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Jun 6

I recently saw the advice, "Never draw square word balloons."

Herge says bollocks to that. If it worked for him, it can work for you, O Artist.

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And the Tintin layouts look really great too! All comic rules are really about knowing what style you're working with and to make informed choices based on that.

I love square word balloons and they sometimes make more sense than ovals.

Some artists told me that 12 panels per page is too much. The average Tintin page
has 14 panels per page and I loved the comics as a kid and still love them

It often seems like a lot of the comic tips and tricks you find online are very american centric, specifically from the superhero genre. And while their insights are absolutely valuable, it does neglet other non-american comic traditions.

I use square bubbles because I find it better to organize my thoughts. I think it also fits with my art style.

I also personally hate the current format of American comic books where the bubbles are placed on top of the finished art. They never look like they belong there. Versus something like manga where the bubbles flow with the art.