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K-State Today

October 30, 2014

Award-winning author, theorist of comics Scott McCloud to speak Sunday, Nov. 2

Submitted by Karin Westman

Scott McCloud graphic

On Sunday, Nov. 2, from 4-5 p.m., award-winning author and theorist of comics Scott McCloud will speak on "Comics and the Art of Visual Communication."

The talk will take place in Hale Library's Hemisphere Room and is free and open to the public.

For more than 20 years, McCloud has helped explain the way comics work. His books include "Understanding Comics," a comic book about the comics medium, which has been translated in more than 16 languages; "Reinventing Comics," a study of comics revolutions in art, culture and technology; and "Making Comics," an extensive look at comics storytelling techniques.

His talk on Sunday will explore the role of comics in contemporary media and in visual education.

Known for his fast-moving and engaging visual presentations, McCloud will entertain and educate, according to faculty familiar with his work.

Philip Nel, university distinguished professor of English, says, "Scott McCloud is a scholar of visual communication who also is a master at visual communication. Visually dense and carefully paced, McCloud's images form the movie to his spoken narratives."

"Scott McCloud writes theory that changes the course of scholarship, but he does it in a way that invites anyone who loves comics to the conversation," said Joe Sutliff Sanders, associate professor of English and interim director of the program in children's literature.

"His insights on comics are the result of decades of being in love with them. When he makes an argument about comics as a profound art form, there's always a glint in his eye as though he can't believe he gets to spend his days having conversations about something that gives him such joy," Sanders says.

McCloud's presentation is sponsored by the English department and K-State Libraries.