Chapter 9, Putting It All Together Summary and Analysis

In this final chapter, Scott asks the question, "Why is this medium we call comics so important? Why should we try so hard to understand comics?" Scott believes that the answer "lies deep within the human condition." He explains that "we all live in a state of profound isolation," and "all forms of communication are "by-products of our sad inability to communicate directly from mind to mind." No one can ever really know or understand what another person is thinking or feeling. Each "medium" attempts to bridge the gap between one person's mind to another's. Scott believes that only the "power of understanding can break through the wall which separates all artists from their audience".

Scott explains that a conversion must happen between ideas in a person's mind and the final result. In...