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Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
The bestselling international classic on storytelling and visual communication "You must read this book." — Neil Gaiman Praised throughout the cartoon industry by such luminaries as Art Spiegelman, Matt Groening, and Will Eisner, Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is a seminal examination of comics art: its rich history, surprising technical components, and major cultural The bestselling international classic on storytelling and visual communication "You must read this book." — Neil Gaiman Praised throughout the cartoon industry by such luminaries as Art Spiegelman, Matt Groening, and Will Eisner, Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is a seminal examination of comics art: its rich history, surprising technical components, and major cultural significance. Explore the secret world between the panels, through the lines, and within the hidden symbols of a powerful but misunderstood art form.
30 review for Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Dave Schaafsma – Aug 26, 2012
I finished reading it for my comics/YA Graphic novels class this summer, 6/16/16 and now again, 8/8/17. I'll read this and use it to help people understand comics every year. It's the primary source though there are many good books coming out. What I have to add is that I had a fun conversation with my class about one insightful claim McCloud makes, that the simpler and more "cartoony" a comic representation is (i.e., a smiley face), the more universal it will be, the more we will say "that's me I finished reading it for my comics/YA Graphic novels class this summer, 6/16/16 and now again, 8/8/17. I'll read this and use it to help people understand comics every year. It's the primary source though there are many good books coming out. What I have to add is that I had a fun conversation with my class about one insightful claim McCloud makes, that the simpler and more "cartoony" a comic representation is (i.e., a smiley face), the more universal it will be, the more we will say "that's me." In fiction classes I was taught to be as specific and detailed as I could be about characters and places. McCloud says that realistic depictions of characters such as in superhero comics are actually less relatable than simple characters such as Charlie Brown or Nancy, or most manga. Less is more, in a way. That's like suggesting that minimalism (something like Raymond Carver's stories, or Ernest Hemingway's stories) invite readers in more because we as readers have more space to "be" the characters, to connect with them. Maybe this is less true for non-comics fiction, though. But McCloud is interesting. Review from before: I've used this book many times to teach comics basics. It's the best book I've found for doing this, and it's in a comics format, with McCloud as the cartoony and erudite "narrator". While thoroughly practical, it's also the most philosophical and thorough and at the same time efficient guide to the craft. McCloud also wrote Making Comics, for comics artists. This book is one of the classics of comic history, one of its great books for helping you understand and appreciate comics for their potential complexity as an hybrid art form, without question. If you want to know how comics are made in all its range of possibilities, and if you want to take see why this interrelated telling of visuals and words should be taken seriously as art and literature and cultural commentary and entertainment, this is the book for you.
Mon – Jan 03, 2011
Great book, but I'm too annoyed to give it four stars. It's amateurish, but I believe if you're aware of how great a book is while you're reading it, it's not working at its best. You can go 'oh wow that's such a clever way to illustrate this idea, and the text is so effective', but it's a bit like reading an instruction manual, and nothing personal or particularly poignant. I guess the idea is to understand the basic structure and potential of comic art, but must it be so academic and dry? The Great book, but I'm too annoyed to give it four stars. It's amateurish, but I believe if you're aware of how great a book is while you're reading it, it's not working at its best. You can go 'oh wow that's such a clever way to illustrate this idea, and the text is so effective', but it's a bit like reading an instruction manual, and nothing personal or particularly poignant. I guess the idea is to understand the basic structure and potential of comic art, but must it be so academic and dry? The book doesn't limit itself to the conventional art theory, but rather ventures into fundamental epistemological and phenomenological debates. It's informative and eye opening, but not particularly relevant, like every single other art theory textbook. Except this one has pictures (or should I say, integrated with pictures?) Understanding Comics is a misleading title, perhaps How to and why you should appreciate comics would suit the purpose of the book better. Majority of people (in terms of an audience that is likely to pick up a comic-related theory book) has little trouble understanding the intention of the drawing and writing - we can feel the atmosphere, be moved by the characters and thrilled by the action. Appreciating the history, concept and techniques that help build it up are, however, often overlooked. Much like film and literature, comics require a lot of conceptual and aesthetic decision to make it effective and communicative, and McCloud tries hard to evaluate the general methods that are used to convey these expressions. It would work better if he utilise more specific works rather than general 'rules', and most of them only applicable to mainstream comics. The last chapter goes on about the importance of 'understanding', and how comics can serve as a great tool of communication. Frankly it is a bit arrogant to me. No matter what your medium - ink and paper, music, written words, motion picture, performance, construction, we as the audience give ourselves far less credit when apprehending these art forms. We are subjected to arbitrary education, test and criticism that are meant to 'guide' our 'understanding' of the creator's concept and execution - how to read them, how to properly experience them, how to get the most of it like the artist 'wants' us to. I feel as though McCloud is saying, 'I'm the creator, and you are the reader. Through these lines and colour, I'm telling you what is being expressed. Do you get it? DO YOU GET IT?'. Fuck this I don't have understand everything in order to appreciate it, have you never read Pynchon or seen anything David Lynch? Comic art is merely another form of story telling, it is equally capable of being as representational or avant-garde as any other art form. 'Understanding comics is serious business' - why is it serious? why not just go out and say 'respecting comics is serious business'. McCloud also comments on how the merit of comics lies in its ability to convey 'individual voices' through mass production - really now? If you want personal expression, why not read a few blogs, talk to strangers in the park, speaker's corner, open mic, go to a concert, underground gig, restaurant, flickr, public toilet, open market, join whatever radical societies there are out there? It is almost ridiculous to have to remind people that comics are capable of being expressionistic, and please don't try to say your choice of material expresses something more profound, original than the others or with more efficiency. Why the fuck should it be efficient? Aren't you arguing that comics can be art too? Then why should it be readable, straightforward and commercial like everything else? GAH I'm angry! What McCloud is saying is that as an artist you have more control over the output. But at least for me, I don't care if you came up with the entire concept or worked in a team as long as the outcome is insightful and fun. And then he started talking about the human condition and how we can fix the world with reading more comics. YEAH. And then there are angels reading comics, statues of bullied comic readers, massive yin yang symbol! montage of great art works! The world map! Epic lightening! 'THE TRUTH WILL SHINE THROUGH'! (real quote) That goes on for about 20 pages. Dear comic art - Don't overestimate yourself, not because you're insignificant. Yes you have a long history indeed, and we 'understand' you're not just some flat tone sexist superhero adventure, and that you can be as postmodern as any other art school asshole graduate. Message received. *Picture above: single panel from Moebius' 40 Days in the Desert I don't get it, but it's awesome.
Dan Schwent – Nov 20, 2018
Understanding Comics is a comic about comics by Scott McCloud. I remember when this book came out in 1993. My fifteen year old self scoffed. "I've been reading comics for years. What can this book teach me?" Twenty five years later and a thousand comics later, on the heels of rereading Zot!, I decided to finally give it a shot. I was apprehensive at first since you really have to scrape to find a negative review of Understanding Comics. Did so many people like it or were they afraid to admit they Understanding Comics is a comic about comics by Scott McCloud. I remember when this book came out in 1993. My fifteen year old self scoffed. "I've been reading comics for years. What can this book teach me?" Twenty five years later and a thousand comics later, on the heels of rereading Zot!, I decided to finally give it a shot. I was apprehensive at first since you really have to scrape to find a negative review of Understanding Comics. Did so many people like it or were they afraid to admit they didn't? Understanding Comics traces the origin of comics back to the ancient Egyptians and other pre-Columbian people. This might be a bit of a stretch but McCloud explains himself fairly well. More interesting to me was the explanation of the mechanism of comics and how they work on the human brain, like the gutter in between panels and the visual language of comics. While I found a lot of the book interesting, I think your enjoyment level of Understanding Comics will depend on why you read comics. If you read them because they fascinate you and you see them as an art form, this is your book. If you read them for escapism and entertainment, parts of Understanding Comics will feel like someone reading you the nutritional information of your food while you're eating it. Remember the part in the beginning of Dead Poet Society when Professor Keating has them tear a section out of their textbook? Some of the more analytical parts of the book feel like the good Professor would have turned them into confetti, like the three axes of The Picture Plane, Reality, and Meaning, or graphing scene transitions into Moment to Moment, Action to Action, Subject to Subject, Scene to Scene, Aspect to Aspect, and Non-Sequitur. All that being said, knowing why things are the way they are and why they work was more than worth my time. Not only that, it shows Scott McCloud's skill as a writer and artist that he took a subject that could have been drier than a desert and made it fun and interesting. I expect I'll be dipping back into it from time to time, along with How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. Four out of five stars.
أحمد – May 03, 2016
This is a book on art and philosophy disguised as a book on comics disguised as a comic book! A brilliant must-read for any fan of comics, art, philosophy and beauty! Ahmad Eddeeb May 2016
Oriana – Apr 15, 2010
Holy shit! I'm starting a graphic novel book club!! This is our inaugural book and I'm so excited!!! We had our first meeting today, and in addition to saying terribly intelligent things about comics and eating mini-cupcakes and laughing at my dogs, we also picked a name for our (accidentally all-female) group: Jugs & Capes. I know you're very jealous. Anyway, I was extremely impressed by this book. I can tell that Scott McCloud thinks that he is terrifically important and probably a genius, but, Holy shit! I'm starting a graphic novel book club!! This is our inaugural book and I'm so excited!!! We had our first meeting today, and in addition to saying terribly intelligent things about comics and eating mini-cupcakes and laughing at my dogs, we also picked a name for our (accidentally all-female) group: Jugs & Capes. I know you're very jealous. Anyway, I was extremely impressed by this book. I can tell that Scott McCloud thinks that he is terrifically important and probably a genius, but, as often happens to me, I was willing to believe that at least he was smart enough to have earned the right to talk about all of this. So while there were a few points when I found him a bit condescending, a bit cloyingly didactic, on the whole I learned a lot about comics and how to think about them, and that was great. I though I was going to write about some of the things I learned, but it's late and I'm tired, and honestly one of the things he does best is really use the illustrations and the text in the best symbiotic way, enhancing and augmenting one another throughout, and so it seems like it would be reductive and dismissive for me to try to summarize his points with words alone. So read the book! And then you'll get it for yourself. (Oh but except for one thing, which is so cool I just have to share it. He talks a lot about how the reader is complicit in the telling of a comic story, because so much happens between the panels -- in the gutter, where the reader has to invent what is going on to connect one image to another. He uses as an example a panel with an axe-wielding man chasing another guy and shouting, "Now you're going to die!" Then the next panel is the outside of a building, with only an "Aieeee!!" screaming out. Anyway [see my point, how much extra describing I have to do just to get to what he does with like two pictures?], he then says: "To kill a character between panels is to condemn him to a thousand deaths." See? Because each reader will make his/her own decision about when and how the axe falls, how much blood comes out, how many strikes are needed, the specific choreography of the death. Amazing!)
