This Will DESTROY The Comic Book Industry

[@brychology]

Should give people a much greater appreciation for the early comic artists who actually use pencil, pen and ink to create tons of amazing artwork. Kirby, Adams, Wrightson, BWS, the Romitas to name a few…

[@buraddorun3043]

Which is why I love collecting original comic art.

[@jasonhbush]

Nice. I’ll just keep buying that silver and bronze. New comics just don’t interest me.

[@laverdadescatolica5]

What’r ya 70?? Read modern NON-MARVEL/DC comics …

[@jasonhbush]

@@laverdadescatolica5close but no. I do read some skybound but it’s only a matter of time until that gets ruined unless they retain top talent.

[@laverdadescatolica5]

@@jasonhbush do you spend money on comics just for nostalgia? Have you read NEW comics, like SAGA or SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN? This penchant for nostalgia that we ALL have is a crutch … look what STAR WARS and MARVEL/DC have injected into these franchises, sir/ma’am!

[@jasonhbush]

@@laverdadescatolica5 sorry I don’t read any new Marvel or DC. I enjoy the stories from the 70’s 80’s and Early 90’s. The new books are collectibles with a comic attached. If you need 30+ variations to sell a book I’ll pass.

[@laverdadescatolica5]

@@jasonhbush everything I mentioned is NON Marvel/DC comics. These companies don’t matter. Both are marketing expenses for WBD and DISNEY. 70s, 80s, 90s … aren’t PRE-CRISIS DC stories boring? They’re just one-offs right?? What is your favorite MARVEL run?

[@youlovecomicbooks]

AI just steals existing artwork from the internet and remixes it.

[@gregoryespinoza3572]

This.

[@patwilliams7362]

Exactly. I am an AI moron, but won't we just get the same cover art and designs of characters. Since they are pulling from already existing art? Please educate me if this is a dumb take lol

[@richhistory4124]

That is not exactly how it works, otherwise I wouldn't be making completely original characters with AI not trained on comics, my models do not access the internet, it was trained on art, not storing exact models, it even trained on my exact art, just my art. You can take models that trained on art that is not even comic related and still it can do amazing work! it learns almost as artists learn, and I run these models without any internet connection. It's really mind blowing. Original Art will be huge until they train bots to do that too.

[@pulsarstargrave256]

I already mostly collect old comics nowadays so this is no biggie for me-- I just feel sad about more jobs being eliminated by machines! "Hard times is when a person worked 30 years for a company-- one day, they give 'him a watch, they kick him in the butt and they tell him: a computer took your job!" -paraphrased from The "American Dream", Dusty Rhodes

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Yes. It sucks that art is now just made by machines

[@JSSBrooklyn]

Thank you for sharing this - it’s interesting. Sadly people who cheat will cheat. What’s ironic is that the pulled AI covers will actually become “collectible” almost like error variants. (Great pic of Pacific Comics btw.) I think “destroying” the industry is a bit extreme but it certainly doesn’t help with all the current publishing industry and movie drama. This AI art issue is reminiscent of authors estates (Tolkien et al) “writing” or finishing “new” works. I guess we will see. Thank you again.

[@Fuicui777]

Didn’t Spawn McFarlane host a Spawn cover drawing contest and an AI artist won on one of the titles. Art is 1000% done. Give it 10 years, AI will be making full feature length animated movies. In 10 more after that it’ll be making full movies. I don’t think people are aware of what the implications of AI are. It’s limitless

[@ComicBookInvestments]

I didn’t know that about the spawn cover. But I 100% agree with your outlook. Ai will be taking over

[@ChristTheLover]

I disagree. This makes actual art more precious to me. ​@ComicBookInvestments

[@Vittorio-xl4dv]

A.i. non sarebbe mai riuscita e non riuscirà mai a produrre idee e opere come Promethea o qualsiasi cosa abbia fatto Moore o Morrison, Miller o Ellis ... Stan Lee oppure Moebius o Alejandro Jodorowsky , etc ...

[@Fuicui777]

@@ChristTheLover art is precious to everyone who appreciates it even a little. That doesn’t help the fact that these bigger publishing companies aren’t driven by protecting the sanctity of art, they are driven by numbers. And if the numbers show that profits can be maximized by firing 15 people and hiring one person to do all of their jobs, they 100% will. They know it’ll look bad if they do that immediately so it’s just a matter of how they get there, and believe me, now it is their goal to get there.

[@danielkillackey5536]

​@@Fuicui777%100 This. Every word of it.

[@ChristTheLover]

To me, this makes a hand drawn picture that much more valuable.

