Lab+3+-+Discussion+on+McLuhan+on+Comics

=Do you agree or disagree with McLuhan when he defines comics as an extension of photographic media? =

I personally agree with the statement concerning how McLuhan defines comics as an extension of photographic media. In relation to McLuhan’s book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, he discusses his theory of ‘hot and cool media’, which helps put things into perspective concerning comics as an extension of photographic media. He describes ‘hot media’, as something that when being looked upon it will enhance one’s senses without little or no effort in trying to interpret or understand the idea. Movies would be categorized as ‘hot media’. McLuhan continues to describe ‘cool media’ as being the opposite of ‘hot media’ in the sense that the media requires the audience to pay close attention to what is being portrayed in order to completely understand the message of what is going on. Examples of ‘cool media’ would be television and comics. With that theory understood, McLuhan makes it clear that comics are an extension of media, ‘cool media’.

Comics are a pervasive and influential media form of popular culture. And to further break it down, comics are compiled of sequential art, and are a pictorial representation of a narrative. Which makes it an extension of photographic media. I strongly agree with McLuhan’s statement because everyone knows that comics are composed of boxes of art and in each box there are different scenes and when all put together it is a creates a story. In each box of art there are usually words, but most of the time not very many. Therefore, it is left to the audience or reader to interpret the message being portrayed. The reader is left having to evaluate the sequential art and put together the different scenes, which in McLuhan’s theory would make it ‘cool media’. In addition, because many comics are made with images that wouldn’t be normally seen in reality, comics serve as a type of entertainment. Thus, making it an extension of photographic media.