When I realized I had to buy this book, I was seemingly annoyed that I was spending my money on such a thing. I also found myself some what embarrassed when I pulled it out to read a few chapters at work. When I got a little ways into the book, I started to find some interest in it. The structure is really captivating and it allows the reader to analyze the written words through illustrations. For instance, on page 51 he shows “The Picture Plane” triangle, which charts the many phases of drawing a face. On the following two pages, there exists an even more complex triangle where there is an even clearer explanation of the concept of the symbol. I found that I was appreciating the slow progression of each explanation, because it allowed the reader to stop and think about the little details of a comic more than they probably ever have before. Another section that caught my attention was the concept of time elapsing between pictures. I never realized how much time and thought goes into that break or ‘the gutter.’ McCloud explains that the gutter allows the imagination to come into play. The two frames he provides on page 66 is of a man shouting no and the next frame you just see a city scape and the word “EEYAA!!” He explains the action as our “special crime, each of [us] committing it in your own style.” I like this idea and I think this is why many people are drawn to comic books, because their imagination has a chance to decide what happens and to create a story the may not have even been there. There are several concepts that McClous brings up that I had never thought about before. I think even the length of the book tells a lot about comics and their complexities, because all I knew prior to this book, was that a comic essentially consisted of pictures and dialogue bubbles. Thanks to McCloud, I can appreciate the amount of work and effort that goes into each comic strip of the Sunday paper.