But You know, I never really thought about it that way.
Like, we can cross out panels in comic books. We own the book. We can choose our own narrative, make it whatever we want. Uncle Ben lives. Batman carries a gun. The A on Captain America is Ass.
I can't believe I had this thought without any drugs.
You really empowered my creativity. Thank you good sir.
Bill Watterson had to design his Sunday Calvin and Hobbes strips around different newpapers' size and layout demands.
His solution was to have two or three panels that could be omitted and the rest of the panels could be rearranged to still form a rectangle.
The title splash is usually a 2/3rds rectangle with some fun art that adds to the strip but isn't required for the flow -- Hobbes pouncing from a coil, or Calvin walking in snowpants with the sound effects following him the full length.
These can set the stage but aren't critical. I like to cover them up and feel out what the flow would have been in different papers.
Brevity is the soul of wit. It's like those tiktok videos that go on for too long. We got the joke in the first two scenes of the skit, and now it's scene 5 and it's the same joke, just a different silly voice or scenario. We get it. Bring back Vine.
My comment was in direct response to your first sentence. Would you be willing to restate your point in other words, as I seem to be so far off the mark?