George – Feb 07, 2017
Scott McCloud's love and understanding of comics is beautifully and simply expressed here. So much so that it increased my love and understanding of comics I read in the past and definitely comics I will read in the future. As I was reading other peoples reviews and discussions about this book I noticed that most people are intrigued with the idea that the simpler the character on the page is, the easier it is for the reader to identify with the character. This is something that I noticed myself Scott McCloud's love and understanding of comics is beautifully and simply expressed here. So much so that it increased my love and understanding of comics I read in the past and definitely comics I will read in the future. As I was reading other peoples reviews and discussions about this book I noticed that most people are intrigued with the idea that the simpler the character on the page is, the easier it is for the reader to identify with the character. This is something that I noticed myself long before I read this book, so it wasn't so revolutionary to me... BUT his chapter on time and expressing time in space in comics truly blew my mind when I read it. It made me see and truly understand so much about pacing in comics. It helped me form, what I like to call, my internal gear shift. As a reader I didn't focus on speed of my reading and over time the only speed for reading became as fast as possible, but in comics this can be a huge disadvantage especially when going through slower and more solemn scenes. Now when I see a comic page and take a look at the composition of the panels I know when the story demands of me to go faster or slower and I am grateful for this new found knowledge. This book is an excellent start for anyone who wants to learn about comics, and I certainly will continue my research on this topic.
Spencer Orey – Jan 03, 2021
Fantastic. I learned a lot about comics but also about writing more widely.
Miss Michael – Aug 04, 2008
I really appreciate that this book exists. It's nice that something was created to help people understand the language of comics, what they are, what they can be, what makes them special, and so forth. That said, there are parts which are a little convoluted (Chapter 2, I'm looking at you), and there are parts that are a little dated by now (such as the chapter on color, which I think has come a long way since the early '90s, particularly due to the use of computers). But there are so many parts I really appreciate that this book exists. It's nice that something was created to help people understand the language of comics, what they are, what they can be, what makes them special, and so forth. That said, there are parts which are a little convoluted (Chapter 2, I'm looking at you), and there are parts that are a little dated by now (such as the chapter on color, which I think has come a long way since the early '90s, particularly due to the use of computers). But there are so many parts that articulate things that we as readers may have never realized we were doing (such as reading between the panels, as discussed in Chapter 3). I think McCloud did a great job of including all kinds of comics, from Schultz to Spiegelman to Lee/Kirby to Otomo, without placing more value on one than another. I also liked the parallels he drew between comics and other art forms, although he emphasized visual arts far more than literature, which in some ways makes sense but I feel it neglects the fact that these are comic books. Even in Chapter 6, which was dedicated to how language and words combine to form comics, I did not notice any analysis of how comics stand up to other forms of literature. However, in the chapter dedicated to the artistic process, I thought what McCloud had to say on the subject was so perfectly universal to all art, including literature. Overall, definitely an insightful read for anyone who enjoys "juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence."
Ryan – Jun 13, 2007
it's one of the best examples i've found of someone writing so specifically about a topic that the observations and implications become absolutely universal. think about it: hamlet is completely consumed in his little world, and the stakes are all about what will happen to denmark and only denmark. and centuries later, we still perform the play and read it and think that that is us up there struggling with our problems, just with a different name. this is what mccloud achieves here: he is so fixat it's one of the best examples i've found of someone writing so specifically about a topic that the observations and implications become absolutely universal. think about it: hamlet is completely consumed in his little world, and the stakes are all about what will happen to denmark and only denmark. and centuries later, we still perform the play and read it and think that that is us up there struggling with our problems, just with a different name. this is what mccloud achieves here: he is so fixated and clear in talking about comics that the scope of his thought travels to all corners of creativity, art, and human endeavor. this is not only a testament to the validity of comics as an artform and mccloud's mastery of it, but also to the microscopic differences between the various supposedly discreet arts and vocabularies thereof when viewed from the vantage of a close and sensitive read of any one of them in particular. a book that renews your faith in people's ability to communicate with (and 'understand?') each other.
Imogen – Mar 20, 2009
Well, I also think this book was brilliant, just like everybody else. I was like, 'how could he possible have two hundred and fourteen pages of things to say about comics?' but then I'd heard it was brilliant for so long from so many people that I gave it a shot. And it is just theory! It's like reading Roland Barthes or somebody, but in comics, which makes it easier/more fun, which I think is in keeping with Mr. McCloud's idea that comics are the best thing in the whole universe. I mean, some o Well, I also think this book was brilliant, just like everybody else. I was like, 'how could he possible have two hundred and fourteen pages of things to say about comics?' but then I'd heard it was brilliant for so long from so many people that I gave it a shot. And it is just theory! It's like reading Roland Barthes or somebody, but in comics, which makes it easier/more fun, which I think is in keeping with Mr. McCloud's idea that comics are the best thing in the whole universe. I mean, some of his theories are a little wingnut- he basically argues that comics are the simultaneously the culmination of human achievement and the basis of it- but y'know I love me a wingnut theory. So. So yeah! I am going to be on the lookout for the next ones AND for McCloud's non-meta (is there a prefix that means not-meta?) comics.
Christy – Sep 02, 2008
I love the idea of this conversation more than I love the application--at least in this book. While I find the concepts themselves fascinating, I found the book tedious. The overall art and style employed by McCloud just wasn't compelling to me. I really struggled to finish this book. But as I said, the conversation is a good one, and the concepts explored--particularly the role of the reader and the required brain work involved in reading comics--were interesting. I'm glad this book is out ther I love the idea of this conversation more than I love the application--at least in this book. While I find the concepts themselves fascinating, I found the book tedious. The overall art and style employed by McCloud just wasn't compelling to me. I really struggled to finish this book. But as I said, the conversation is a good one, and the concepts explored--particularly the role of the reader and the required brain work involved in reading comics--were interesting. I'm glad this book is out there. I just wish I personally enjoyed it more.
Alina – May 29, 2017
3.5★ rounded up with indulgence for its (possible) usefulness If a book/work can be interesting and boring at the same time, than this was it! There were some fascinating parts, with interesting, new informations, but there were also enough parts that were boring, because of the too many details and obvious clarifications. However, it seems to me like an excellent initiative, as it could be extremely useful for those who are just getting acquainted with the comics' universe or for those who want t 3.5★ rounded up with indulgence for its (possible) usefulness If a book/work can be interesting and boring at the same time, than this was it! There were some fascinating parts, with interesting, new informations, but there were also enough parts that were boring, because of the too many details and obvious clarifications. However, it seems to me like an excellent initiative, as it could be extremely useful for those who are just getting acquainted with the comics' universe or for those who want to start creating in this field.
Tristan – Sep 29, 2017
"Don't gimme that comic book talk, Barney!" McCloud surely must be smiling to himself every day to see just how far - in great part because of the publication of this endearingly idealistic visual essay in 1992- his beloved medium has come since then, both in terms of popular acceptance and artistic merit. Some respect at last! "Don't gimme that comic book talk, Barney!" McCloud surely must be smiling to himself every day to see just how far - in great part because of the publication of this endearingly idealistic visual essay in 1992- his beloved medium has come since then, both in terms of popular acceptance and artistic merit. Some respect at last!
Shark – Dec 06, 2007
FASCINATING book! I'd heard excellent things about this book ever since I got into comics way back in 1993, but never decided to sit down and read it until a few months ago. It took me a week to go through it (reading a bit every night before bed), but it's honestly a pretty quick read. Most people could probably get through it in a couple of hours. What I found in the pages of this book is an excellent explanation of what happens to us as we read comics, how our mind interprets information and th FASCINATING book! I'd heard excellent things about this book ever since I got into comics way back in 1993, but never decided to sit down and read it until a few months ago. It took me a week to go through it (reading a bit every night before bed), but it's honestly a pretty quick read. Most people could probably get through it in a couple of hours. What I found in the pages of this book is an excellent explanation of what happens to us as we read comics, how our mind interprets information and the effect it has on our consciousness. I also feel that this book makes an excellent argument to anyone who looks down on comics as "something for kids" or overly "nerdy." McCloud explains that comics are a much more prevalent part of our culture/society than we may immediately recognize, and what ensues is evidence of the medium as an art form, ripe with theory and rich creativity. I feel that anyone who has an interest in philosophy/theory, filmmaking, history, painting, photography, or literature/writing should read this book. It's not just for "comic book nerds" -- it's for all who appreciate the arts and perhaps could do with some more open-mindedness. It really changes how you look at visual communication.
Tara – Dec 03, 2008
this book was intriguing, but also annoying. a comic book about comics! what a great idea! i wanted it to be better than it was. ultimately, i'm glad i read it, but only to the extent it identified a bunch of interesting topics/themes that i'm now inclined to think about on my own as i read more comics (and reflect on the ones i've already read)--i.e. issues of time, motion, panel sequence, reader perception, artistic style etc. but on the whole i was not thrilled with mccloud's own exposition an this book was intriguing, but also annoying. a comic book about comics! what a great idea! i wanted it to be better than it was. ultimately, i'm glad i read it, but only to the extent it identified a bunch of interesting topics/themes that i'm now inclined to think about on my own as i read more comics (and reflect on the ones i've already read)--i.e. issues of time, motion, panel sequence, reader perception, artistic style etc. but on the whole i was not thrilled with mccloud's own exposition and analysis of those topics. i simply don't agree with a lot of the conclusions he draws. he makes a lot of unjustified analytical leaps that just strike me as really reaching for something deep and i just wasn't buying it. also, i was really put off by his tendency to go out of his way to say "but this is just my opinion--feel free to disagree." it just comes off as defensive. i was annoyed by his whole process of trying to define what "comics" are. and i completely skipped the chapter on "the six steps" because i could tell it was going to annoy the crap out of me. i think this sequence of comments pretty well represents the irritation i experienced at the beginning of this chapter: "Even today, there are those who ask the question, 'can comics be art?' It is--I'm sorry--a really stupid question! But if we must answer it, the answer is yes. Especially if your definition of art is as broad as mine!" despite all that, it's definitely a worthwhile read for comics aficionados. i just wasn't crazy about it. EDIT: okay, i felt bad so changed my rating to three stars. it really has a lot of interesting stuff in it... it was just a combination of his slightly annoying tone, and it being 15 years old, that made me like it less. it's a good read for comics lovers.
