Reader Participation in Comics (Through Walking my Dog)

ABSTRACT:This comic essay compares how Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud and Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers by Marcos Mateu-Mestre approach the concept of audience participation in comics. It summarizes how both books engage audiences, and by using a visual storytelling method that invites the audience to follow along, it demonstrates through the comic itself how visual composition causes the reader to become a willing participant in the story being told. It concludes by testing what happens when these methods aren't used, and validates how the approach by Framed Ink creates a more satisfying experience for the reader.