[@StephenCofMD]

At that point, the publisher will be mostly removed as well. Charge $1 for the digital comic with the option for a print copy through a print on demand service. If I was a printing company, I would heavily invest in print on demand integration.

[@julianlawrence1648]

I teach comics in the U.K. and the university is introducing policies for AI integration into curriculum. I’m seriously considering a complete ban on digital art in first year, allowing students the opportunity to draw traditionally (I’m getting new students who tell me they CANNOT draw on paper). So, my policy now is: no digital in first year; introduce Adobe and Clip studio in Year 2; then maybe some AI in third year after students have developed a style, know how to layout a page, and connect with heritage techniques.

[@patriciosoler3861]

I ran into this teaching challenge as well- we went back to good ol' sketchbooks. Pen and paper, pencil and ink. You can always take a picture and drop the sketch into CSP, redraw it (or ink it) and drop color digitally. But you KNOW it's their work if it originated in their sketchbook.

[@Sudar2424]

That's funny, lol. I believed you for a second. About drawing covers

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Hahahha. I wish I could draw. It’s always been a dream of mine to be an artist

[@Sudar2424]

Sound cliche, but it's never to late to start. 😅😊

[@cjdesign5700]

I'm an artist who does pencil and ink...can't keep up with digital and AI's smoothness and slick edges

[@TheMikiloo]

Keep practicing you will get there! And it's worth it. I see AI on the shelves and I don't buy them! Keep your standards and you will enjoy the journey to improving as an artist. When an EMP bomb goes off you'll be able to draw a map to a save place. Everyone counting on computers to help cook their food or write down recipes or maps to places for survival will be screwed! 😅jk

[@Leshil]

They key to this will be will there be a market with the younger generations for this stuff that wants to buy it. Will pop culture evolve to something else. Most kids would rather watch social media videos right now. I suspect there will always be a market, but how large who knows.

[@DocReasonable]

There's photo-realistic AI video too. Soon it'll be possible for AI to come up with an entire personalised movie custom-made for your interests.

[@LasVegasCollectibles]

This just means we can have more independent creators get beautiful books finished to tell their stories

[@ComicBookInvestments]

That’s true. I’ve always wanted to do a. Comic. But it’s very expensive. Maybe now I can

[@tatobroth]

With this tho, comes the influx of creators. And there's only so much money to go around. If the creators 100x then suddenly we're flooded with choices. Not saying its bad, but its something to consider.

[@LasVegasCollectibles]

@tatobroth competition only makes the best better. Can't wait to see the industry change. I love change in all it's forms...even when that results in the destruction of some old ways

[@LasVegasCollectibles]

@ComicBookInvestments me too! AI is the Oprah of the comic industry...you get to make a comic, you get to make a comic, you get to make a comic, EVERYONE gets to make a comic lol!

[@tatobroth]

@@LasVegasCollectibles yeah I agree there. The best content will rise to the top. but the influx at first vast.

[@a3marketing991]

It will destroy modern comic values most likely. I personally like vintage covers.

[@CHAMPDOGZ]

Well,talent will always be talent for a reason, sure theyll look nice,some will be well written, others will be well put together, but a common person sure can get some ideas to produce Amazing looking images maybe a stupid little story... Talented creative people with a vast imagination to images & storytelling will always win out maybe AI will be a part of the process i can totally see that but i don't think an all A.I of any art form will last more than just a few of whatever it is

[@panoz702]

Great! More variant covers. That’s all we need. Oh! Your Batman cover is killer. I’ll take 2 send 1 to PSA, please.

[@TheGMan366]

Good stuff my man loved the historical references as well thank you The G Man Totally approves 😉👊 well done 👊

[@Earthman99999]

IMO, AI comic book covers are still not as great as Romita, Kirby, Steranko, or Buscema covers.

[@jamesortiz3425]

I would bet they'd be better!!! 🤗

[@Tom_Agnetti]

My kids talked me into going onto Whatnot to create art live and I've been watching others. I think artists that have actual skill, could potentially grow that way. For me it's a side thing, but so many artists worl digitally and just cheat and have for years. It's why you don't see thousands of artists on there. Most trace and copy paste etc. But it's because those are the tools available to them growing up, so you don't learn traditional skills. Ofcourse there are exceptions as you mentioned, but overall I think you are spot on.

[@DoubleO7-11]

The focus should really be on how execs suck up majority of profits. We shouldn’t get led to believe that artists are somehow “overpaid”.

