Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but not as successful as "Understanding Comics"
Review: This book continues the arguments McCloud made about the validity and potential of comics in his earlier book "Understanding Comics". He still uses the comics format, but the effect isn't as strong since the subject matter here isn't as much comics itself as the financial and logistical aspects of the comics industry and the technical aspects of comics creation in an electronic environment; thus it never quite captures the astounding, recursively expressive effect that the earlier book had.Still, McCloud's discussions and insights on the nature of the production and distribution of comics are worth the read. His ideas about the future of comics on the internet are less convincing (he suggests the prime advantage of internet comics are an avoidance of the confines of the physical page; in my opinion, restrictions like that, in any art form, usually provide both limits and opportunities). Anyone with an interest in the distribution of comics, or any art form, will find much of the book insightful and helpful. Many people new to the internet will find the discussion of it useful. But techies, especially those who have studied hypertext, won't learn anything new about the net here. In summary, this book is recommended for its content, but the essay-as-comics form isn't as effective this time around. The same material could probably have been presented as straight text with a few illustrations, and the resulting book would have had the same impact in fewer pages. The arguments are interesting, if not wholly convincing, and the inclusion of an index and a bibliography round it out nicely.
Rating:
Summary: Scott McCloud has helped legitimize an art form....
Review: This book is great in it's exploration of the topic and giving us beautiful new perspective on one of the most under rated and overlooked art forms. However, this book doesn't reach the peak that McCloud reached in his masterpiece "Understanding Comics" simply because of the more technical tone and the more specific relevance. His first book not only expanded minds on the idea of comic art or "sequential art" but he also expanded minds on the world in general and how we as humans express ourselves in life. This newer book expands on comic specific ideas so it loses the broad relevance. Still a must read for anyone who believes in this art form... and we all should.
Rating:
Summary: Scott McCloud has helped legitimize an art form....
Review: This book is great in it's exploration of the topic and giving us beautiful new perspective on one of the most under rated and overlooked art forms. However, this book doesn't reach the peak that McCloud reached in his masterpiece "Understanding Comics" simply because of the more technical tone and the more specific relevance. His first book not only expanded minds on the idea of comic art or "sequential art" but he also expanded minds on the world in general and how we as humans express ourselves in life. This newer book expands on comic specific ideas so it loses the broad relevance. Still a must read for anyone who believes in this art form... and we all should.
Rating: 
Summary: Deceiving!
Review: This is one of those (rare) ocasions where the first book is excelent, and the second one is awful! How sad... The only good parts are the ones borrowed from "Understanding Comics". I was deeply disapointed...
Rating:
Summary: They were right, unfortunately
Review: Understanding Comics (the prequel) amazed me so much that I couldn't believe those negative reviews. McCloud can get a little dense sometimes, so I figured that the reviewers simply didn't want to put any effort into it. Ahem. It appears that I was a fool. Mr. McCloud did seemingly go delirious over the success of the former book and the power of his new Macintosh computer, so he felt justified in dishing out the ultimate critique of market cycles. According to him, at the least. Well, unfortunately for each good point, he gets six quite wrong and four desperately off the mark. Nothing you really need to read. Especially in these post-new economy bubble times.
Rating: 
Summary: If you like comics, you need these books.
Review: Understanding Comics is a chronicle of the infinitely weird connection of words and pictures that is comics. It tells usabout the heart of the concept of moving your eyes across panels, looking at the pictures, reading the words, and perceiving them all as a unified, flowing entity. It told us how and why the concept of reading and creating comics works. Reinventing comics, on the other hand, focuses more on the public's attitude toward comics, the comic industry, and the varied possibilities of new ways of creating, distributing, marketing, purchasing, and reading comics. It contains many of Scott's theories as to how comics are and could be influenced by the internet and the new way of thinking it has brought us. These are two very different books with two very different subject matters. However, they link hand in hand to aid us in viewing the medium of comics as a whole. If you liked Understanding Comics, you may or may not like Reinventing Comics. If you liked Reinventing Comics, you may or may not like Understanding Comics. But if you want to view the authors opinions and ideas on everything and anything that did, does, and will apply to Comics, I advise you get them both.
Rating:
Summary: Once again: incredible!
Review: When I first read Understanding Comics (and decided to publish it in Italy) I thought noone else would ever tried to do such a thing anymore! An essay IN comics? Too much work. I was wrong. A fool did it again, and that fool is always Scott McCloud! A wonderful work: Reiventing Comics is full of (practical) suggestions about the future of comic art and, once again, is all in comics! Yes, I'm already working at the Italian edition... and I talked about it ...as soon as I received the first photocopies of Scott's drawings to make it translated in french, dutch etc...: it deserves it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Followup
Review: When I read "Understanding Comics", I was blown away. I looked briefly at "Reinventing Comics" and was underwhelmed (at first glance). A year or so later I picked it up again and read it. It is more impressive than I first thought and I could not recall why I had not continued onto it. Yes, it is different than the first book. It addresses what the title states, how to take the comics industry into the future. Very good ideas and good dissecting.
Rating:
Summary: Sort of an "Expansion-Pack."
Review: With Understanding Comics intent to realign comics with the more respected mediums of books and (for what it is worth) television, readers may 1st believe Reinventing Comics to be an equally compelling and inspiring book. While it is written as a text book in comic form, like it's big brother, it focuses less on art, and more on the current state of the comics industry in America, UNlike it's big brother. It is more of a companion to Understanding Comics, than a sequel. Or perhaps Reinventing comics can be viewed as a tool for an on line class guided by Scott McCloud's own web site. At any rate, if you are remotely interested in comics as a real medium buy this book, but not for the same reasons you purchased Understanding Comics.
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