Chapter 7, The Six Steps Summary and Analysis

Previously in the book, Scott explains the ways in which comics differs from other forms of communication. In this chapter, however, Scott explains that all art has certain characteristics in common. Many critics ask, "Can comics be art?" Scott believes it can, partly due to his use of a very broad definition for the word "art". Scott defines art as "any human activity which doesn't grow out of either of our species' two basic instincts: survival and reproduction!" Using a series of panels to display a day in the life of early Man, Scott explains how the pursuit of art serves three evolutionary purposes. Scott provides an image of a prehistoric male chasing a female as the first example. The man is intensely driven by the need to reproduce. The woman, however, is just as...