[@peerboom]

Great video, I’ve watched this twice now and it’s great that you brought up the Comics Code, I think that when the big two did away with them that gave creators carte blanche, thus no boundaries were set on what can and can’t be done. Having some sort of limitation on what a creator can do helps push them in other areas. We see the results of not having rules and guidelines in comics now with poor editors, allowing stuff like this to make it past solicitations. As much as they sell (to the retailers, not the customers) variants make money for the publishers, and with a constant rise in digital art, I think that any digital art should be questioned. It sucks that we have books out there that the cover artist has no prior interior art in comics, or they have abandoned that, and have opted for cheesecake, bland, one character covers that tell you nothing about what is inside of the book. I also feel that the “pros” in the industry need to do a better job at calling out bad apples when it comes to AI, and not just throw up an anti-AI image on all their social media accounts. This has been my Ted Talk 😂

[@ComicBookInvestments]

I think that these artists and publishers will complain about Ai art. But over the next couple years. You’ll start to see more and more of them

[@pcorey182]

I remember in the mid-80s when they came out with the first computerized comic they were saying that it would replace comic artist one day it didn't in the early 2000s Marvel started streaming their new comic books to read online and it was thought that it would replace physical Comics it did not AI will not replace artist in comic books just because we have the technology does not mean that it will get rid of what's already there but I could be wrong time will tell we will see

[@sourcecode5273]

AI killed the comic book star. Videos killed the radio star.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Robots killed the humans 😆

[@soulphoenix13]

@@ComicBookInvestments And the humans that survived became cyborgs!

[@OJ_Pimpson]

I’ll play devils advocate. Almost nobody reads their books and while writing gets blamed for this it’s actually because internal art sucks. AI internal pages with human artist covers is the future.

[@jason916]

It's already dead . It died when the Alphabet Mafia took over.

[@timeknowsfilmsproductions978]

100% facts. They’ve destroyed everything from film to comics. Everything they touch turns to 💩. I don’t understand how they are even employed? Let’s say you work at a fast food joint, and you cost them $15, it comes out of your pay check or you get fired. These clowns cost them BILLIONS in lost revenue, and yet are still there?

[@ghostfacecollectah6827]

💯💯🎯🎯🎯

[@sade281]

Yoooooo those covers u did were hot lol I don’t care it’s AI still looks dope good vid as always 😮

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Thanks. Ya I really like the Batman cover

[@sade281]

@@ComicBookInvestments if DC picks it up I will grab it lol

[@justinw1219]

The only problem I have with this is when they release the raw AI thing will all the mistakes instead of using their skills to perfect it. It's the same as releasing half-assed art drawn by hand.

[@Rancoroth419]

Most artists have their own websites, sell their own covers, prints, etc. graded, signed, or raw, direct from them.

[@jamesortiz3425]

The only bad thing about that is the corruption in the comic industries! Thay'll keep the price at the highest thay can !!!cause it realy doesn't matter who draws the comic!!Thats one of the reasons I stopped buying comic books!!! New ones anyway!! I go to the back box's and pick'em up for pennies!! And in beautiful condition!!! There are thousands and thousands i haven't read,and some become really valuable!! And the new ones that are coming out! Eventually will hit the back boxs!! And the 5 dollar book,i pick it for 50 cents or less!!! I may not get keys, but in some, i do !!!! Comic's are just TOO EXPENSIVE!!and what realy made me stop,was the FREAKS that started to push thier agenda,U can blame the freaks for most Fan's pulling out!!!🤔🤗😜👍

[@DocReasonable]

Remember when there used to be people who did all the typesetting for the advertising and publishing industries? They didn't like it when home computers came out.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Also think of the horses. All those horses lost their jobs back in the day when the automobile came out

[@DocReasonable]

@@ComicBookInvestments At least we still talk about horsepower, so their legacy lives on.

[@rogersmith9579]

Imagine some young Guy/Gal with a computer able to make their dream senario real, who needs Marvel/Dc Ect ? Two years Disney then, you're out too!

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Ya i think Disney will just be a licensing company. Licensing out their IP for people to create their own stories

[@nda42831]

Sounds like fraud/ counterfeiting to me. Unless the option was given whether or not to buy these books. To find out that D.C. 880, Hulk 181, Batman 251 (you know beloved covers) was Ai covers. The prices of these covers books will drop like a rock. A giant part of collecting is being someone fan. That’s why we stand in line for hours at a con for a signature. We buy original art at crazy prices. We can’t do that with AI. Companies is taking fandom away by only siding with AI, but by giving us a choice like another comic code stamp on the book stating that this is a AI generated book will help us as fans to make the right decision.

