Understanding Comics Chp 1-4

In chapter one McCloud states his opinion about comics being thought of in a narrow mindset. Will Eisner describes comics as "sequential art." The art of comics does not depend on quality or subject matter. McCloud also explains the difference between animated movies and comics. Both are sequential in time but only comics are "spatially juxtaposed" meaning that they are physically side-by-side.
As for the history of comics, society has been using comics since about 1519. Historians have even been able to read some of the old manuscripts discovered by Cortes. The manuscripts found tell the story of an ancient hero, 8-deer "Tiger's Claw." Ancient Egyptian scribes have also been found and interpreted. There is proof of the use of comics throughout all eras.
In chapter two, McCloud talks about the development of fictional characters and the idea that simplification equals amplification. Also, the more simple a character is, the broader the audience. More people can relate to the cartoon if it is not targeting a specific type of person. I was very intrigued by the idea that society sees a face in almost anything. For example, we see faces and even emotions in cars, outlets, cans, etc.
In chapter three the idea of "closure" is brought up. Closure explains how humans typically trust that a whole exists when only a part is present. For example, if you were to see a picture of a man from his waist up you would automatically assume that his legs still exist. While reading a comic you may notice the space between panels that has no apparent meaning to the story. This space is called "the gutter." The space within the gutter can portray different types of transitions which vary in the amount of reader imagination. The first type of transition is "Moment-to-Moment" and involves very little closure. The second is "Action-to-Action" which portrays the same subject in the same scene but performing a different action. The third transition is called "Subject-to-Subject and shows different subjects in the same time frame. For example, this transition could portray a conversation or a immediate cause and effect. The fourth transition is "Scene-to-Scene" which could portray several years later or different scenes at different times. The fifth, Aspect-to-Aspect" is much like a wandering eye. Showing things that are most likely in the scene but not within the frame. The final transition is "Non-Sequitur" and show no logical relation at all.
In chapter four we talk about the transitions of time and motion. To put it quite simply, by combining multiple Aspect-to-Aspect panels into one, the reader now understand that all of the actions are going on within the same time frame.