Outline of the Book

The agenda of this book will be to provide precise, mathematical descriptions for every aspect of sequential art, and to derive theorems based on these axioms proving commonly-held notions about sequential art. The goal of this exercise is essentially to prove that these commonly-held notions consist of an independent, consistent logical framework that obeys certain properties; and, having a fundamental basis in logical operations, to be able to make broad, general statements that are true for all sequential art. To that end, we will develop a calculus for determining an abstract, general system of sequential art that exists entirely in the world of mathematics, but whose properties can be specified or modified to apply to any real work of sequential art.

The ability to make precise statements about any particular system governed by a certain set of axioms, is a fundamental step towards a comprehensive understanding of all systems governed by the same axioms. This is analogous to how a fundamental knowledge of physics is essential for making precise statements necessary for engineering and building specific machinery. A broad, fundamental understanding of the basic principles underlying all sequential art, then, is imperative for the growth and development of the field.

Thus, this book will be divided into two main parts: Part One will deal exclusively with the establishment of axioms, theorems, and precise definitions for the common tools and systems found within sequential art; while Part Two will deal with the material implications of these axioms and theorems. A substantial goal of Part One will be to develop the mathematical machinery necessary for describing the concept of flow through a sequential art layout, a precise, mathematical description of which will be the primary subject of Part Two.

Hence, one could broadly describe the two parts as largely being divided into, for part one, a treatment of "statics", of building up an analytic model for the base, logical machinery that govern the operations of sequential art; and for part two, a development of "dynamics", of creating a prognostic model using that machinery to create a deterministic system for governing flow. Necessarily, then, the first part will rely heavily on mathematical logic, set theory, and abstract algebra; while the second part will rely heavily on systems analysis, differential equations, and multivariable calculus.

It is assumed by the author that the reader is at least generally familiar with these mathematical tools and can follow a cogent mathematical argument. Arguments will be done in the traditional theorem-proof structure, building conclusions based on logical deductions from the basic axioms, then using theorems to prove further theorems. Where necessary, simple diagrams will be provided.