[@Hectekk]

People also don't realize that most covers are now done digitally without them actually drawing them by hand. These artists use many software tools, templates, and color schemes now anyways. It's not drawn by hand anymore.

[@tonyjung3967]

This is an incorrect assumption. I work(ed) as traditional and digital artist, software is like a brush which is a tool, the tool doesn’t do the art, the artist does and I can tell you many digital artist deal with wrist strain and other hand/arm issues working digitally so I think they would have an issue with you stating they are not using their hands to create.

[@DocReasonable]

Digital art is still done by hand, unless it's AI.

[@funnymcfunfuns1455]

​@@tonyjung3967AI artists use their hands as well. Both are way different than producing comics with pens and pencils.

[@rap3208]

@@funnymcfunfuns1455 Yeah, it is still the artist's imagination. Frankly, I've no qualms to comic publishers using AI to produce better drawn comics to keep it cheap for comic buyers. What is important is the art is good and the sequential story telling is superb. many jobs have been made obsolete or minimized due to the advent of new technology. I still think imaginative sequential storytelling is better done by man

[@WebFanNY]

@ComicBookInvestments this video recommendation made me subscribe to your KZbin podcast. I've been a comic book fan since the late 1960s when around age 7 or 8 saw an Avengers comic book at my older cousins' home. I can't remember which except that Capt America, as Steve Rogers, was laying on a gurney bed in one panel on the right-side page. Then another older cousin collected comics and he gifted me a Brave and The Bold one he saw me looking at because it was drawn by Neal Adams and I've never seen a 'cartoon' made so life-like. Re video - I don't see a problem with AI as long as the artists tells the truth he coded it in Midjourney or any other AI. But not telling is an insult to the greatest realistic artists ever, like Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson, Jim Aparo, Mike Grell, Jim Lee. Brandon Choi, Mark Texeira, etc. And good luck with your cover art job!

[@ComicBookInvestments]

I don’t think they will say it was made by Ai. Because marvel and dc will not want to claim that. It’s bad pr

[@strallent]

I've been a comic book artist for a few decades now...and I totally agree with everything you said. When I tried Midjourney back in 2022, I immediately saw the future of all artists around the world. AI will dominate in just a few years. Big corporations will all use AI art and video as soon as the technology matures (and it will mature in just a few months from now or a maximum of 5 years). There will still be a market for art made by human artists, but it will be very small. Technology Creates and also Destroys. Adapt or become Obsolete...it is the Rule of Nature.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Ya it’s gonna be so hard to compete as a human. Since I created those covers in 5mins. Why would marvel pay a human $1000 when they could get the same result for $50. I agree there will always be room for human artists. But yes it will get smaller and smaller

[@jamesortiz3425]

All that is fine and dandy, IF the cost of the comic comes down to something reasonable!! Like maybe 25 cents?!!!! EACH!!! 🤔👍

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Honestly it could

[@BatCave-CoLLectionsJ.Nutting]

So Dave, do you think that in time all of the comics with original art will become way more valuable? And faster?

[@markprocheska7302]

I have a great idea for how to capitalize on this new trend and its not the content, its a way of validating these ideas for collectors and collectables.

[@DocReasonable]

Time will soon come we can prompt the AI app with 'Create a comic series about Spider-Man that I would want to read, with art that looks like a cross between Jim Steranko and John Romita Sr... We won't even need Marvel any more.

[@tatobroth]

I wonder if 'physical' copies of books/art will be sought after as valuable, or if that will just die out as future generations won't care about owning/holding/collecting anything?

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Honestly that’s a good question. I don’t think younger generations have the collecting bug as much

[@tatobroth]

@@ComicBookInvestments my hunch as well. Definitely not for music; younger generations have never ever owned music aside from the random vinyl here and there.

[@jonsaircond8520]

The artists need to open up thier portfolios more often. I bought my first OA comic cover few months ago and having it in had makes it so much more special than seeing it on a screen. I don't think very many even realize how incredible some of the real art is

[@tonyjung3967]

I am an original art collector. It’s a small community of ppl, they(we) tend to really collect things we appreciate and love interns of the art and artist who created the panels, paintings and illustrations. It’s less a speculative market so it will always attract like minded individuals who are passionate about the art, so I don’t see or worry about original art collecting as its always been niche

[@kioskshaman]

@@tonyjung3967 I've noticed more KZbinrs getting into OA collecting these days - there is a lot more 'wow' factor in sharing and showcasing original Art than in showing the same mass-produced floppies that everyone has already seen month after month. OA feels more 'special' and thats the secret sauce that content creators need to be distinctive.

