Understanding Comics

In "Understanding Comics," Scott McCloud dubiously suggests that form is an empty vessel. Like Will Eisner, from whose ideas McCloud proceeds, McCloud generally presents form as a way to put an idea across. McCloud further posits a dichotomy between artists who pursue form and those who pursue content:

"By choosing form, [an artist would] be setting up to become an explorer. His goal: to discover all that the art form is capable of. And his art would not lack for ideas or for a purpose. His art would just become his purpose and the ideas would arrive in time to give it substance.... On the other hand, if he chooses the first step [idea/purpose] as his goal, then his art becomes a tool. And the powers of that art will rely on the powers of the idea within. Now 'telling the story' (or in the case of non-fiction, 'delivering the message') takes priority over invention. But telling a story as effectively as possible may require some invention. It often does" (McCloud, 179:1-5).

Page 508

McCloud places Eisner alongside artists who favor "delivering the message" over formal inquiry, but the line is arbitrary and difficult to draw. The greater part of Eisner's reputation is built upon his innovative approach to page breakdowns (and other devices) in "The Spirit." When discussing his reputation as an innovator, Eisner deferentially reframes the conversation: if he innovated, he says, it was because he needed to solve problems. Eisner would seem to fulfill McCloud's notion of an idea-driven artist whose work "may require some invention." But in drawing "The Spirit," Eisner was forced to maximize the storytelling potential of a strict seven-page format; formal structures became co-incidental with content precisely because Eisner didn't have room to tell his story any other way. Eisner's formal engagement is not as self-conscious as others', but the elements of Eisner's style cohere: he uses structures and graphic metaphors to unite mood, timing, and action. In his best work, each story has co-incidental formal and narrative themes. Thompson's work lacks that unity. Thompson's work is heavily influenced by Eisner's: Page 508's rain-drenched structure is pure homage. But if Thompson admires Eisner's inventiveness, he fails to recognize that Eisner's physical constraints contributed much to his work's relative success. The point here is not to say that shorter works are inherently better than longer works, but rather to say that formal elements cannot successfully be employed on a piecemeal basis in a work 592 pages long.  continue...