In McCloud’s article, “The Vocabulary of Comics,” I gained an insight into my personal perceptions. Although I hadn’t thought extensively about it before, the fact that we as people can associate a circle, two dots, and a line with a face is remarkable; we really are a “self-centered” race.

            I have been an on-again, off-again comic book enthusiast, but I have never though so in-depth about the medium until having read this piece. There are many things to consider: the abstract and concrete, level of detail, and the bond between words and pictures. From Batman to Spiderman, I’m sure there are things I have overlooked in between the lines.

            More interestingly enough, this philosophic comic made me realize the degree to which objects surrounding us become a part of ourselves. For example, on page 8 McCloud provides the riveting example of a car crash. “Hey! He hit me!” proclaims one of the comics, and rightly so. In a situation such as this, I (and presumably most people) would say the something to the same effect. This realization has made me consider how objects can easily become extensions of us.

             From vehicles to clothing, the objects we surround ourselves with ultimately become a part of who we are. The clothing we are represents our tastes and sense of style just as much as CD’s do. But there is something significant in the example above about the car crash; we wouldn’t say “Hey! He hit me!” if someone struck one of our iPods or laptops. Clothing can be a tricky middle because if someone were to step on my shoes, I would be inclined to say “You’re stepping on me,” when it is clear that they are only offending my ratty pair of Chuck Taylor’s.

            All in all, I believe that this article was probably one of the most riveting of the ones we have read. While the concepts were intricate, they were represented in a fun, visual way as to maintain the attention of the reader reader and aid in the process of understanding.