This was a very fun reading because it was in comic book form. Having the reading be in comic book form helped me better understand comics and the difference between icons, symbols and pictures. The comic first started off with the narrator saying that we often identify comic book drawings as “actual things”. When we see a picture of an apple, we often say that it is an apple, but really it’s a printed copy of a drawing of a painting of an apple. It sounds confusing at first, but the narrator is trying to communicate the differences between icons, symbols and drawings that we see in everyday life.
Icon is defined by the narrator as, “any image used to represent a person, place, thing or idea.” It is a very broad definition, but there are categories of different icons. Symbols are one category. They represent concepts, ideas and philosophies. So if you see a drawing of an American flag, a peace sign, or a yin and yang sign, these are all examples of symbols.
Then there are icons of language, science and communication. These are the types of symbols we use the most in everyday life. They are letters, numbers, music notes, etc. Last but not least are pictures. Pictures are simply images that resemble their subjects. Even more simply put, they are drawings of people, places and things.
The narrator also makes another point to understanding comics and the way our brains process the information in it. Most of the time comics use cartoons, which are simplified drawings of realistic images. Some people may think that since cartoons are sometimes simple that the artist has eliminated details. But in actuality, the artist is focusing on speficic details in order to focus our attention on a specific idea.
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