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Why did this comic make me look at panel 4 before panel 3?
Same, I think it's just too exciting to ignore
All of the reasons already mentioned, but also, your brain is hardwired to pay more attention to a face, and to a face expressing emotion even more in particular.
The first two panels establish a pattern that your brain subconsciously keys in on. At a glance even without registering the specific images and text, your brain instantly knows that panel 3 doesn’t fit in the pattern.
I think it's the use of color. The snakes really stand out because they're green and the rest of the colors are very muted.
Honestly, it works better with the two panels swapped.
I agree. Maybe the creator was betting people would see it in the weird order