and 60's

Another of amphetamine properties to be exploited was it's ability to suppress appetite. Doctors started proscribing it as a weight loss product. The fact that it made the user feel good and have more pep wasn't such a bad thing either.

The military used (and still uses) large quantities in combat operations. Tired housewives could mop a little longer, and feel good about it. Rasmussen does an excellent (if sometimes rather dry) job of chronicling the rise and fall of amphetamine as a diet pill and antidepressant throughout the 50's and 60's up until it's hard landing in the 70's.

Amphetamines for Attention Deficit Disorder

Amphetamine use for weight control and mood elevation gradually fell out of favor, and even became illegal, as the drug's serious side effects were finally recognized (and admitted to) by the pharmaceutical marketing machine and medical professionals. The drug companies needed another market.

One was found in the treatment of a growing problem of mysterious cause—attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The mind focuses better on speed, and contrary to common sense, amphetamines have a calming effect on a hyperactive mind—enter the next phase of research and marketing.

Although amphetamines may still be prescribed to treat cases of severe obesity, it continues in widespread use for treating ADD, ADHD, and narcolepsy. It will continue to be diverted from legal channels, and illicit manufacture goes on. Speed will remain a profitable, as well as dangerous, drug for quite some time to come.

On Speed, 2008, Nicolas Rasmussen, New York University Press, New York, NY

Uranium by Tom Zoellner

Cover of Uranium

Continuing on a geological theme he began with The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds (2006), Tom Zoellner provides a sweeping account of uranium. Few metals have been surrounded by as much intrigue, danger and promise as the 92nd element of the periodic table.

Uranium Geology and Uranium Mining

Uranium is not rare. It is the 40th most abundant element on earth (30 times more abundant than silver). The author takes the reader on a tour of uranium history beginning with its discovery and purification, and the discovery of uranium radioactivity and nuclear fission.

Mining uranium ore is dangerous business. Although the book does not go into a lot of detail, you will finish it with some idea of its hazards, where the major ore deposits are, and how it is processed into yellow cake (uranium oxide) and transported around the world. If you like rocks it's great; if not, then it's probably boring.

Zoellner does a nice job of describing the early scramble of governments that tried to obtain as much uranium as they could. The uranium prospecting boom of the 50's was an interesting time. As could be expected, there have been (and continue to be) numerous rip-off schemes surrounding uranium prospecting and mining, the sale of uranium mine stock, and other uranium investment schemes.

Uranium as a Weapon

The story of the weaponization of uranium to make atomic bombs is by now a familiar one. Zoellner spends little time retelling the history of the Manhattan Project and Soviet era weapons development programs. Outside of a few interesting anecdotes, these episodes in uranium history have been left to other accounts (of which there are many).

The current state of nuclear security, or more accurately the lack thereof, in the former Russian republics is discussed and a number of examples of known nuclear theft are recounted. A significant amount of nuclear material has gone missing from various parts of the world and Zoellner provides some speculation as to what might have happened to it.

The outline of how Pakistan came to achieve the bomb and posses a nuclear arsenal of perhaps one hundred warheads is enlightening. Given that Pakistan is a country of 175 million people with a literacy rate of 30%, currently in the throws of a fundamentalist uprising, it holds one's interest.

The nuclear ambitions of Iran are also covered. The reader is left with the impression that Iran's intents are not entirely peaceful. Throw in the little known nuclear energy project in Yemen, and there is plenty of worrisome information to digest.

Uranium Politics and Business

There has always been political intrigue and business scheming surrounding uranium. This is no surprise given its use as an energy source and of course as a weapon-making material. In the early days, the price of uranium was kept artificially high by a cartel of producers that conspired to control prices and divide the sales up so none would go out of business.

During the later part of the 20th century the value of uranium plummeted as nuclear power fell out of favor for environmental reasons and after several high-profile reactor accidents. Times are changing though and Zoellner reviews the current state of the uranium market (yellow cake is selling for $50-$70 a pound in mid 2009) and the prospect for a resurgence in reactor building and employment for nuclear engineers.

For anyone with an interest in nuclear energy, weapons proliferation, or the intersection of science, technology and politics Uranium is worth the time. It reads almost like a novel, with a minimum of technical jargon, making it accessible to just about anyone with a desire to learn more about this fascinating metal.

Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World, 2009, Tom Zoellner, Penguin Books Ltd.

Ice by Karal Ann Marling

Cover of Ice

Karal Ann Marling, author of Ice, makes it clear she is no scientist. Those looking for a treatise on the physical and chemical aspects of frozen water won't find it here. What one will find though, is an easy to read, casual survey of some high points in the history of ice, and stories of how people use it and think about it. Ice is not a technical book, but more of a series of historical essays, with a bit of social science thrown in for good measure.

This is the kind of book you can pick up and put down without worrying too much about where it's been or where it's going. There is no definite sequence, no particular focus. It seems as though the author picked a handful of interesting things surrounding ice, and wrote about them.

Polar Exploration

There is some coverage of the human fascination with the poles that kept explorers in trouble for the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Franklin, Peary, Scott, Shackleton and a few others all get their mention. It's hard to pin down exactly what the author is getting at, but it seems to be something like "humans are an odd lot, and they don't treat strangers very well." That's just the way it was.

The Golden Age of the Ice Palace

Ice palaces are usually erected as part of an ice festival, several of which are still at various cold locations around the world. These ice palaces are particularly fascinating to Marling. One can learn quite a bit about them from reading Ice. Like everything else in the book, it's not too deep, not too trite, just a smooth flow from one anecdote to another, with more of the "gee that's sort of a strange thing to do" sense about it. Kind of fun actually.

All About Ice

Ice cream, the advent of refrigeration and the ice trade, ice in literature, film, and art, and icebergs each get a turn. Throw in a final chapter on climate change and its affect on the planet's ice, and it's a wrap. Read them in any order, or skip ones that don't excite. With a few exceptions, the latter material doesn't rely on or reference the earlier.

The book includes sidebar-like additions that throw in short points of interest about ice and iciness. This adds to the "bathroom reader" quality of the book (no offense intended). Pick it up for a minute here and there, put down again. Open it anywhere and read a bit. No pressure.

If cold weather, ice, and snow are fascinating, then Ice is a pleasure. It's probably even more fun to read on a beach and not in an igloo.

Ice, 2008, Karal Ann Marling, Borealis Books, St. Paul, MN

Apollo Through the Eyes of the Astronauts

Apollo Through the Eyes of the Astronauts

Is another pictorial history of the Apollo moon missions needed? Sure! Fans of space exploration and the history of space flight will welcome this collection of photos into their libraries.

The book begins with a forward by physicist Steven Hawking and his daughter, writer Lucy Hawking. The Hawkings defend the admittedly enormous expenditures required to maintain a space exploration program and clearly support continued missions to better understand Earth's galactic neighborhood.

After the forward, and a short introduction, it's all pictures. Wonderful pictures that reflect the hard work and effort, dangers and triumphs, of America's Apollo space exploration program.

A History in Pictures

Only a few people get to travel in space. Fewer still have been all the way to the moon and back. So, it is through photography that the rest of the world can best share in this human accomplishment.

Although the video sent from the lunar surface in July, 1969 was fuzzy, the still photos that came back were excellent. Some photos are in dramatic black and white while others are in full color. It is interesting to note that the resolution of the photos did not improve all that much from 1968 to 1973. But then again, these photos were chosen for whatever reasons the astronauts had for choosing them, and not necessarily for their technical excellence.

Apollo 7 Through Apollo 17

The images in the book are presented in mission sequence, beginning with the first manned flight of Apollo 7. At first look it appears that the editors chose not to include anything from the tragic training mission, that was later dubbed Apollo 1, in which three astronauts lost their lives in a fire. This seems like an oversight, but no. At the very end, the book is dedicated to Grissom, White and Chafee, who were in the ill-fated capsule when tragedy struck.

Although the images are presented in mission sequence (Apollo 7—Apollo 17), they are not in sequence within each mission. This actually adds to the interest of the photos. Since the photos were chosen by the astronauts simply as their favorites, it would not necessarily make sense to arrange them in launch-to-recovery order.

This book makes a fine companion to Voices From the Moon, which also came out in 2009 in commemoration of the moon missions. There is a little overlap between the two, but while Voices features the words and thoughts of the astronauts, Apollo Through the Eyes of the Astronauts is more of a personal visual remembrance.