[@MrEdWeirdoShow]

Yep. Also in future we'll watch AI films starring 1930s actors in color, with new music scores and sound effects. ANY classic - or modern - star will be in the same movie together, etc. There will be no end to the combos.

[@tensixtythreecomics]

My fav part. The ending! Takes us to the brink and then, “have a good day”! Lol

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Hahaha. Well it’s always good to have a good day

[@scooobydoo27]

I think it's going to be affected, but slightly differently. Aside from keys, in terms of collectibility, covers drive prices. Fans will care who the human cover artist is. They won't care if the interior is AI or not. And the industry will follow. A similar example in comics is the recent FF. Alex Ross has been doing covers and while the interiors aren't AI (I don't believe), they have mainly been junk (no offense to the artists producing the junk). 90s WW was the same deal. Bolland covers mean collectibility even if the interior of those books are inferior to George Perez' work earlier in the series.

[@Rancoroth419]

They will do their normal runs with A.I., then do exclusives and ratioed issues with named artists, then charge a premium.

[@Quite_Nuff_Sayer]

What if I told you the Hays Code gave us better movies and the Comics Code gave us better comics? How have comics fared since the abandonment of the Code?

[@WestSideDave1]

I've always maintained that the quality of comics took a gradual nose after they did away with the Comics Code. Granted, it's always good to allow the artists a free hand, but regimentation definitely helps, as does a good work ethic. Perhaps the post-Comics Code industry gave artists unlimited freedom but, as history has shown, there IS such a thing as too much of a good thing. The covers, interior art, and stories of the '60s, '70s, and '80s comics still hold up and are STILL memorable 40, 50, 60 years later.

[@Quite_Nuff_Sayer]

@@WestSideDave1 and those years were all under the Comics Code except 40's. Not just comics though, Hays Code really gave us great movies in the 50s!

[@ghostjacker]

Artwork is always secondary to the story. If the story sucks, the comic won't sell well, even if the artwork is great.

[@BarKeegan]

Do you think customers will continue to pay the same prices, if they know the material was generated for a fraction of the cost?

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Some will. Some won’t. That is why I think they will lower the price

[@BarKeegan]

@@ComicBookInvestments true, ownership of the material will be interesting, I’d imagine there’ll be a lot of appropriation and creators arriving at very similar results

[@spcomix8986]

As someone who knows how to draw and has been published, he's completely right. I remember the days when people hated digital art. Even with digital art, you still need to have skill and an understanding. With AI, Joe Smoe can become an "artist".

[@jimgardner5129]

I love the idea of generating an image with AI to print a poster for my wall, via Walmart or whoever, provided they don't kick up a stink about copyright.

[@disenfranchisedver1tech598]

With a simple search engine with built-in AI, you can ask it to write a short story with any characters you can image and IMO it comes out pretty decent. While I will still support creators if they make decent books, AI is great if you are bored and you would like to read some AI generated fan fiction.

[@tyler37]

I wonder if they will still incorporate the covers/books drawn by artists alongside the AI generated covers, but have them at a higher price point? I'd still buy the artist drawn book every time. That's how we tell them. Only buy what the artists actually create. As someone who does draw, I absolutely only use digital now (Tablet, Wacom). The process flow is much quicker, at least for me. Sometimes I do miss the traditional art (paper, pencil, etc.) but I can get things out much quicker digitally.

[@AnthonyGeorge-w2t]

100 per week is great. Lowest cost is good. Fast output is good . Market is always in flux. Tech always improve "art'.

[@ascorvinus]

If Marvel and DC start producing completely AI generated comics in order to avoid compensating human creators, maybe they should lose their trademarks.

[@nawankcrossline4593]

Maaan,......You're jokes totally got me

[@juanromero1986]

Is that what happens when this comic book company starts being cheap and doesn't want to pay real comic book artists, It feels like every month there's a new comic book artists they are trying to push, then you have multiple comic book covers for one issue

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Ya so many variants these days

[@LUMBEEPHENOM2012]

PRO AI!!! BTW your comic designs look great!

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Thanks. I personally liked my Batman cover the most

[@2ndbestbob28]

I guess we'll know when it's happening as the artists and writers gradually disappear from conventions and signings. Assuming publishers will be honest about what's A.I. and what isn't..... 🤔

[@resistancepublishing]

The next big renaissance in comics is the rise of independent creators making a big shake up. Also AI replacing the artist, the writer, the colorist will mass produce a watered down version of comic books that people will forget about 5 minutes after reading. The market place will be so flooded with trash books that no one will remember anything about.

