When Google Chrome, the new open source web browser from Google, launched last week, there was a very cool comic book connection.

Cartoonist Scott McCloud, whose black and white Zot comics have just been collected into a large book, and whose wonderful book Understanding Comics is a must read, has  created a 40 page comic that explains how the browser works, and how it was created.

Originally produced for journalists and others covering the Google Chrome launch, a sample can be found on Scott's website, Scottmccloud.com.
I love Scott's approach to this project, and I have to applaud Google for bringing Scott in to use comics to explain their new initiative.

While it may seem strange that a comic book was used to explain Google Chrome, the history of the comic book medium being used as an illustrated technical manual can be traced back over 50 years. In Japan, comics,or 'manga' as they are known, have been used to teach economics, history and new technology. In North America the form was pioneered by the late, great Will Eisner. While best known for his creation of The Spirit, and for his ground-breaking work in the graphic novel field, Eisner also created comic book style technical, safety and policy guides for the U.S. Army's PS Magazine. From 1951 through to 1972 Eisner and his team of artists created over 220 magazines, and they can be found online here- https://www.logsa.army.mil/psmag