October 13, 2001
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud and Fables and Reflections by Neil Gaiman

BCDC's rating: Understanding Comics: 3.95; Fables and Reflections: 3.75.

The menu for this meeting: Thai Hot and Sour Soup (Dom Yom Gai), cranberry spirals, too chocolate brownies

The BCDC Reading Guide for Understanding Comics and Fables and Reflections is below.

• Why do you think some authors like the comic book genre better than another to tell their story?
• Do you feel that Understanding Comics gave you an understanding of comics as an art form? Are you convinced comics are an art form?
• Was there anything in Sandman that clearly used comics techniques to achieve an effect that could not have been done in prose alone?
• If you were not a regular reader of comics before, has this exercise inclined you to read more?
• Do you read comics regularly? Has your reading/understanding changed since reading Understanding Comics?
• In McCloud's triangle diagram, what does it mean to go up the triangle on the words side? Does the words part belong in this picture?
• How did you react to being given visual representations of characters versus creating your own models/visuals in your head from prose?
• Did the reading of Understanding Comics inform your reading of Gaiman's book? Did you find it helpful? How?