Inggita – Aug 25, 2007
amazing homage to an art form as old as the carved stories on borobudur temples and the papyrus scrolls of pharaoh - the unassuming geeky guide dissects the media format (worthy of mcluhan) and history of comic and walks us through its tiniest elements to be able to fully appreciate it as an art form - down to the technical and philosophical levels - not just comic but also how human mind works to allow the storytelling to happen through sequencing, line, and meaning... all the things we take fo amazing homage to an art form as old as the carved stories on borobudur temples and the papyrus scrolls of pharaoh - the unassuming geeky guide dissects the media format (worthy of mcluhan) and history of comic and walks us through its tiniest elements to be able to fully appreciate it as an art form - down to the technical and philosophical levels - not just comic but also how human mind works to allow the storytelling to happen through sequencing, line, and meaning... all the things we take for granted (certain lines representing smoke or odor) - this is a guide as great as the subject matter, and also produced in the format of the subject matter: a combination of art and words to tell a story.
Michael – Sep 23, 2014
I have been getting into comics lately and I am quickly discovering there is so much about this medium that I do not know. When trying to review a comic or graphic novel, I find it easy to talk about plot but talking about the art is difficult. I picked up Understanding Comics because there is so much to learn and I wanted a better grasp on the art form. And it is art, it might not be as highbrow as artists like Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet or my personal favourite Michelangelo Merisi da Carav I have been getting into comics lately and I am quickly discovering there is so much about this medium that I do not know. When trying to review a comic or graphic novel, I find it easy to talk about plot but talking about the art is difficult. I picked up Understanding Comics because there is so much to learn and I wanted a better grasp on the art form. And it is art, it might not be as highbrow as artists like Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet or my personal favourite Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, but it is still art. To exclude comics as an art form would be like removing Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollack or René Magritte from the art world because you 'don't get it'. Now that I have had a little rant about art, let's talk about comics and Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. This book is a graphical look into comics as an art form, exploring the history of comics and tries to explain the meaning behind the art. It starts off trying to define what a comic is, which I quickly realised was an impossible feat. McCloud ended saying "Comics are juxtaposed pictorial and other images in a deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or produce an aesthetic response in the viewer" but then went on to explain how problematic that definition can be. A highlight for me was found in chapter two where Scott McCloud explored the vocabulary of comics. The chapter begins with explain René Magritte's painting The Treachery of Images (1928-29), an artist I am a big fan of. I actually went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the hope to see The Treachery of Images, but it was currently on loan to the Art Institute of Chicago. What I liked about this chapter was how he took the meaning of this painting and expanded on it to help explain comics. He took something easy to explain and built upon that to the more complex ideas. Reading Understanding Comics makes comics sound like highbrow pieces of art and maybe that is how we should view them. Instead of thinking about comics as a lowbrow medium, it is about time we experience the art and what it can tell us. In this book six major ideas around the art. Idea/purpose, form, idiom/style, structure, craft and surface; explaining how they can all work together to make great pieces. There is a lot of information within Understanding Comics and I don't think I have explored it all yet. It has equipped me with some new tools when reading and reviewing comics. The best thing about this book is the way Scott McCloud changes his art style and methods to explore the different ways you can execute the theories behind this book. I am glad he referenced all his work, especially when talking about other artists and how they write comics. The graphical representation of the art theory in the book helped me to understand comics a little better but there is just so much here that I will need to reread this a few times before it sinks in. This review originally appeared on my blog: http://literary-exploration.com/2014/...
Joseph – Jun 30, 2007
Perhaps the best explanation of how a particular artistic medium works that I've ever seen. McCloud wrote this at a time when the artistic merit of comics/graphic novels was still in doubt in some corners, so clearly that animates a lot of the discussion. He really demolishes any doubt about their legitimacy, and in the process created quite a comic himself. Understanding Comics is one phenomenal piece of analysis and it's far more than just a treatise on one medium. His meditations on comic for Perhaps the best explanation of how a particular artistic medium works that I've ever seen. McCloud wrote this at a time when the artistic merit of comics/graphic novels was still in doubt in some corners, so clearly that animates a lot of the discussion. He really demolishes any doubt about their legitimacy, and in the process created quite a comic himself. Understanding Comics is one phenomenal piece of analysis and it's far more than just a treatise on one medium. His meditations on comic forms and how they're created and received could more often than not be applied to any other artistic endeavor. This is clearly the work of someone who's done some heavy intellectual lifting, and the medium is lucky to have him as it cheerleader.
Russell – Jul 11, 2008
I have used this with my English 4 classes and will be using it next year with my Intro to the Graphic Novel course. This is a wonderful study in how the comic form of writing works. I think the graphic novel is going to become a more and more important form of literature. Just look at the movie scene lately and check out how many derived from graphic novels, and that is not just the superhero movies from Marvel and DC Comics. McCloud deeply and thoughtfully explores how sequential art works on o I have used this with my English 4 classes and will be using it next year with my Intro to the Graphic Novel course. This is a wonderful study in how the comic form of writing works. I think the graphic novel is going to become a more and more important form of literature. Just look at the movie scene lately and check out how many derived from graphic novels, and that is not just the superhero movies from Marvel and DC Comics. McCloud deeply and thoughtfully explores how sequential art works on our minds and what techniques comic writers have to explore the possibilities of the form. If you want to truly appreciate the comic form, and even how art works, read this book.
Lois Bujold – Jan 14, 2013
A book that explains the forms and functions of the graphics media -- in the guise, naturally, of a comic book. A non-fiction comic book. Everyone should read this elegant classic (and its two sequels), just for some basic 20th - 21st century cultural literacy. It does what the very best books do; makes you see the world differently, through changed eyes. Ta, L.
Simon – Sep 22, 2016
I found this book to be, in roughly equal measure, charming and irritating as hell. When McCloud was dealing with the nuts and bolts of how comics work, it was illuminating and the decision to write the book as a comic really came into its own. There were all sorts of clever ways in which he could use the very medium of his exposition to offer insight into comics. But when he launched himself into generalities about the importance of comics, the nature of artistic creation, language and meaning, I found this book to be, in roughly equal measure, charming and irritating as hell. When McCloud was dealing with the nuts and bolts of how comics work, it was illuminating and the decision to write the book as a comic really came into its own. There were all sorts of clever ways in which he could use the very medium of his exposition to offer insight into comics. But when he launched himself into generalities about the importance of comics, the nature of artistic creation, language and meaning, etc., it felt piously conventional and not sufficiently analytical. And there, the decision to write the work as a comic was annoying - it obscured the shallowness of the content.
Ray – Jan 10, 2008
Every few years I find I must return to McCloud's famous essay on the ultimate art form, and seek inspiration. Rereads very well. Recommended for any and all fans of every medium of art, visuals, storytelling, and humanity. Every few years I find I must return to McCloud's famous essay on the ultimate art form, and seek inspiration. Rereads very well. Recommended for any and all fans of every medium of art, visuals, storytelling, and humanity.
Kaśyap – Sep 23, 2014
A clear overview of the form and structure of comics. Scott McCloud's deep understanding of the history and functions of art makes this an insightful and informative read. A clear overview of the form and structure of comics. Scott McCloud's deep understanding of the history and functions of art makes this an insightful and informative read.
Himanshu Karmacharya – May 15, 2020
Understanding Comics is a comic book that explores comics to its core, and has tons of cool concepts and ideas. It gives the readers a different perspective to view comic books. It certainly made me appreciate the medium much more than I did before. While the book did fascinate me, it also bored me at certain points. Scott McCloud has unnecessarily overcomplicated a lot of things, and at times it even feels like a chore to read. If you want to know more about comic books, then you should definite Understanding Comics is a comic book that explores comics to its core, and has tons of cool concepts and ideas. It gives the readers a different perspective to view comic books. It certainly made me appreciate the medium much more than I did before. While the book did fascinate me, it also bored me at certain points. Scott McCloud has unnecessarily overcomplicated a lot of things, and at times it even feels like a chore to read. If you want to know more about comic books, then you should definitely give it a read, but do not expect it to be entertaining throughout its course.
Osvaldo – Apr 23, 2011
This is an indispensable and fundamentally exhaustive exploration of the comics medium presented in the medium itself. While it presents some fairly complex ideas of "how comics work" McCloud uses the medium itself to good effect to demonstrate his meaning. I, do however, have to take issue with his strangely vociferous insistence that one panel cartoons are not comics - while I loathe the Family Circus as much as the next thinking person, I think McCloud is too hung up on the literal need for se This is an indispensable and fundamentally exhaustive exploration of the comics medium presented in the medium itself. While it presents some fairly complex ideas of "how comics work" McCloud uses the medium itself to good effect to demonstrate his meaning. I, do however, have to take issue with his strangely vociferous insistence that one panel cartoons are not comics - while I loathe the Family Circus as much as the next thinking person, I think McCloud is too hung up on the literal need for sequential panels for something to be a comic. There is an implied sequence to one-panel cartoons - an imagined before and after - that make them work, much in the way that the gutter between panels in more conventional comics imply a connecting action that the reader actively engages with in order to fulfill (and go beyond) the promise of static images. It seems to me that the one-panel cartoon functions exactly in the way that McCloud asserts all comics do, it is just that everything else but that panel is the gutter.
