Using the McCloud Methodology

1. Comic Analysis:
Applying the “McCloud Methodology”
AUSTIN N FULLER

2. Abstract
• After some period of time, Batman welcomes back his partner Robin as they watch over some
kids supported by the Bruce Wayne Foundation attempt to break into a store. As Batman leaves
to check on the boys, Robin finds himself in a weird situation as he saves a girl from a drunk
stranger, but yet she acts out and refuses help. Robin continues to protect the city as Batman
returns to his home base, and shortly after Bruce makes a visit to the boys who were out trying
to break into a store. One of the boys gets into deep conversation and complains about his life
situation: he has no money, his dad took the welfare check and ran off, his mother is in the
hospital, and all while finishing school. Bruce sympathizes with Chico, saying that he knows how
it feels when the world is against you. As Bruce reflects on his past memory of seeing his parents
murdered, Robin gets the chance to visit his dad in the hospital. Robin feels some remorse about
the state of his father wishing he could go back in time; however, before his dad is able to wake
up Robin is already gone. As Bruce prepares for the charity bash, Robin watched the woman he
tried to help earlier as she talked to herself about some guy. The charity ball stared a television
figure from the famous show “Calistoga” Bob Dane (who plays Duval Pensey), who was desired by
the girl Robin was watching. Things go south really quick as the girl becomes crazy over Duval
Pensey (on the tv show) and goes to the charity ball to hold everyone up by a gun in an attempt to
be with Duval. After Bob Dane tries to tell the girl that he just plays him, Bruce tries to set a
distraction so that she didn’t shoot Bob as Robin came to help. Bruce eventually punches Bob to
get the girl to stop and succeeds as police escorted her away from the premises. Batman and
Robin find out that the girl is a stalker and has been to court multiple times over the matter. Just
as the night seemed over, Batman and Robin respond to the signal by Jim who only wants to let
them know that he is getting married. The story ends by Bruce’s butler talking on the phone with
Robin’s dad, assuring that he will inform Robin about it when he “wakes up”.

3. Themes/Focus
• Love
• Vengeance
• Justice
The theme and/or focus of the story is on loved ones and their
interactions with eachother.

4. Subject to subject transitions are efficient at moving
the story forward, while changing angles to direct the
reader’s attention
As Batman and Robin jump from building to
building, they spot two teens in the
distance attempting to break into a store.
The angles change to show both perspectives
of the situation

5. Each action by Robin pulling out his weapon
and using it is signified in it’s own respective
panel
Action to action focuses on one moment per
action so that each panel helps further
the plot and pace of the comic

6. The scene goes from Robin having an encounter
with a woman, to a shot of Bruce’s mansion
to show a new scene
Establishing shots gives readers information
about the beginning of each new scene like a
background shot

7. Due to her facial expression, you can tell that
the woman that Robin helped is not happy.
Looks to be a mixture of the basic emotions
of sadness and anger
Facial expressions serve as visual
communication tool that provokes emotion by
using different kinds of facial expressions formed by
muscles of the face

8. After Robin calls the commissioner for help,
the reporter looks to ask some questions to
Robin but he leaves. The story then jumps to
where the teenage boys are staying
Scene to scene transitions can help compress
a story down while still allowing for a
range of time-spans and a number of locations

9. Each panel is slowed to show Robin throwing
his spear at the bad guys, and then jumping
through the tent
Moment to moment transitions are useful for
slowing the action down, increase suspense,
all while creating movie-like motion

10. Although the woman is talking pretty harshly
and demandingly, she has a gun pointed
at the guard to show that she will
be let in
Interdependent word/picture combinations act
to convey an idea that neither would
convey alone

11. BLAM, KRAK, and WHIZZZ are some of the
sound effects used
Sound effects help bridge the gap between sight
and sound, while graphically becoming
what they describe

12. The worm’s eye view shows the dominance
and prestige of Bruce over the other
Different kinds of view, like a “worm’s eye” view,
can give weight and grandeur to objects
and characters

13. The picture of her shooting the gun
breaks the “fourth wall”,
overlapping over other panels and borders
Panel arrangements can also
be created
to show borderless images

14. In the scene, the pictures show Bruce punching
someone, but is supported by his own words
and sound effects to add detail
Intersecting word/picture combinations cover
some of the same ground, but each words and
pictures add significant detail/perspective
to the scene

15. The words/sound effects show and let the
reader know that Bruce has just arrived
home
Picture-specific word/picture combinations
give license to the words

16. The “WHZZZZ” takes on multiple
qualities and characteristics in the
story
In a montage, words and letters take on
pictorial qualities and are combined more freely
with the pictures that surround them

17. The background bleeds into the page frames
as well as the other panels
The expansion of the panel out to the page
edges open up the scene, letting it “bleed”

18. The depth cues shown here exemplify the fact
that Batman and Robin are swinging from
building to building
Visual techniques, such as extreme depth cues,
create a sense of great distances, closeness,
and the contrast between them

19. The panel flow is simple, moving and reading
from left to right first then up to down
Choice of flow serves to guide the
audience through the comic. This
Is usually referred to as an unwritten
contract between the comic and
reader

20. The body language from the man on the balcony
certainly suggests that he does not know
what is above him and he is afraid. Batman and
Robin though look composed and confident
Body language sends powerful
messages about who the
characters
are before they speak