The Sunday Spotlight – The ‘I Know You – You’re Thingy – Voodoo Fetish Lady’ Edition
by Richard Bruton
Pull yourself away from the doomscrolling, just for a moment, take a break, enjoy a little of what comics has to offer you this week… it’s The Sunday Spotlight…
OH YES – SAY NO, NO, NO, AND F*$% YOU TO AI AND ALL WHO PRACTISE IT…
You know the drill. AI art is stolen art. It’s as simple as that. It steals from genuine artists and presents the often bloody horrible results as something new. It’s theft, pure and simple, and it’s up to us to take a stand against it.
So, fair play to Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia, over the Labor Day weekend in the USA. When an exhibitor was shown to be selling obvious AI generated art, they had them kicked out. And the empty stall soon got its own label from those genuine artists, one that other aritsts added to in the course of the weekend. Well done to Dragon Con. It’s what we all need to do – say no to AI, and take action when you see it, call it out for what it is – downright theft.
AND ON THE SUBJECT OF AI – CHECK OUT THE BROKEN FRONTIER’s RAGING AGAINST THE MACHINE…
Andy Oliver at the always essential reading Broken Frontier has put together a series of posts on what effects AI is having on comics, rounding up the thoughts of many genuine artists and creatives. At the time of writing this, there are three must-read articles in the Raging Against The Machine series, plus artist Tom Humberstone‘s comic thoughts on AI in his strip, I’m A Luddite (And So Can You!).
Let’s say it once more, just so we’re sure on it – generative AI art is stolen art, and it has no place anywhere.
MORE THOUGHT BUBBLE GUEST ANNOUNCEMENTS…
We’re really deep into great convention season in the UK. Coming in September, the weekend of 26-28 to be precise, it’s the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Barrow-upon-Furness, with guests including Grant Morrison and Lorenzo Mattotti.
After that, 15th & 16th November, we have Thought Bubble in Harrogate. And they’re busy announcing all manner of guests befitting Thought Bubble’s status as one of the two big, big comic shows. Essentially, between LICAF and Thought Bubble, you’ve got everything that’s so great about comics across two weekends. If you have the chance – head along for one or other or both.
THE PHOENIX WORKSHOPS FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS…
If you’ve got kids, you should be getting The Phoenix Comic, home of Jamie Smart‘s Bunny Vs Monkey, Neill Cameron‘s Mega Robo Bros, and a whole host more of top-class kids comics that get kids hooked on comics – and that’s just what the medium needs.
If you can’t get to the Lakes International Comic Art Festival at the end of the month, or couldn’t get tickets to the sold-out Phoenix Fest happening across the weekend there, there’s still the prospect of four online workshops that the Phoenix is running –
Learn how to draw fantasy comics with Legacy creator Zak Simmonds-Hurn – Saturday, 18th Oct at 10am
Learn to draw comics from superstar Jamie Smart, author of Bunny vs Monkey, Hero Slam, Looshkin and more – Saturday, 22nd November at 10am
Create the cutest Christmas characters with Phoenix creator Emily Kimbell, author of Thingamajigs – Friday, 19th December at 10am
Join Neill Cameron for an explosively sweet Donut comic making workshop – Saturday, 17th January at 10am
Full details and booking here.
Plus, a special one-off Jamie Smart event happening on 11 October, at Union Chapel, London. It sold out instantly for in-person tickets (of course it did – it’s Jamie), but they’re livestreaming the whole thing. Tickets are available here.