Caro the Helmet Lady – Oct 05, 2018
Absolutely great. Informative, funny and interesting. A must-read for every comic books lover and a great introduction into comics for the hesitating non believers.
Vanessa – Jul 21, 2017
As you may gather from the title, this is less a history of comics (although there is some of that) and more a thesis statement about what they are and how they work. McCloud is an engaging narrator, although the first chapter is a little dry. He's defining what comics "are", so that probably can't be helped. As some other reviewers have noted, the technology has advanced since McCloud wrote this in the early 90's (particularly, I'm guessing, when it comes to color), but the ideas are still cont As you may gather from the title, this is less a history of comics (although there is some of that) and more a thesis statement about what they are and how they work. McCloud is an engaging narrator, although the first chapter is a little dry. He's defining what comics "are", so that probably can't be helped. As some other reviewers have noted, the technology has advanced since McCloud wrote this in the early 90's (particularly, I'm guessing, when it comes to color), but the ideas are still contemporary. A few of the things I learned, or what I learned to look at with new eyes: --How different types of lines can convey different emotional states --What closure is (how we automatically fill-in the narrative gaps between panels) --The space between panels, btw, is called "the gutter" --The different types of transitions between panels, e.g action-to-action, aspect-to-aspect, et cetera. McCloud has a great graph selection in chapter three breaking this down. Manga, for instance, is very big in the aspect transition. --Some of the differences between Western and Japanese comics, both in terms of artistic and narrative choices. Try as I might, I can't get into anime or manga, but this was fascinating. I like how McCloud sets out to link comics to "higher" arts here and seriously, you can never go wrong with name-dropping Kandinsky. I haven't read Eisner's book on the subject, but I think most comics readers will find something new here. I know I'm going to read my latest comic book score with new eyes. On the subject of being out of date, McCloud has written two more recent books on this same subject: Reinventing Comics and Making Comics.
Myke Cole – Jul 20, 2015
A fabulous and totally unexpected delight. I came to this book after reading McCloud's The Sculptor, so I already knew that he had a firm grip on how to produce an outstanding comic. I thought I was getting an Eisner or Kirby style How-To guide for the craft and business of comics writing, and instead was treated to a brilliant treatise on art history, human perception, the role of symbols in communication, and how we use art to communicate with one another. Understanding comics *is* a How-To gui A fabulous and totally unexpected delight. I came to this book after reading McCloud's The Sculptor, so I already knew that he had a firm grip on how to produce an outstanding comic. I thought I was getting an Eisner or Kirby style How-To guide for the craft and business of comics writing, and instead was treated to a brilliant treatise on art history, human perception, the role of symbols in communication, and how we use art to communicate with one another. Understanding comics *is* a How-To guide, but the camera is at 30,000 feet, providing a strategic and conceptual understanding of how comic book art and writing work, and how an artist/writer can position themselves to not only make great art on a one-off basis, but over the course of a career. It also provides a reader with no aspirations to create with a deep and rich understanding of the medium and its importance in the world of art and literature. I will never look at a comic book the same way again, and assure you that you won't either. McCloud has an exhaustive knowledge of comics history and a true and sober appreciation of the importance of the genre. Even if you're not a comic fan at all, this book will leave you with a better appreciation of art and how we use it to know we're not alone.
Jennifer – Jul 18, 2007
Even if you're not interested in comics and graphic novels, McCloud's book might get you interested. Rather brilliantly, McCloud uses the medium of comics itself for a philosophical meditation on the nature and possibilities of comics. He does reflect a little bit on the prehistoric and pre-modern origins of comics, but this is not a history lesson. Rather, he explores the specific nature of comics as sequential art and the potential of the form to explore new modes of expression. It's really su Even if you're not interested in comics and graphic novels, McCloud's book might get you interested. Rather brilliantly, McCloud uses the medium of comics itself for a philosophical meditation on the nature and possibilities of comics. He does reflect a little bit on the prehistoric and pre-modern origins of comics, but this is not a history lesson. Rather, he explores the specific nature of comics as sequential art and the potential of the form to explore new modes of expression. It's really super smart art and literary criticism made fun and digestible through using comics. I highly recommend for everyone, even if you've never thought about picking up a graphic novel.
Nicky – Sep 29, 2013
Understanding Comics is a pretty clever book, using the medium of comics to talk seriously about comics -- which is very likely to be dismissed by those who either insist comics should all be fun (and therefore if they're not interested in this, it's no good) or all comics are fun (and therefore have no serious value). That's a mistake. I hadn't heard of this before I started the Coursera course I'm doing on comics, but I don't need any prompting to take it seriously. Possibly my favourite insigh Understanding Comics is a pretty clever book, using the medium of comics to talk seriously about comics -- which is very likely to be dismissed by those who either insist comics should all be fun (and therefore if they're not interested in this, it's no good) or all comics are fun (and therefore have no serious value). That's a mistake. I hadn't heard of this before I started the Coursera course I'm doing on comics, but I don't need any prompting to take it seriously. Possibly my favourite insight from it is about the idea of closure -- the space between panels during which the reader has to figure out what's happening -- and how that makes the reader complicit in every act in a comic.
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Last week, we wrote at length about people in addiction recovery making flexible and adjustable resolutions. We also included a brief section about observing major holidays as one might any other day of the year. It is critical to avoid giving specific days of the year more power than they deserve. Stress and emotional turmoil can accompany holidays, but such feelings should not be an excuse to use drugs and alcohol.
Christmas is drawing near, and New Year's Eve is close behind. It is vital to go over some techniques for keeping your recovery intact into 2019. Each person working a program of recovery has tools at their disposal for coping with trying situations. For many people, being around family can precipitate mental strain. Fortunately, individuals who practice the principles of recovery can make it through any holiday.
Conversely, some individuals whose families are not currently a part of their lives are prone to melancholy. Active addiction steals much from a person. The choices one makes in service to their disease can result in familial estrangement. Having the knowledge that you are not welcome at a holiday gathering can lead to mental fatigue. Such people are more apt to start feeling sorry for themselves and are at a heightened risk of experiencing problems.
Each individual in addiction recovery has different life circumstances, and nothing is set in stone. Recovering addicts' lives change regularly. One must do their best to manage and cope with family-induced stress or loneliness. It's possible to avoid recovery pitfalls during Christmas and New Year's, and your support network can help. Those who stay close to their circle and are honest about their limitations can stay on track. Below you will find some helpful tips for preventing relapse this Christmas and New Year's Eve.
First, develop tactics for attending family gatherings. Also, have a plan for weathering the blues that can come from not being in the company of relatives. A strategy for either for each must include attending meetings of recovery. Groups are held around the clock during every significant holiday. Prioritize catching a meeting both before and after attending family events. Those who are not expected at the Christmas dinner can use the free time to be in the company of recovery peers. People in addiction recovery will often host sober holiday gatherings, too. It is imperative to ask around and find ways to fill your holiday schedule.
Second, the holiday season is notorious for overeating and lounging around the house. Prioritizing self-care is helpful. People in recovery can never lose sight of the importance of maintaining their spiritual and physical exercise routines. Addiction recovery is about balance, and prayer and meditation help keep one's equilibrium. Individuals who exercise daily can benefit from finding time for light exercise on Christmas. Not giving certain days of the year power means sticking to one's normal recovery routine as much as possible.
Each person is at a different point in addiction recovery. Meaning, some people may not yet be where they want to be. The gifts of uninterrupted sobriety, after all, come when the time is right—not a moment sooner. In the meantime, it is essential to maintain a positive attitude regardless of having family in your life or not.
Those not yet where they would like to be in life can take comfort in recognizing the progress made thus far. Each day clean and sober is a source of pride. People in their first year of sobriety should be able to easily remember how unfortunate life was just a short time ago. The coming holidays may not look the way one hopes, but it will seem significantly better than what would be without recovery.
Whatever one's schedule looks like on December 25th or 31st, family time or not, everything will be copacetic if you keep doing the next right thing for your addiction recovery throughout the day. Remind yourself of the importance of maintaining an open mind. Be accepting of those around you and minimize expectations. Most importantly, remember that a positive attitude changes everything.
The Gentlemen of PACE Recovery Center would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are hopeful that people in recovery will practice the principles and utilize their toolbox for a safe and sober holiday. Please contact us if you require assistance for alcohol or substance use disorder.
Abstaining from drugs and alcohol is a crucial facet of addiction recovery. In order to turn your life around you must exercise commitment and fortitude; sticking to a program is trying at times, and the slightest of obstacles can place your recovery in jeopardy. It is vital to remember—at any stage in a person's quest for self-care—that the use of mind-altering substances is but a symptom of a more significant issue: an inability to take life as it comes, essentially. Take away the chemicals, and there still exist multiple aspects of one's life that lead a person to begin looking for an antidote to the issue of Self.
More than half of people living with use disorders have a dual diagnosis, which means they are contending with conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. When psychological comorbidity is a factor, individuals seeking recovery will find achieving their goals next to impossible unless the co-occurring illness is addressed along with the addiction. The good news is that people who seek treatment for alcohol and substance use have an opportunity to deal with every aspect of their mental health. At the time of discharge, clients are better equipped to manage their depression for instance, through utilizing tools to help cope with their symptoms.
People who do the work in treatment will find that they no longer need to rely on their old methods for coping with life. With continued professional therapy, participation in a program of recovery (i.e., 12 Steps or SMART Recovery®), and an influential group of peers to support you along the way, long-term recovery is made possible. Of course, people can have all the things mentioned above and still run into problems, particularly in the first months after treatment.
Those who take measures to go above and beyond, whenever possible, position themselves not only to make progress but to make it last. If you have completed an inpatient or outpatient treatment program, then you have an excellent foundation for building a new life. In treatment, you learned that you will always be a work in progress; and, what you do moving forward and every decision that you make must be in service to your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. The days of selfish and self-centeredness and self-harm and self-defeating behaviors have to be behind you, if the seed of recovery is to grow.
