Jim Starlin, creator of “Thanos”
 

CNN reports there are artists who understandably still worry AI technology could ruin the industry altogether:

It may surprise some people unfamiliar with the comic book industry, with its multibillion-dollar movie tie-ins, that it’s been on the verge of collapse multiple times over the decades. Now AI tools are adding new fears of a death knell.

From political censorship in the 1950s to a sales crash in the 1990s and the modern era of digital distribution, creators can be understandably hostile to a technology widely viewed as a vehicle for copyright theft.

Still, some artists are embracing generative AI despite tensions over its use, hoping to ride the disruptive wave like comic book creators have done time and again to survive.

Since they mention the issue of censorship, does CNN’s writer find it appalling how censorship made a comeback in the past decade in many ways, and how the industry suffered as a result, perhaps even more than it could now with AI? Alas, they probably don’t care. As for artists who are embracing AI:

In November, comics legend Jim Starlin, creator of the archvillain Thanos of the Marvel films, revealed in an interview with Popverse that he would be incorporating AI in a future book. While he noted he would be transparent about what parts of his work would be touched by AI, he also likened opponents of the technology to Luddites.

“… I think a complete ban on the thing right now is a waste of time. You’re just setting yourself up in history is being another Luddite,” says the artist/writer. “I’m curious as to where it’s gonna go.”

Considering how woke Starlin’s become, it’s certainly not impressive to hear he’s taking up use the technology. It just makes him sound lazy, and even if he’s a very old guy by this point, much like Frank Miller, that still doesn’t justify where he’s going with artwork now.

But to a lot of creators, the advantages of AI still don’t offset the potential downsides. Amy Reeder, an established artist who’s worked for Marvel and DC, said she believes she lost potential work due to the tech.

“I’m pretty sure that I was offered and then lost a job because of AI,” she said. “I know this because they had a mood board that was all clearly AI work.”

What if it turned out resorted to AI because they didn’t want to employ a woman, and didn’t want to pay her any residuals for essential items like health insurance? Sexism, sadly, is still prevalent in many places, and it’s not impossible for the problem to have unfortunate effects on women’s career opportunities today.

AI can be fun for creating your own amateur artworks in the ways of an online pastime, but for a professional art job, it’s no replacement, and no decent artist should be pushed out of his/her career because of computer technology. Maybe this is why some artists would do well not to make use of computerized art programs, and try the simpler approach with an easel for drawing on paper, including with watercolor techniques. Even “old-fashioned” forms of illustration can have important advantages.

And if there’s something important to consider, it’s that, if the mainstream publishers are the ones guilty of harnessing AI just to save money on real artists, isn’t that one more reason why no decent creator at this point should seek employment there, based on that along with their woke conduct? Exactly why even the most admired and professional creators have to stop looking to DC/Marvel as the most ideal moneymaking sources, and besides, thanks to their woke storytelling, that’s why they’re losing money in any event.