Jacobs, R., Cabbage, M., Moore, C., and Ulrich, B. eds. Apollo Through the Eyes of the Astronauts. New York, NY. Abrams: 2009

Differential Equations for Dummies by Steven Holzner

Cover of DE for Dummies

The cover of Differential Equations for Dummies, by Steven Holzner, claims the book will allow the reader to increase equation-solving skills and tackle higher-dimension math concepts. Holzner is a good writer and he complies with the editorial requirement for a cute and friendly conversational style. One would hope that this would lead to a brilliant illumination of the fundamentals of differential equations leading to mastery of the subject. Not likely.

Differential Equations for Dummies?

Differential Equations (DE) is a class often taken by engineering and science students after a calculus sequence. Indeed DE makes no sense without a good background in calculus. Is there a way to make DE easier to understand and apply than the way the subject is usually presented in a formal class that uses a formal DE textbook? If there is, Holzner hasn't found it.

It's not the author's fault. He has been given a nearly impossible task. If the approach had been to offer analogies to illustrate what is really going on with DE, in order to provide some base-level insight into that derivative and integral world, that might have been useful. There would have been a lot more drawings, diagrams and illustrations, and a lot less "symbol pushing." As it is, the explanations and examples are little different from what are found in many introductory texts, only bracketed by friendly conversation intended to reassure the reader that it's really not all that hard.

So what's the point? There isn't one. Anyone with sufficient background to understand what Holzner is talking about doesn't need this book. Anyone who lacks sufficient background will find it incomprehensible.

From First Order Differential Equations to Numerical Methods

The book does discuss and provide worked examples of problems likely to be encountered in a course on differential equations. First and higher order DE, power series, Laplace transforms and Euler's method--they're all here. Some of the discussions are actually interesting and do provide insight into how certain forms of equations are generally approached and solved. But just barely.

The author is fond of presenting an equation and coolly stating something like "...and then with a little rearranging, the equation becomes..." while leaving out the intermediate steps. That doesn't seem like the right approach for a book aimed at dummies.

Minimal Differential Equations Help

A major weakness in the book is that there are no practice problems with worked solutions for the DE student to attempt. Reading about how to solve math problems is fine, but it has been said that mathematics is not a spectator sport. In other words, math is best "learned through the arm." Insufficient arm movement (as is required to drag a pencil across a piece of paper) is prompted in this book.

The best part of the book comes at the end, in a chapter called The Part of Tens. This section provides ten on-line DE tutorials and ten on-line DE solving tools. Odds are that readers will get more out of these resources than can be had by reading the preceding chapters of Differential Equations for Dummies.

References

Holzner, Steven; Differential Equations for Dummies; Hoboken, NJ; Wiley Publishing, 2008.

Drive by Daniel H. Pink

Cover of Drive

Daniel Pink, author of thought-provoking books such as A Whole New Mind and The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, has written an inspiring work for the 21st century. The ideas presented in Drive are relevant to business, education, and virtually any aspect of personal growth and development. It's a call to achieve excellence and satisfaction in life. One can only hope the call is heeded.

The Candle Problem

The central premise of Drive is that science has known for a long time that intrinsic motivation leads to success much more often than the extrinsic variety. Pay people well and give them interesting work, and they will do amazing things. In the battle of the "carrot versus the stick," the carrot can be just as bad as the stick when it comes to driving achievement.

Take for example, the candle problem. Subjects are presented with a candle, a book of matches, and a box of tacks. They are tasked with attaching the candle to the wall and catching the hot wax dripping from the lit candle in the box. Time and time again, research has shown that when people are divided into two groups and one group is offered a reward for solving the problem fastest, the people in the group that was not offered the reward usually finish first.

This seems counter-intuitive. For rote, repetitive tasks requiring not much imagination or problem solving, reward-based motivation can work. But, for problems requiring out-of-the-box thinking and creativity, working mostly to earn a reward usually stymies the effort.

Autonomy as a Key to Success and Motivation

Pink presents three keys to motivation and success. The first is autonomy. When given the leeway to choose how to best accomplish a task or achieve a goal without being told exactly how to do it, the task is usually done better and the people doing it are happier. Pink gives a number of example of companies that are successful using fairly extreme versions of workplace autonomy.

