Assumed Fluency

I'm really enjoyed reading Scott McCloud's Making Comics despite the fact that I don't make comics. Partly this is because the guy's an excellent writer - you don't have to act to read Stanislavsky.

There's another, more interesting reason I like Making Comics. McCloud, who has also written a definitive book on comic theory and one on comics in an online, post-superhero world, references a lot of comics to make his points.


I was very pleased that he references a lot of the comics I read regularly, but I was even more excited that he refers to a lot of comics I've never read. I love the idea of following up on the references in the book to find more stuff to read.

I decide which comics to read, or what movies or t.v. shows to watch, by being very sensitive to assumed fluency in popular culture. When someone makes a joke that refers a movie, or two people on a set talk about a t.v. show, or I see an article about an actor and I'm not familiar with the reference, I make a point of following up.

Once I've watched something, I decide if I like it or not just like anyone else. For new stuff, though, it's all about assumed fluency. It's a strategy based on social acceptance, and I realized awhile back that not everyone does it. Still, it allows me write stuff like the best '80s movie blog post ever, so I'm going to stick with it.