Panel one is a greeting by the group at arrival. Notice they are encircling Gord. Panel two they are spread out and moved around. Perhaps the just walked around the place and then this is the part of the conversation that is presented to us.
The four panels do have to be a 5 second time span.
We used to see them at their respective offices on occasion. We have seen their son grow up and in middle school and throughout high school. A & J is one of the few comics where the characters do age, albeit very slowly.
If you are the the 98 pound weakling , reading skills should be important to you.