[@lukeorloki]

I always thought you were just an AI generated spokesperson for an AI generated youtube channel. You almost had me believing you were actually a real person for a second. Cool, AI can even do self referential jokes now.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Hahahha. Yup. I’m completely fake

[@clelandwarrenjr850]

The tricky part will be getting ai signature especially cgc witnessed lol

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Hahaha

[@kahnlives]

All Marvel and DC need to do is demand the original art work be submitted. Hard drawing, sketches, everything that a real professional artist uses. I have a sinking feeling that these same companies will be doing AI for their future projects anyway. Who needs real people when you have MidJourney on standby.

[@Whalewraith]

They are pulling books today but it wont be long before they are producing entire books with Ai, half a dozen people with the right skills replace the entire staff then go online only to eliminate any and all costs.

[@mestizo3113]

I wonder if you can use AI to create a drawing in the art style of a specific artist? 🤔

[@jasonbrazier2864]

for some artists yes

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Yes. I love moebius art. So I often use that style with my Ai

[@MrRawnch]

This is a CLASS. ACTION. LAWSUIT waiting to happen. People are paying big money for graded variant covers. This is a bad look for the comic industry.

[@johnwycough1955]

Page rates have fallen dramatically. Covers are now just page rates sometimes. Marvel doesn't even pay 200/PG for completed line art. I've heard in artists circles (I'm an inker) that they pay barely 125/pg. My last idw rate was 50/pg. And that would come out of the penciller's rate.

[@JesseHardesty]

There are tell tell signs for things created with AI, DC and other publishers are just going to have to run all artwork through this filter to recognize it. Or just force everyone to use original artwork going forward.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

I think dc and marvel want this. It’s cheaper for them

[@AllenB79]

If it makes comics cheaper and gets children and young adults reading comics then I'm all for it! This hobby will die if we don't focus more on attracting younger readers.

[@jonrunning2848]

Its just sad this seems so undefeatable

[@ComicBookInvestments]

It can’t be defeated

[@WhatDoesEvilMean]

I don’t think anyone is gonna care that Ai is used in artwork in 5 years. We’ll probably be mocked for caring. Haha We’ve been fine with traced covers and traced posters. Ai is a step up from tracing. In the end, the comic is still what it is - a continuation of Spiderman or Superman’s story, et al. A Batgirl #32 will still be a Batgirl #32. Doesn’t matter if Ai literally makes every panel and writes every word. It’ll still be the story. MOST people don’t care who’s making what we’re watching, reading, etc. We just want to enjoy it. Ask yourself, if the animation in the Transformers films was done Ai, would that have made any difference whatsoever to your experience? Do you know the names of any of the animators? Of course not. This is, to me, a big nothing burger. CRAFTSMEN are up in arms because their hierarchy is being dismantled. Bottom line, if a machine can do your human labor, humanity no longer requires your labor. That’s a rough pill to swallow for a lot of these “artists” who kneel at the altar of this hierarchy. I was talking to a particularly irate illustrator yesterday on Twitter and when I said, “Well, surely a quadriplegic should be able to use a machine to help them make their comic book.” They said no, that the quadriplegic should be forced to draw with their mouth. Ideologies that worship hierarchies to this degree always arrive at a supremacist and elitist position that invariably results in a morbid sadism. Basically, this is fine. Progress is always good, even as it upsets and dismantled hierarchies.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Yes Ai is gonna happen. Just sucks that people can’t make money off their art anymore. It I agree. No one in the next 5 years will care if Ai did the art. Because it will be the norm

[@WhatDoesEvilMean]

@@ComicBookInvestments I will say, I buy original art sometimes. I have some wooden bowls in my kitchen cupboard that were hand crafted that I bought from some dude in, like, Iceland or something. I have a sword that’s one of a kind, but also have flatware I got at William Sonoma that’s just, like, made by a machine. Artists forget that a long time ago, people didn’t buy most art - instead, artists survived off of (typically royal) patronage. I’m not sure if artist’s will make a living *from* their art, but they’ll certainly continue to make money *being* artists. I have a whole video on my channel about why I love Ai art, but so much of it comes down to humanity finally being truly confronted with what it means to be human. Like, what is craft and what is art? What is mind, what is soul, etc; what is the love that is, and what is the love that we do. It really is, I believe, the superfluous that Ai is stripping away. And that means that the entire world will have to change and adapt to that reality. I don’t think had Ai started with doing our laundry and dishes we would’ve been able to properly contend with the gravity of what’s happening and all that’s about to happen. I think Ai needed to throw a spear directly at the soul of humanity first to jar us out of our laissez-faire engagement with the real. I feel like artists have lived in this space for so long, watching craftsmen and the average Joe finally contend with what Ai tells us, feels like slipping into a warm tub. It’s a comfort when finally everyone is starting to experience existence for what it is - a material engagement of divergent purposes that all arrive at two opposing outcomes, and that material engagement likewise being a binary dictated by observation. Either all of reality ends with your observation of it, or your observation is eternal. Robots will never be able to manifest art, but rather will only ever be able to generate labor, engineer craft. Ai will never be able to tell you what’s true, it’ll only ever be able to tell you what is fact. There’s so much beauty in this transition, even if that transition has so many people paranoid and afraid because of the pressures of capitalism and hierarchies. But none of those things will survive the transition. All that’ll remain is all that’s ever been there and mattered from the outset. So it’s all just…great. ❤️