In the early days, weeks, and months of working a program, one must face difficult feelings that arise head on without chemical assistance. In treatment, many safeguards keep dangerous types of thinking in check. Being surrounded by people working toward similar goals and a team of addiction professionals—many of whom are themselves in recovery—act as safeguards to acting on cravings and triggers. After treatment, one must be quick to replicate the layers of support provided while in rehab.
In whichever modality (program) you subscribe to, go to a meeting and put yourself out there as soon as you can after rehab. Introduce yourself to people before and after the meeting. Ask those who you meet if you can get to know them better over coffee, for example. Get phone numbers, use them, and develop relationships with like-minded people. Those same individuals may one day talk you out of a relapse, which is nothing short of saving your life.
Going to meetings is crucial and fostering relationships is critical, but being of service to others can take your program to a higher plane. Addicts and alcoholics are prone to get lost in their head. If people in recovery stay busy in productive ways, they are less likely to harp on the past or spend too much time dreaming of a future yet to arrive. Being present is a pillar of addiction recovery! With that in mind, helping others is an exceptional method for staying in the here-and-now.
People who work a program glean quickly that service is invaluable to recovery. Meetings offer service opportunities, of course, but you can be of help to your peers in other ways, too. Merely talking to someone at a meeting who has less time than you, could be a move that keeps that person from acting on thoughts of using. Assisting someone with their "service commitment" is another way to affect change in your peers' lives. Providing unsolicited assistance is a useful way to comport yourself at meetings. What's more, it feels wonderful to know that you have made other people's day just a little bit brighter; a realization that makes you worry less about things in life that are out of your control.
You aid the greater community if time permits it, by looking for local volunteer opportunities. Houses of worship and community centers are ideal places to find ways you can help others. In the process of volunteering, you will have less time to worry about things that cannot change. Along the way, please remember to trust in what you were taught in treatment — trust in the process.
PACE Recovery Center, located in Huntington Beach, CA, is the ideal place to begin the life-saving journey of addiction recovery. We offer gender-specific treatment to men struggling with use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions who would like to overcome the devastating effects of drugs and alcohol and lead a meaningful and productive life.
January 1st is the first blank page of a 365-page book, or so the saying goes. Even if you make a daily commitment to working a program for recovery, there is always room for improvement. After all, addiction recovery is about progress; there isn't a finish line, one's work can never cease. It's vital to understand that while you are doing all the right things (i.e., meetings and sponsorship), there is always more that you can do for your program.
Addiction recovery is about many things, a routine being one of importance. We all get accustomed to waking up, prayer and meditation, attending our "homegroup," and working with a sponsor or sponsoring others. Critical ingredients to the recipe for recovery to be sure, but we can all do little things to inject vitality into our program. We can make small changes that can have a massive impact on our ability to stay the course.
It's paramount that we never rest on our laurels, that we continue to seek out or inquire with others about how to shore up our spiritual defenses. As humans, we are continually changing and evolving into different people; which means that our program must adapt, as well. Stagnation is not a friend to recovery.
When New Year's comes around, most Americans spend a little time thinking of areas in one's life that can be improved. For the average person, a resolution could be as simple as vowing not to speed behind the wheel anymore. Whereas people in recovery may consider working their program a little differently and think about a few things they can do to better walk the road of lasting recovery.
Making alterations to one's daily, weekly, or monthly recovery schedule can have a positive effect on your life. If you are like most people recovering from alcohol and substance use disorder, then you are in the habit of going to the same meetings on a regular basis. This year, in addition to going to your homegroup, please consider branching out meeting-wise. You will meet new people who may prove beneficial to your mission, in turn enlarging your support network. Going to different meetings will also get you out of your comfort zone, which is often a teachable moment.
Speaking of one's comfort zone, those of you who are reticent about sharing in meetings might think to add "opening up" with others to your to-do list. Recovery is a social enterprise; we can't do this alone; without the help of others, progress is impossible. Each of us needs feedback from others, and if we are not open and honest with our peers or sponsor, they won't know how to support us. Sharing is the forum by which we learn, and when we share we can help others who may be struggling in their own life. You never know how your share might affect someone else in positive ways. If you have not regularly been sharing, try making a point of doing it more in 2018.
Along with progress, there may be times of trouble and tribulation in the coming year. We have no way of knowing what lies beyond the horizon; anything one can do to ensure serenity, the better. Prayer and meditation are excellent ways to stay grounded when stress rears its ugly head, then we can respond to it calmly. Those who emphasize spirituality per diem, are better equipped to react to stressors and triggers in healthy ways. The light of recovery shines on those who open their heart and mind to a power-greater-than-them-self. Armed with spirituality, we stay centered, and as a result, can mitigate the risk of relapse.
Naturally, there are several more recovery resolutions that one might consider for 2018. You might shed some light on areas of your program that could use adjustment by sitting down and talking with someone in your support network. Others may notice things that you cannot see; the best insight often comes from the outside.
The Gentlemen of PACE Recovery Center would like to wish everyone a productive year ahead.
The beginning of the holiday season kicks off this week, which means it's time to count your blessings. Those in recovery must fortify their defenses and batten down their spiritual hatches if one's program is to remain intact. One of the most effective ways of ensuring relapse doesn't become part of one's story over Thanksgiving is to maintain an attitude of gratitude.
Expressing thankfulness and appreciation in every area of one's life is significant to maintaining a program. If you have accrued some recovery time, then some people have been instrumental to you in achieving your goals. Nobody recovers on their own; we do this together. We'd be wise to remind ourselves of this regularly; we wouldn't be where we are today without help.
Call to mind when you arrived in treatment, a shell of your former self. It's likely you heard someone tell you that everything is going to be alright. Remember the first person in a meeting who reached out their hand to you and expressed interest in your success. There are, no doubt, several instances you can recall when a fellow in recovery offered their support, unsolicited. People who pay forward what they received gratis in the program is what keeps this remarkable enterprise going. You have or will do the same when the time is right, the cycle of recovery depends upon everyone's participation.
Making an effort to express your gratitude for others is not always easy. There are times when it's hard to recognize all the good in your life and all the people who have your back. A helping hand is often gentle, words of support are sometimes just a whisper, but everyone owes aspects of their recovery to a higher power and specific individuals.
Even those of you who are new to the program know the importance of sharing your gratitude with others. It's likely that your counselors and sponsor suggested prayer and meditation as a means for ensuring progress. Recovery is a spiritual program, once we realize that most things in life are out of our control, it becomes easier to open our hearts to a higher power. Such a "life-force will" is the glue that holds our recovery together, which means acknowledgment of that fact is vital. Only a power greater-than-ourselves can restore us to sanity, so we must continually turn our will and our lives over to that force. A daily commitment to be thankful for everything and everyone who had a hand in our progression.
In early recovery, many people struggle to converse with their higher power, for numerous reasons. After years of substance use and reliance on oneself for survival makes it difficult to accept help. A mindset of self-will and self-reliance makes it hard to believe that there might be something else designing the architecture of our lives. However, that doesn't mean starting a dialogue is impossible; with practice and an attitude of gratitude, anything is possible.
If you are a young adult, who is relatively new to working a program, you might be dreading Thanksgiving. Perhaps this Thursday is the first time you will be home since going through addiction treatment? If you are like most people in this situation, you're preparing yourself for a salvo of questions from loved ones at the dinner table. It's doubtful you are thrilled about the prospect of having to explain to your uncle why you can't drink a beer with him. Describing both the core and the minutiae of a program that is not easily put into words probably doesn't bring joy to your heart. Nevertheless, if you are going home there are things you can do to keep stress at bay.
There is a good chance you had the help of a family member in bringing about your recovery. Whether mom and dad drove you to treatment or financially supported your decision to get help, your family played an important role in your recovery. They may have questions regarding your mission to live life on life's terms, which you can attempt to answer patiently. Or, you can just say that you are not in a position to explain something adequately, so you'd rather not. In early recovery, individuals often follow suggestions without fully understanding the value of the suggested behavior. In time, the real importance of an action will reveal itself, but for now, it's alright not to have the answer.
If you find yourself having to field your family's questions, you won't get as stressed if you remind yourself that their curiosity comes from caring, not scrutiny. No one in recovery can afford to let their emotions get the best of them during a holiday, the risks of doing so are profound. If a family member is starting to get under your skin, simply walk away and call your sponsor. If your distress doesn't dissipate still, find your way to a meeting pronto; rest assured that many of the people you will find in that meeting share your current sentiments.
Whether you have one month or one year sober, you've much to be grateful for today. If you make an effort on Thanksgiving to share your gratitude with others, it will make the day go by easier. Remember your tools and the skills you acquired in treatment, and relapse won't be a part of your recovery.
The gentlemen of PACE Recovery Center would like to wish everyone in recovery a safe, sober, and happy Thanksgiving. We are proud of your accomplishments, and we hope that you are, too.
"Don't leave before the miracle happens." Those of you new to addiction recovery have undoubtedly heard that before. It's likely you understand what it means: Don't give up on working a program of recovery before you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Anyone who has been in the program for a time will agree that there are no shortages of miracles in the rooms of recovery. Each person dedicated to sobriety is a miracle; resisting one's programming takes tremendous commitment and fortitude. While there will always be difficult times (even in abstinence), the worst day in recovery is far better than the best day in active addiction.
It stands to reason that we will all have a different opinion on what constitutes a miracle. Everyone is going to consider the unexplainable subjectively, and that's OK. However, it's nearly impossible to look at someone in recovery objectively without being inspired. Going from the depths of despair to the spiritual light of recovery, two realms diametrically opposed, is almost unbelievable. People who've been around a while have seen newcomers, once in a dismal state of being, turn their lives around via the principles of addiction recovery.
