comic-core

name	comic-core
version	1.2.0
category	comic-core
description	The foundational operating system for authentic, human-like comic generation. Contains the universal rules, structural contracts, format and narrative-pattern libraries, lettering craft, quality gates, and story derivation methods that every style and pipeline skill builds upon.

Comic Core — Foundational Operating System

Purpose: This is the root layer that gives the entire comic skill system its discipline, consistency, and artistic integrity. Every higher-level skill (styles, consistency engines, direction, pipelines) depends on these contracts.

Skill Inventory

Skill	Role	Key Contribution
comic-universal-operating-rule	Root contract	Input rules, four-cue story derivation, default 3-panel structure, and baseline quality principles
comic-structural-contract	Narrative architecture	Default Setup → Reinforce → Turnaround emotional arc with panel relationships, turnaround tone guidelines, and variation governance
comic-narrative-patterns	Beat pattern library	Six sanctioned arcs: the default plus kishōtenketsu, gag escalation, slow-burn reveal, parallel action, and silent strip
comic-format-library	Format library	Six sanctioned canvases: 3-panel horizontal (default), 4-koma, webtoon scroll, single-panel, 2×2 grid, multi-page chapter
comic-quality-gates	Evaluation framework	6-layer quality system including the critical "Artistic Life" gate that separates human-like work from generic AI output
comic-lettering-and-balloons	Lettering craft contract	Balloon taxonomy, placement law, reading-order rules, and SFX policy that every style inherits
comic-story-derivation	Narrative generation method	Repeatable process for extracting emotional seeds from reference images (incl. multi-character relationship cues) and building coherent arcs

How the Core Works Together

Reference Image
       ↓
comic-story-derivation (extract 4 cues + build emotional arc)
       ↓
comic-narrative-patterns + comic-format-library (locked per project by the Producer)
       ↓
comic-structural-contract (map arc to the locked beats and panels)
       ↓
comic-universal-operating-rule (apply input contract + style translation)
       ↓
comic-quality-gates (run all 6 layers, especially Artistic Life)
       ↓
Style Skill (retro-hand-inked-manga, gekiga-cinematic, etc.)

When to Load comic-core

• Before creating or modifying any style skill
• When building consistency systems or memory layers
• When designing production pipelines (Higgsfield, Remotion, etc.)
• When auditing or improving comic output quality
• As the mandatory foundation for any new comic-related skill

Design Philosophy

This core exists to solve the biggest failure mode in AI comic generation:

"Technically correct but artistically lifeless."

The four skills work together to enforce:

1. Discipline — No deviation from the input contract or structural rules
2. Coherence — Story must grow from the specific reference image
3. Emotional Intelligence — Every panel must serve the emotional arc
4. Artistic Life — Final output must pass the human-artist pride test

Delivered Extensions

The extensions originally planned for this layer now live in their own layers:

• Character, world, and linework memory → comic-consistency/ (comic-character-consistency-system, comic-world-bible-system, comic-style-memory-system)
• Decision authority and review → comic-direction/ (comic-producer, comic-director)
• Format and pattern variation → comic-narrative-patterns and comic-format-library (this layer)

Emotional state tracking across strips → delivered as comic-emotional-arc-orchestrator (pipeline layer).

Integration with Higher Layers

comic-core (this skill)
    ↓
comic-consistency/ (character, world, linework memory)
    ↓
comic-styles/ (28 individual artistic style skills)
    ↓
comic-direction/ (Producer + Director decision authority)
    ↓
comic-pipeline/ (end-to-end generation workflows)
    ↓
comic-production/ (Higgsfield, Remotion, print output, etc.)

Usage Example

When building a new style skill (e.g., comic-styles/manga/gekiga-cinematic-manga):

1. Start by referencing comic-universal-operating-rule
2. Define the style-specific Story Harness using comic-story-derivation
3. Lock the 3-panel structure using comic-structural-contract
4. Add style-specific quality rules on top of comic-quality-gates

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comic-core is not optional. It is the difference between prompt engineering and a true artistic system.