Ah, panel layouts. Whacha gonna do? Certainly not the same old rows and rows of talking heads.  Designing a panel is like cinematography and direction: it controls the mood, focus, and context of the scene by controlling the viewer’s access to your world, so the real trick is figuring out what shots convey what meanings.

If you’re stuck on options, Wally Wood’s 22 Panels that Always Work(!!) are the original trouble-shooting guide:

But in Drawing Words and Writing Pictures I’ve come across an even more comprehensive break-down: 60 ways to illustrate the action of a single panel, and the impact of each decision. 

Fun concepts to consider are framing, blocking, acting, and Mise-en-scène (design aspects such as lighting, inking style, etc.)