This was rather enjoyable because of the novelty of reading a book about its own genre. Understanding Comics is a graphic novel about, well, graphic novels. This bluntness made for a clear analyzation of the whole medium.
The whole book is a breakdown of the subject matter, and its ability to be quite frank with its examples is what brings the tricks of the trade of comics into light.
When I first started reading, I thought that there would be a lot about the obvious ways we perceive comics. Meaning I expected a lot about how we physically view and move through each strip. While there was much about that, as well as the drawings themselves, I found there to be many more in-depth specifics involved.
There were a lot of things about generes and stereotypes. It became clear that the idea of comics are not about what you see, but its about what you don't see. Each strip (specific to each author) is made by what is not there. The power is in the space between each frame - the ideas and feelings you have to fill in on your own.
I do realize that this is the same with text only novels. The difference I see in the two mediums is that comics give you a baseline - a guideline if you will - into how the author saw it for himself/herself. Because of this visual imagery you get something more, especially when it comes to something so stylized as illustration. It has become apparent to me how well this translation works. I forget I am even looking at an image at most times.
This panel in Understanding Comics sums this idea up:
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