the little twist rewarded audiences

What does the highlighted sentence imply? Does it mean:

1. "the use of formulated formats for comics was a change and twist that pleased those audiences who expected more innovation from comics"

or

2. "these formulated formats were popular because any little change in them could bring about lots of interests for audiences who expected more innovation from comics"

Outcault solidified the idea of the formula strip in Buster Brown, whereby the basic plot ingredients were well established and the strip would always feature the same concluding panel—in this case, a warped homily under a placard entitled "Resolved," where Buster gave with mock seriousness the "moral" he garnered from his misadventure. This formula created greater continuity in the comic strips. It also liberated comic artists from having to reinvent their strips each week; and if the formula proved popular, it was because the little twist rewarded audiences who came back for more.