[@Rancoroth419]

Marvel Comics just lowered how much they pay per page to under 100.00. It's kind of like, they are pushing the Artists to leave.

[@CHRISMED2]

Damn, he's one of my favorite artists. How many Mattina covers have been AI?? Makes me want to sell all my Mattina covers now

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Probably a lot more we don’t know about

[@raleighcomicbookcollector]

When you said blow my mind I assumed it was inappropriate pictures of Betty White. Disappointed.

[@Future-Classic-Cars]

My first love is Cars, but since car collecting is not a realistic prospect for me, the same thing is happening in Car design, even if they have human input, ai will take out the originality of design.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

ya I can see AI designing everything for humans

[@RexxCollects]

This intro was a rollercoaster of emotions!!! And how can you talk about AI taking over and not mention Cybernet!?!?! I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.😂😂😂

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Well I’m under nda. But I’m secretly working with cybernet to take over the world. 🤫

[@RexxCollects]

@ComicBookInvestments sweet! Just blink twice before we get nuked ok!🤣🤣🤣

[@nfb4027]

I'm a bit ambivalent. I kind of do hope marvel and dc start using AI and drive down the audience for their own books (optimistic I know). As a kid of the 90s it's baffling to me to see grown men and women (30s/40s+) still collecting batman or superman with the same obsession they did as a kid. It's a depressingly stunted audience. As a teenager with the launch of Image I thought there would be a brand new world for creator owned books that superseded the old exploitative corporate hegemony but the people spending money at the retail LCS end have clearly not wanted to displace old traditions with new ones.

[@jimgardner5129]

"Hi. My name is Milli Vanilli and I drew that cover you have. Would you like it signed? $10, please." "Next!"

[@johnhauser1533]

Just like music the new stuff is mostly a regurgitated copy. The old stuff will always standout. 3D animation sure didn't make cartoons any better

[@bikingnothiking9696]

Off topic noob question but where can someone find new releases of new good Books keys etc

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Well you won’t know what a key is until many years later. But if you want to find out what the hottest books are that are new. Check out key collector

[@Hectekk]

I'll be devil's advocate. If the art is good people won't care if an artist made it or AI. Good is good. Consumers will decide what comic is good and sell while others fail.

[@pingadol1555]

Not so. Their is an appreciation level when a human actually does the work that many cannot. I would maybe wipe my ass with an AI generated comic as long as the ink doesn't stain.

[@Hectekk]

@@pingadol1555 You think AI comics will have an AI label or something? People can barely tell difference now. Just imagine quality in a few short years. No one will care.

[@rogera616]

Technology has touched every part of society over the decades, why would this industry be any different from others. People are crying now but over time it will be accepted, that’s life what are you gonna do!

[@thrashingjedi72]

We as consumers need to make them separate ai with original art and buy whichever.im sure ai will be left in the dust if so.

[@WhiteArtsMagic]

I dont mind the AI art actually. If its used in a way that makes sense and good story telling still is around, Im game

[@rubb3rmind]

That means folks are going to freak out when they learn there's a dude who's currently developing a technique that produces MOTION comics just by typing...I hear he's about 80% done 👀

[@timeknowsfilmsproductions978]

The only time I really use digital for my art is to colour, or if I do draw with it. It’s still my art. But I still prefer to draw with pen and ink, and with pencils. I’d never use Ai to create “art”. I do agree with one comment on here. The Lefty’s have destroyed the comic book industry, as well as everything else they touch. And comics are just too expensive these days. I find it ridiculous that you are paying about $7 for a comic. It’s crazy.

[@curtiscamron]

Anything that looks like Art Germ (Stanley Lau) I just assume is AI. The Action Comics has that look to it somewhat, not so much with the Batman cover. Scary how hard it is to tell anymore.