If you were to ask the same newcomers how their recovery was made possible, they might struggle to find an answer. Making sense of how recovery works is challenging in a society that turns to medicine and science for solutions. A group of men and women meeting daily to check in with each other, giving feedback and guidance when asked, can seem likely an unlikely method of promoting healing. It works!
When bad things are happening in one's life it's noticeable right away. When good things are happening, it's often difficult to recognize. Early in recovery determining how one's life has improved is challenging, miracles can be both subtle and elusive. Taking stock of one's progress isn't easy when you are new to the program but rest assured, if you are staying sober and doing the work a transformation is taking place. If you are willing to do the Work, are open and honest with yourself and others, it's a miracle in itself.
After an extended period of going to meetings and doing step work with a sponsor you might realize that you are the miracle for which you were waiting patiently. Sure, the program might bring about getting the family back in one's life, financial security, and anyone of a multitude of gifts; but the fact that you have gone a string of 24-hour periods without a drink is a miracle. It's a real achievement if you woke up today and asked yourself how you can be of service to your fellows in recovery. Rather than setting a selfish course for your day, you are focused on how you can act selflessly, helping others achieve the common goal of recovery.
One of the most satisfying feats is getting through a day without thinking about using drugs or alcohol. Cravings and fixations wax and wane in recovery, but early on they can be pretty intense. As time passes, you will think about using less and less; instead of looking for an escape from daily life you'll find a desire to be a part of your existence. Urges to isolate will be replaced by a yen for inclusion in the happenings of other people's lives.
Nobody finds recovery by accident. When one's life is discordant, a need for change is self-evident. Realizing that action is required to bring about such a change doesn't always come quickly. People can toil in the misery of addiction for unconscionable lengths of time. When the choice is finally made to seek help and efforts are taken to bring it about, individuals experience their first miracle in recovery.
Much is required of any person looking to break the cycle of addiction and transform their life for the better. There will be times when you question why you are going to meetings day-in-and-day-out. You might find yourself doubting the miracles promised by your peers in the program, but for different reasons than you might think.
Perhaps you had the thought that the gifts of recovery would originate externally? If that is the case, you might consider changing your perspective. The real miracles of addiction recovery come from within, connecting with the spiritual realm is the gift, and in recovery, you are the miracle. You can see evidence of that when considering your existence before finding addiction recovery and after. The transformation may not be evident right away, in time all shall reveal itself to you—as long as you are willing to work the program for as long as it takes. Although, if you ask your peers who have been around longer, such realizations will come sooner than you think.
Do you want something different for your life than living in a cycle of addictive and self-defeating behavior? Addiction recovery is possible, and we at PACE Recovery Center can help you realize the dream of serenity. Armed with tools and skills for keeping addiction at bay, you too can live a life of lasting recovery. Please contact us today to begin the transformative journey of addiction recovery.
Deciding to seek addiction treatment and work a program of addiction recovery is not a choice that comes quickly. One's disease is continuously at work convincing you everything is under control, despite the unhappiness characterizing your life. Committing oneself to a new way of existence requires remarkable courage; addicts and alcoholics are rebelling against their condition. Choosing to live life in a completely different way requires more than just putting down substances, changing everything is needed.
Young men whose lives became unmanageable due to this most severe mental health condition might struggle early in recovery. Coming to terms with turning your back on one's previous way of life is often difficult to swallow. The realization that specific people, places, and things can no longer be a part of your life can be painful. However, if you are willing to go to any length to live in the light of recovery, good-byes are in order.
The disease is about far more than drugs and alcohol and one's relationship with mind-altering substances. People in active addiction are unable to live life on life's terms, one who struggles to cope with life's demands. In many cases, such people are also dealing with co-occurring mental health disorders, like depression. When that is the case, drugs and alcohol can seem like the solution. After all, euphoria has been known to ease one's troubled mind. Using drugs and alcohol for relief, over time, has the opposite effect. Once the source of happiness, now the source of misery.
A significant facet of addiction treatment is teaching clients about coping with obstacles that are beyond one's control. Learning how to accept the things we can't change is instrumental to lasting recovery.
Those unhappy while in the throes of addiction might expect the reverse in recovery. The reality is that finding equilibrium and balance in your life takes time, addiction recovery is a process. Just because you extricated drugs and alcohol from your life doesn't mean life with be smooth sailing right away. The wreckage of our past doesn't disappear because we got clean and sober. The damage done must be addressed, and will be at the proper time, but that isn't going to occur immediately. Painful memories will still linger over your head and inside you in early recovery.
If you follow the direction of those who came before you, life will get better in time. It's paramount that you stick to the program, working the steps will illuminate your life. Although, you will have to work through many unpleasantries to get to the point of comfort. In early recovery, everything asked of you is foreign; at times, you may feel like ignoring your peers' suggestions. It is crucial that you resist the urge to distract yourself from the task at hand—recovery. It will not always be easy to accomplish, especially in the times we find ourselves. There isn't a shortage of distractions in this day and age, especially for young men.
You may find yourself wanting to put off a meeting in favor of television or playing video games, ignore the urge. In recovery, we must avoid anything that distracts from something essential to the program. The early months of recovery can feel like every choice you ever made led to the unfortunate disease of addiction. You may feel unhappy about your lot in life, but you've decided to make changes to rectify the situation.
Many young adult males play video games on a regular basis, and there are concerns this behavior is addictive. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lists online gaming as a "condition of further study." The reference prompted researchers in the UK to do that very thing, which lead to some interesting findings. The research, published in PeerJ, didn't determine if gaming addiction was a real psychiatric disorder. However, the researchers found that gaming may be a "displacement activity for people in an unhappy situation," New Scientist reports. Regarding addiction recovery, their findings may show how young men might turn to games for mental distraction.
Are you struggling with addiction? At PACE Recovery Center, we can help you learn how to live life on life's terms, one day at a time. Addiction recovery is not easy, but with continued spiritual maintenance your life will exponentially improve.
Did you successfully complete an addiction treatment program this summer, or sometime this year? If you answered 'yes' to that question, there is a good chance you are preparing to begin or return to college this fall. Many universities, in fact, begin classes at the end of August. This means time is of the essence for forming a recovery plan for while you are away at school.
Working a program of recovery is challenging during the first year. It is vital to limit one's stress level and avoid situations that could precipitate a relapse. Naturally, collegiate environments are not often considered to be alcohol, drug or stress free. Nevertheless, it is possible to attend college in the first year, by ensuring that safeguards are in place. Always putting your addiction recovery first.
Whether you are attending college for the first time, or returning, you know that college life often revolves around alcohol. You know that there are parties every weekend, where young men and women imbibe heavy amounts of alcohol. Of course, you know that there is nothing for people in their first year of recovery at a college party. This is why you'll want to avoid such situations at all costs. Even if you only have a few months sober, you have invested a lot of time and energy into your program. One party could jeopardize all your hard work.
Keeping that in mind, it is worth pointing out that avoiding parties may not be your biggest challenge. If you are in school it means you are challenging your mind. Absorbing huge amounts of information and abstract thinking can take its toll on your serenity. Preparing for exams and writing essays can hinder one's ability to stay grounded. Thus, making it difficult to stay centered and Present.
In such situations people are inclined to seek escape, and before you know it you could find yourself at a bar or a party. Dealing in absolutes (seeing things in black or white) is a specialty of alcoholics and addicts. So then, it can be difficult to moderate. After getting clean and sober, you feel as though you have a new lease on life. No longer bogged down by drugs and/or alcohol, you may feel like diving head first into your studies. So, what might that look like?
A full class load is 12 units, but students often take more. Often with the hope of finishing school in under three years. The practice of taking more than a full load may be OK for some people. But for those working a program of recovery, sticking to 12 or fewer credit semesters during your first year is strongly advised. Financial aid recipients are often required to take a full load. If you are not dependent on financial aid, you should strongly consider taking fewer classes. Mitigating your risk of stress, and allowing you more time to focus on what is most important—your recovery.
Remember, at this time you are not just furthering your education. You are working a program, one that requires you to do the work, i.e. working with a sponsor and going to meetings. People in early recovery are advised to hit a meeting per day. Doing so helps you establish a support network, which will be there for you in times of struggle.
If you are attending college out of state, you may be going to meetings you've never been to before. And you may be in need of a new sponsor. Make sure your class load does not hinder that necessity. Recovery first, remember?
Avoiding parties, taking a reasonable class load and going to meetings is crucial, and could make all the difference. Equally important, though, is where you are going to be living when you are away at school. If you are returning to school you know that the dorms can be a place of rampant drug and alcohol use, much to the dismay of the faculty. Try as campus facilitators might, keeping the dorms substance use and abuse free is next to impossible. Young adults working a program should be leery of living in the dorms.
...supportive environment within the campus culture that reinforces the decision to engage in a lifestyle of recovery from substance use. It is designed to provide an educational opportunity alongside recovery support to ensure that students do not have to sacrifice one for the other.
Students attending colleges with established CRP's can live in dorms or housing among other young men and women in recovery. If keeping your recovery intact while in college is your top-priority, please take advantage of every resource available. If you would like to find out if your college offers addiction recovery resources, please click here.
This article was intended for young people in recovery looking to go back to college. Although, some of you reading this may be planning to attend classes this semester and are still using. If that is the case, you would be wise to consider taking a semester off to seek treatment. Doing so will not only save your life, it will help you to better achieve your higher learning goals.
At PACE Recovery Center, our young adult male treatment program is designed to always consider our clients' futures. While learning to work a program of recovery, we assist them to develop healthy coping skills for stress. Additionally, our PACE Academy program clients work toward the degree of their choice, while attending life skills groups. Prioritizing financial planning, combating procrastination and establishing healthy social habits. Please contact us today to learn more about PACE Academy.