The notion that worker autonomy leads to better results than a top down management approach is largely foreign to the philosophies and methods taught in most business schools but the results speak for themselves.

Pink's Theories on Purpose and Achieving Goals

Another of Pink's thought provoking assertions is that life is better and goals are better achieved if the purpose of achieving them is for something more than strict personal gain. The recent backlash against Wall Street executives who seem to pursue profits at all costs has led many to question the precept that more and more financial gain is always the best corporate policy.

Again using examples from the real world, Pink shows just how much better it can be (for everyone really) when workers, managers and entrepreneurs connect their business goals with a higher purpose; a purpose of leaving a legacy, helping others, or leaving the world a better place for one's efforts.

Pink's Concepts of Mastery and Achievement

Mastery of anything is hard. It takes a long time, and there is no guarantee of a payoff at the end. So why do people spend decades learning to play a musical instrument when they have no real professional aspirations? Because they want to, they find value in it,and they get enjoyment from it.

The concept of "flow" is important to Pink's thesis. Flow derives from the thoughts and work of psychologist Mike Csikszentmihalyi, who discovered that people who are really "into" what they are doing achieve a special state wherein time seems to fly by and they are totally immersed in their task. Seek flow, and mastery and happiness will follow.

In Drive, Daniel Pink has produced what is essentially a guidebook for achievement, productivity and personal fulfillment. The book's back matter contains suggestions for how to determine one's own place on the road to autonomy, purpose and mastery, and then gives some ideas on how to move in the right direction. Better get started.

Pink, Daniel H.; Drive; New York, NY: Riverhead Books, 2009.

One, Two, Three: Absolutely Elementary Mathematics by David Berlinski

Cover of One, Two, Three (Pantheon)

David Berlinski is an interesting guy for a lot of reasons. He seems to be driven to explain fairly complex things in a way that mortals can understand. One, Two Three is an excellent example of this.

Absolutely, Elementary, Mathematics

How the natural numbers are conceived of and constructed should be part of the basic training of every elementary and secondary school mathematics teacher.  After all it is absolutely elementary mathematics (AEM) and what could be more fundamental and important than that? It sure sounds important. Sadly, I think such a deep probing of what on the surface seems like it ought to be brain-dead simple, or (gasp) even obvious, is usually brushed off as being too abstract and impractical. It is abstract, but then again all of mathematics starting with 1 + 1 = 2 is entirely abstract.

Maybe you don't need to know much about the foundations of the counting numbers and why they work the way they do to be able to teach someone to add, subtract, multiply and divide. But, what happens when asked by the curious mind that most dreadful of questions—why? As in, why does that work? Why that way and not some other way? You had better be prepared for that day, and this book will help you get there.

Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy—for Dummies

Well, not quite. But for those of us that have slogged through Bertrand Russell's classic 1919 work covering the same material that this one mostly does, it is easy to see why Berlinski felt this book was needed. I've read Russell's book and understood a fair bit of it. Didn't quite latch on to a fair other bit (mostly in the second half).

After reading One, Two, Three I don't think I understand the second half of Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy any better (I admit that I simply read it, and did not really work at it—big difference), but I most certainly do understand the first half even better than I did before.

Russell's name pops up now and again, so it is pretty clear what (and who) Berlinski was thinking about when he tackled this subject. It is pretty much guaranteed that the following will be be better understood after reading:

• Why and how we count
• Why the counting numbers exist
• How one number can be obtained from another
• The true relationship between addition and subtraction
• The true relationship between multiplication and addition

Probably a few other things too. Some readers may be put off in places by Berlinski's rather flippant style and frequent attempts (not always successful) at humor and lightening of the natural heaviness of the material. But, that is part-and-parcel of how he goes about making things plain. Over all, he succeeds rather well.

Hey Math Teacher, Read This

Anyone who is motivated to teach mathematics for any reason beyond, "Hey, it pays the bills," ought to be interested in the fundamentals of the natural numbers. Next time you see your child's math teacher ask if they have read Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy. If they say no, then ask if they have read One, Two, Three. If the answer is still no, ask then if they know what the successor function is. If they do not know you have every right to ask—why not? Then, after they wriggle out of it, buy them a copy of One, Two, Three.

One, Two, Three. David Berlinski. 2011. Pantheon Books: New York, NY.