[@CyclopsWasRight]

I stopped buying materialistic crap many years ago. It's just not worth it in the long run.

[@stevenbrown9374]

We need a governing body to protect artists now and completely ban Ai. Anyone found out using Ai will be banned from the industry indefinitely

[@michaelleslieviola5743]

Are you speaking about being a comic book artist & how the future is bleak for them or about the collector’s market? How will AI kill the industry if the AI books are being pulled from the shelves? If AI becomes the industry standard it will only elevate the older book’s value.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Not sure how it will affect older books. Maybe make them more valuable. But in terms of new comics. It’s over

[@Swishrips]

Can a company require an artist to somehow provide physical evidence of original art, and the concepts that lead to the original, letting the consumer know all such companies’ art’s been authenticated in some way. Because homie didn’t come through and recreate his own version of that generated image cover, he straight up used the digital image created, and submitted that jacked up AI digital image.. had he touched it up and had an actual physical copy painted, the badge would’ve been fixed. More folks are gonna be looking closer moving forward that’s for sure 🕵️‍♂️ even myself right now, it makes me want to just investigate every book I have created in the last year..

[@ComicBookInvestments]

I’m not sure. I know they pulled it. But eventually they won’t pull them anymore

[@Swishrips]

@@ComicBookInvestments Ugh.. you’re right tho, I wonder will there come a time where if it aint AI, it wont jive, folks will be like “that’s made by a human, bunk” lol.. 🤷‍♂️

[@gilraybaker826]

Amending the Wally Wood credo: Never draw, trace, copy, or subcontract what you can pop out with a prompt.

[@gilraybaker826]

"BOB KANE Liked A Comment. "

[@magusxxx]

@@gilraybaker826 Actually, it was Bill Finger who said that. ;) (If you know, you know)

[@treybone408_4]

Technology only exists for one reason and that is to make things better/easier for us. In every aspect of life we use some form of technology stick turned into spears,spears to arrows,chariots to cars,food,art etc.... this will be the same people will bitch about it then get used to it fall in love until the next revolution of art/comic books come. Mostly will be holographic comics.

[@capt25252525]

I think between AI and the insane amount of variants covers are going to easily cause the next crash. Thundercats #1 has like 125 to 140 different covers. Every marvel title has like 10-15 and most of them are lame. I love Skottie Young and collected his covers but now it's 5 a week and it's just the character with no back ground, seems like a lazy cash grab.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Ya they are trying to milk the few collectors out there

[@artmin100]

No, you'll get both AI and traditional artist producing comics, the demand for something new, concept and design will come from traditional artist who have that creative skill which comes from drawing for decades, AI artist will not develop that creative side.

[@paulsmith8664]

A.I everything, dam that's a bleak future...

[@shawnmccann9762]

Sad days.Greed is at an all-time high and will only continue to rise, smh

[@projectchaser]

my man, this lighting....

[@Kelly-w1d]

Those 2 aren't anything to brag about if you had drawn them.

[@VaryingViewpoint]

Great video!

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Thanks!

[@gorgeousgeorge5173]

This will push real creative talents to the top however. As AI takes over, only the biggest talents will be able to compete and be in demand, likely at a well-deserved premium.

[@chrischreative2245]

No, it’ll take over everything. This “it’ll make top talent in every industry more valuable” is a stupid take and short sighted. Companies don’t care about talent or skill as long as something is “good enough” tsars all they care about. It’s ansel adams vs a Polaroid pic.

[@gorgeousgeorge5173]

@@chrischreative2245 Now that's a stupid take. Sure, the masses will be satisfied with generic AI created books, but collectors will pay a premium for original, good, content in a sea of artificial stories and art. We are collectors after all.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

I think the top 10% of any industry will still be humans. It will just eliminate the bottom to not very good. Or just ok talent

[@gorgeousgeorge5173]

@@ComicBookInvestments Completely agree. Lets face it, lots of people in the industry are churning out sub-par stories, art. Like the Star Wars content Disney is pushing out. So of course AI threatens them. But this opens the competition field for creatives to get even better. For example, I buy every Frank Miller cover out there despite the pushback he's gotten the last few years. Its original, its Miller, far more value to me as a collector.

[@monksden467]

This will make actual comics even more valuable.

[@ComicBookInvestments]

Could be

[@brentonbr13]

How does this effect spider-boy?

[@ComicBookInvestments]

😆

[@jayncoke]

Could depend on if there's eventual legislation that protects artists and their work that AI trains on.