Aw, FlightPath, I could hug you for caring enough to listen and re-post that info!
You wouldn't believe how much misinformation is out there, so it often feels like "educating one person at a time." Feels great when the correct info then starts making its way around.
Let me add a bit more detail, for those who care:
In the old days, artists used to get plots only, which was cool. That way the storytelling was left to them, and the writers then added the dialogue later. It was more work for the artist, but in my opinion produced a more dynamic final product. Nowadays, most scripts include a very specific, page-by-page, panel-by-panel description. The artist CAN add or remove a panel, but it's tough,as you're about to see...
Let's say there's something a little vague in the script and the artist wants to clarify things a little, he or she might have to add a panel for clarity's sake. But if there's already 6 panels in the script, you risk having an overly busy page. Hm. What to do? Cluttered-but-clear page or dynamic-but-unclear page? Dale is a stickler for clarity, so he'll sacrifice his art looking "pretty" so that the readers can follow the storytelling without getting confused. He always says "I serve the story first." Unfortunaetly, that means he often isn't as "flashy" as other artists.
Conversely, sometimes you might find you can combine two panels when they're redundant or one is unnecessary. Sounds easy, but there's a hundred little things to consider. For example, dialogue in comics must always go from left to right. When writing and drawing for comics, you have to ALWAYS keep that in mind. Well, let's say you have a team like Alpha Flight, and in panel 1 you established their positions in a room or around a table. You have Guardian speak first. He has to be on the left. The more characters are in the scene, the trickier it gets to choreograph. So there may be panels you would like to combine so you get a nice, juicy, dynamic panel, but you CAN'T because of the order of the dialogue. So, no-can-do. Argh.
Sounds complicated? Yep. It really, truly is. I'm just the WIFE of an artist, not the artist. After over decades spent together, I know a lot of the rules, but I'm just scratching the surface still. These are just two very, very basic ("Comics 101") rules out of the hundreds of factors that every artist must consider when planning
each page and panel. It's an incredibly complex job that, in my opinion, is greatly unknown and often misunderstood.
So there you have it. Hope you found this interesting and helpful!
Wolfie