Apologies since I'm sure this n00b question has been asked, couldn't find it in a search...

When I read manga, what direction do I follow the panels in? And what direction do I read the text boxes in? Is everything right to left?

Example page from よつばと：
http://mangahelpers.com/downloads/read-o...1260732134

http://tinyurl.com/yb6tz6b

^_^ After seeing kazelee post something similar, I couldn't resist...

Yeah, some of them get a little confusing whether you read right-to-left and then downward, or read downwards first and then right-to-left. I find a lot of the word bubbles are confusing like that, too...

But eventually you get a feel for each author and start to expect when he's breaking the rules.

If you don't know, just assume right-to-left first, then downwards.

Thanks, that's what I thought, just wanted to check.

Here's the best simple breakdown I've seen: http://www.mangaforkids.com/howto.php

There's lots of little variations, but it's really something you pick up from reading more manga. Apparently One Piece is considered complex in the way its images are designed--I don't like the drawing style so I never read, and when I did, I couldn't make head or tails of it, even though I've, ahem, read a few manga in my day.