So, it’s kinda clear that you don’t have art for art’s sake in a comic. Everything must’ve a purpose. What was less obvious to me is that you can’t have art for the story’s sake, either.

Art IS the story.

And such follows:

1. Dialogue becomes part of the art.
   How it looks is as important as what it says. Speechbubbles and the text itself are important design elements. Ideally design enhances the written word and vice versa.
2. In a comic the art is both, the medium and the message.
   If the reader notices the perfectly executed lightning or the horrible anatomy before the plight of my characters, it’s a story telling failure.
   Overworking is just as bad as being too rough. Both pulls the reader out of the story and breaks the spell that is the narration.
3. If the art is the story, then the style sets the mood.
   A rough shadowrun-style cyberpunk story needs a different style than a childrens bedtime fairy tale.

So what does that mean for Traces of Chaos?

I’m not sure yet. But I’m going to find out – and I’ll start by making sure the art doesn’t confuse people about what happens in the story.