Comic Top Splash + 3

Top splash above a 3-panel strip Top splash above a 3-panel strip

A top splash above a 3-panel strip. The classic page opener: one wide establishing image, then three beats to set up the scene.

About this size

When a page needs to open with scope (a city skyline, a crowd, a sweeping landscape), this layout is the most reliable choice. The wide top panel anchors the page; the 3-panel strip below carries the cadence that gets the reader from the establishing shot into the scene proper.

Comic art
Establishing pages
Hero opener

Pro tips

1 Reserve this layout for chapter openers and establishing pages. The visual weight is uneven and signals "we are setting up something."
2 The strip below benefits from clear left-to-right action. The page already has vertical hierarchy from the splash; horizontal flow in the strip keeps it moving.
3 Type that crosses from the splash into the first strip panel ties the page together. Letterers use this trick constantly.