How Did Scott Mcloud Call Amplification Through Simplification?

In his informative book “Understanding Comics,” Scott McCloud discusses the effectiveness of a technique he calls “amplification through simplification.” This is essentially the notion that using an artistic style that been “dumbed down” and simplified from an absolute realism doesn't necessarily mean that it's subtractive from the overall piece of work. In fact, McCloud goes on to prove that this technique can actually be more effective than using realism altogether. Used correctly, amplification through simplification can break down the barrier between a potential viewer and the piece of art in question. McCloud talks about a technique called the “masking effect,” which is essentially the inclusion of an iconic character against a more realistic background. Aside from artistically separating the character from the background. This functions as a form of projective identification, which allows for a more intimate connection between the viewer and
character. Japanese manga employs this technique very often with its protagonists; including them with softer features and far more simplified faces. This allows the reader to project themselves into their role and thereby closes the empathy gap between them. Conversely, antagonists are drawn more realistically and, as they approach the uncanny valley, cause revulsion from the reader. For this reason, it seems to be a tried and true fact that simplified or iconographic characters engage readers and promote future viewership. The escapades of a character like Charlie Brown in the hugely successful comic “Peanuts” are relatable to the reader because Charlie Brown himself is such a simplified character that he could depict almost anyone. When reading Peanuts, there are many themes of existential nihilism employed, however they come across as almost comical because they're in the form of a comic featuring children. I feel as though Charles Schulz had several philosophical ideas and opinions of the world that may or may not have intentionally been included in the majority of his comics. (There's a looming theme of despair and hopelessness in many of his strips.) If he did so intentionally, I believe it was, in effect, similar to the reason Scott McCloud uses a simplified depiction of himself. Simplification gradually dissolves the blockades between reader and character as the character is no longer recognized as a distinct entity but rather a heavily stylized representation of the general human form. If we included the exact same existential dialog from a typical four panel Peanuts comic and applied it to a brooding, realistic film-noire inspired graphic novel, the universality of the idea is attenuated. The dialog no longer comes across as simply an idea but rather as the character's individual identity and philosophies. If some internally conflicted detective regurgitated most of the banter between Charlie Brown and his friends, we would interpret it as a look into his character instead of a catalyst for discussion and deliberation. We'd think, “wow, he needs to find happiness” or “this case is really tearing him apart.” While we may build up a similar character around Charlie Brown, the majority would likely not take his opinions as seriously when juxtaposed with a hardened, realistic film-noire character. Charlie Brown is essentially an eight year-old circle with a body and a face about as simple as they come. His lack of hair (or any hairstyle) only furthers this fact. Stylistically, he's about as far away from a film-noire character as you can get. He literally is, according to Schulz himself, the caricature of the average person. As a deduction, we can assume that Charlie Brown serves as a vehicle for the conveyance of Schulz philosophical beliefs and ideas onto reader rather than a intentionally deep character like a brooding detective. It's likely for this reason that Peanuts has become a juggernaut in the comic world. Its iconic characters are approachable by most everybody and its universality has helped popularize the franchise even more. This “stripping away” of a character is not limited to just comics, however.
Many popular video games and novels include relatively base or faceless characters to encourage a connection to the fictional world presented to them. For example, and although it's very divisive, many young adult novels recently have been purposefully including characters for the reader to essentially wear as “masks.” With the way they're written, they elicit a kind of false agency for the reader into the world in which they exist. Take for instance a novel like Twilight. The main character, Bella, is described as such an “everygirl” that almost anyone reading can insert themselves into the arguably more detailed and interesting world and lives of the people around her. This is a form of literary masking. Bella's flat character has catered to the fantasies of several despaired romantics all over the world and it's for this simple reason that the book has sold so well and is further proof of the effective of masking and
simplification. Video games also creatively use the simplification of a character to increase the player's agency in their respective fictional worlds. Games like The Legend of Zelda feature characters who are both artistically and literarily simplified. Link, the main character of the Zelda franchise is characteristically mute. The creators have gone on record saying that they intentionally make Link a relatively simple character because they don't want they player to feel as though they're playing out someone else's adventure. They want the player to feel like they're having their own adventure. The franchises success alone is proof that this kind of game-play and characterization works. Since its initial release, The Legend of Zelda series has become indisputably legendary itself and Link's iconic look can be recognized by almost anybody. One may assume that removing allegedly important information from any form of art may also remove it's quality as well. We may assume that simplifying artistically from reality may be detrimental to the work itself. Despite this however, “amplification through simplification” is an effective way to broaden the audience of any given piece. Simplification lends itself to a larger peripheral demographic and welcomes arguably more viewership. However, one must consider that creating something for the sole purpose of pleasing everybody isn't always the best thing to strive for. I can't stress enough how important divergent thinking is to diversifying the pool of popular media to consume. While I can't denounce the effectiveness of simplification for a larger audience, a work becomes bland when then the select group it caters to is everyone.