Understanding Comics

McLeod discusses what he calls the "iconic" nature of comics, specifically in terms of the human face. What does he mean by this, and how does it relate to the continuum between "realism" and "abstraction" that he describes? 

When McLeod discusses the iconic nature of comics, he's referring to the fact that comics are full of symbols and images that are meant to represent certain things. He draws a comparison to the famous painting "Ce ne pas une Pipi," or "This is not a Pipe," which is by definition not a pipe, but rather a representation of a pipe. Similarly, comics do not portray objects; they portray icons, representations of those objects.

In reference to the human face, McLeod explains that even though human faces are hugely detailed, they are able to be simplified because the features of a face are easily subject to abstraction. What this means is that we can recognize an eye or a nose even if it is simplified and stripped of its context. This is largely used when making cartoons as well. Artists and cartoonists are used to amplifying certain features to portray meaning within those amplifications.

Another aspect he describes is how the simpler you can make something, the more you can generalize it. A detailed picture of a car can only be used to describe that car and others like it, while a simplified picture of a car can describe almost any car. Similarly, a simple human face can be generalized, and since humans like to see themselves in things, it enhances a message while simultaneously simplifying it.