text:
Q: Avoid recreating of Fragment by press back arrow using Navigation component I saw similar questions on SO, but I could not find an answer.
If I receive data from the server (list of movies) and display it on the screen, then scroll down and click on some movie to watch the info, then I press the back arrow and the list is updated again, that is, the fragment is recreated and makes a request to the server on a new one.How can I avoid it so that when I press the back arrow, I continue to scroll down from the element on which I stopped. I use Navigation component and I use MVVM patter and I use Paging V3 library.
This is my ViewModel
@HiltViewModel
class HomeViewModel @Inject constructor(
    private val moviePagingSource: MoviePagingSource
) : ViewModel() {

     fun fetchPopularMoviesWithDetails(): Flow<PagingData<PopularMovieWithDetailsModel>>{

             return Pager(config = PagingConfig(
                 pageSize = 20,
                 enablePlaceholders = false
             ),
                 pagingSourceFactory = { moviePagingSource }
             ).flow
         }

}

This is my MovieListFragmetn method where I call data from ViewModel
 private fun setupMoviesList() {

        lifecycleScope.launch {
            viewModel.fetchPopularMoviesWithDetails().collectLatest {
                moviesAdapter.submitData(it)
            }
        }
    }

This is my MovieListFragmetn method where I navigate to DetailsMovieFragmetn
  private fun openMovieDetailsScreen() {
        moviesAdapter.onClickItem(object : MovieAdapter.OnclickMovieItemListener {
            override fun getMovieModel(movieWithDetailsModel: PopularMovieWithDetailsModel) {
                val bundle = Bundle()
                bundle.putKSerializable("movieObject", movieWithDetailsModel)
                findNavController().navigate(
                    R.id.action_homeFragment_to_movieDetailsFragment,
                    bundle
                )
            }

        })
    }

A: As per the Paging documentation:

The cachedIn() operator makes the data stream shareable and caches the loaded data with the provided CoroutineScope.

But you aren't using cachedIn(), which is why your data is not being cached and saved (which is what makes it instantly available when you return to that fragment, without fetching from the source again).
You should follow the example in the docs:
val popularMoviesWithDetails: Flow<PagingData<PopularMovieWithDetailsModel>> =
    Pager(config = PagingConfig(
        pageSize = 20,
        enablePlaceholders = false
    ),
        pagingSourceFactory = { moviePagingSource }
    ).flow.cachedIn(viewModelScope)

A: I changed my ViewModel with a help of @ianhanniballake and it works corectly now
@HiltViewModel
class HomeViewModel @Inject constructor(
    private val moviePagingSource: MoviePagingSource
) : ViewModel() {

    private var lastFetchedMovieResult: Flow<PagingData<PopularMovieWithDetailsModel>>? = null

    fun fetchPopularMoviesWithDetails(): Flow<PagingData<PopularMovieWithDetailsModel>> {

        val lastMovieResult = lastFetchedMovieResult
        if (lastMovieResult != null) return lastMovieResult

        val newFetchedMovieResult = Pager(config = PagingConfig(
            pageSize = 20,
            enablePlaceholders = false
        ),
            pagingSourceFactory = { moviePagingSource }
        ).flow.cachedIn(viewModelScope)

        lastFetchedMovieResult = newFetchedMovieResult

        return newFetchedMovieResult
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Australian opera singer Daniel Todd (Chinese: 鄭時雄 Zhèng Shíxióng) was born in Malaysia and grew up in Melbourne, Australia. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Music with first-class honours from the University of Melbourne. Daniel was accepted into Victorian Opera's Developing Artist Program in 2011, where he debuted as Testo in a staged setting of Monteverdi's Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and sang Tamino for their education production of Die Zauberflöte. Daniel then joined VO and the University of Melbourne's collaborative Master of Music (Opera Performance), continuing to perform and cover various roles for the company.
After graduating, Daniel moved to Germany to join the Hamburg Staatsoper's International Opera Studio, where he was able to work with some of the world's leading conductors, including Simone Young, Axel Kober, Ivan Repušić, Kent Nagano, as well as perform alongside some of the world's leading singers, including Johan Botha, Franz Grundheber, George Gagnaidze, Ivan Magri, Nino Machaidze Lise Lindström, Agnes Baltsa, Andrzej Dobber, Liudmyla Monastyrska and Ailyn Perez. After completing two seasons in the Studio, Daniel continued at the Staatsoper as a house soloist.
Daniel has performed regularly in concert and chamber music at numerous festivals, including the Beethovenfest Bonn, the Melbourne Arts Festival, the Sydney Festival, the Jinji Lake Arts Festival and the iSing Opera Festival in China. He has been a soloist with the Hamburg Philharmonic, Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, the ARCKO Symphonic Project, the German Federal Youth Orchestra and the Melbourne Youth Orchestra. In the realm of chamber music, he has performed with the Sutherland Trio, Forest Collective, musicians of the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra and with contemporary dance company Chunky Move.
Comfortable in historical performance practice, Daniel has sung with baroque and classical specialists Ludovico's Band, Ensemble E21, Consort of Melbourne, Marshall McGuire, Paul Dyer and Andrew Lawrence-King.
Daniel has enjoyed masterclasses with Gerold Huber, John Fisher, Malcolm Martineau, Willy Decker, Michael Sylvester, Bo Skovhus, Jaumé Aragall, Robert Gambill, Lisa Gasteen, Siegfried Jerusalem, Renate Behle, Andreas Scholl, Andrew Lawrence-King and Francesco Aliberti.
Daniel is passionate about music education and has been involved in numerous workshops and productions for children. In Hamburg, he performed the solo chamber opera Gold! for the Staatsoper's outreach program, as well as assisting with the Moin Mozart community singing project. In Australia, Daniel worked closely with acclaimed music educator Richard Gill in Victorian Opera's education productions and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's Ears Wide Open program.
In 2017, Daniel moved to Suzhou, China, where he took on the role of Head of Teaching at the Explore Music 英乐迪恩 training centre. In addition to teaching choirs, group classes and individual lessons, Daniel helped design a curriculum of voice and percussion-based classroom music, which would simultaneously enhance the learning of the English through singing. He has coordinated, conducted, directed and choreographed children's musical theatre and opera workshops and holiday programs throughout China.
Returning to Australia in 2019, Daniel became a member of Forest Collective and sang the role of Nero in Yarra Valley Opera Festival's Coronation of Poppea. In 2020, he will feature in Victorian Opera's Salome, Three Tales and Die Tote Stadt, and will sing the role of Prunier in National Opera's inaugural production of La Rondine.
Daniel also works as a freelance writer and editor.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


4 Reasons to Camp This Spring!
There are endless reasons to vacation early this spring at Westward Shores, but we've narrowed it down to 4! Check them out and get excited about spending some quality time at your favorite lakeside campground!
Take advantage of our Spring Camp & Store deal and take the extra work out of camping for multiple weekends. No need to haul your RV back and forth each weekend – leave your RV on your campsite during the week!
Not only is the Spring Camp & Store convenient, it's a money saver as well! You will save around 50% when you book 4 weekends between May 30 – June 24. Pay one rate, leave your rig on-site during the week, and save BIG!
Warmer days will be back sooner than you think! Come to Westward Shores to enjoy the great outdoors with us. Enjoy outdoors sports and the Wibit, wagon rides, and lounging on the beach, not to mention our new amenities coming soon!
Every weekend during the Spring Camp & Store features themed activities for all ages! Join us for hay rides, pancake breakfasts, science experiments, arts & crafts, and lots more!


text:
The R297 road is a regional road in counties Sligo and Mayo, in Ireland. It connects the N59 road near Dromore West to the N59 again at Dooyeaghny, just inside the Mayo border,  away (map).

The government legislation that defines the R297, the Roads Act 1993 (Classification of Regional Roads) Order 2012 (Statutory Instrument 54 of 2012), provides the following official description:

Dromore West, County Sligo — Dooyeaghny, County Mayo

Between its junction with N59 road at Dromore West in the county of Sligo and its junction with N59 road at Dooyeaghny in the county of Mayo via Easky, Rathlee, Kilglass, Cloonaderavally, Inishcrone and Bunnanilra in the county of Sligo.

See also
 List of roads of County Mayo
 National primary road
 National secondary road
 Regional road
 Roads in Ireland

References

Regional roads in the Republic of Ireland
Roads in County Mayo
Roads in County Sligo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Twin Falls »
Fox 35 KXTF
Oops… no streams currently available for Fox 35 KXTF.
KXTF is a full service television station in Twin Falls, Idaho, broadcasting on local digital UHF channel 31. Founded in 1989, it is owned by ... See more Intermountain West Communications Company. KXTF is affiliated with the FOX Network, airing FOX's primetime shows in the evening. In the morning, the station has its own morning news and information program, in the afternoon, it airs nationally syndicated talk shows and reality programs, in the early evening, it shows FOX reruns. After primetime, it airs its own local newscasts. KXTF also airs local sports broadcasts.
2 tune ins Network: FOX KXTF Band: UHF Digital Channel: 3
Twin Falls - Idaho, United States
http://www.kxtf.com/contact/contact.htm
See this page in French: Ecouter Fox 35 KXTF en ligne
See this page in German: Hören Fox 35 KXTF online
See this page in Portuguese: Reproduzir Fox 35 KXTF ao vivo
See this page in Spanish: Escuchar Fox 35 KXTF en vivo


Published 4 times a year in February, May, August and November.
Golly, Mr. Weatherbee! You got a computer!
Mr. Weatherbee buys a new computer and gets Archie to program it.
Hilda and Zelda aren't sure whether to allow Sabrina to go to a punk rock club.
Mr. Weatherbee! I'm getting very worried about Betty Cooper!
Archie, Miss Grundy, and Mr. Weatherbee cheer up a depressed Betty, who has little confidence in her paintings.
Why is that boy so wet?
Archie and Jughead keep squirting people with their water guns but Betty and Veronica attack them by filling rubber gloves with water and putting holes in the tips of the fingers.
Archie, my lad, did you bring your car to school today?
Mr. Weatherbee sends Archie to the bank to withdraw $500 and two guys try to mug Archie afterward.


This past week, I dropped off my work, and spent some time at the Celebration of Traditional Music, which was a weekend-long celebration at Berea College in Kentucky. Berea is a great supporter of traditional music in Appalachia, and I am very happy to be exhibiting the original tintypes in their Appalachian Center Gallery. Visit here for more information.