This year has been a whirlwind year for AI development, with more companies than ever revealing the use of generative AI in things like video games. While the comics industry has broadly taken a firm stance against generative AI, some creators have been accused of using it in their works. Most recently, artist Sean Northridge shared a thread of AWA’s Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands panels illustrated by Mike Deodato Jr., calling them “a combination of AI slop, traced photo references, and actual (almost rushed) art.”
Many people have used Northridge’s thread as a rallying point to talk about the graphic novel, agreeing with his observations and claims that it allegedly features art generated by AI.
Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands is a new graphic novel co-written by Cullen Bunn and Larry King, with art by Deodato and a foreword by Elton John. Mr. Northridge raised this complaint as an Ultimate Oz Kickstarter backer and posted his complaint to Bluesky. “AWA Studios actually raised 100,000 on Kickstarter Money and ran with it.”
In his thread, Northridge points out adjoining panels in which the Tin Man has a completely different design, and a panel in which the Emerald City is shown with three completely different skylines, moving windows, and textures.
The characters’ clothing also becomes an issue, as the article changes from panel to panel and the helmet never seems to remember which part should face forward.
In another panel, one of the characters only has three fingers on his hand, which was a “red flag” sign for possible AI use from the beginning. The generative AI struggles with hands, feet, and connecting lines. In Northridge’s comments, animator Mark Truesdale pointed out another panel where the character’s suspenders stop halfway down his back and appear to blend into the fabric of his shirt.
“Ultimate Oz Universe” panel with Mark Truesdale/Bluesky
Taken together, these examples from Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands don’t seem to match artist Deodato’s overall body of work, according to readers and creators discussing the book on social media.
When asked for comment by The Beat, Deodato said, “There is no AI-generated art used in Ultimate OZ Universe. The artwork is created entirely by human artists using standard professional digital tools, in the same way comics have been created digitally for years. I’ve been drawing comics professionally for decades, and this project is no exception. It’s all handmade work guided by experience, storytelling, and artistic intent.”
AWA denied any rumors about AI in a separate statement.
“Interior art is entirely by Mike Deodato Jr. (coloring by Ive Svorsina)…No AI was used to create the art for Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands,” the publisher wrote in an email to The Beat. “Mike is a veteran of the comics world and a world-renowned artist with decades of work to his name, and Ultimate Oz is very much in line with his undisputed style and storytelling approach. We hired Mike for this project precisely because of his work and the skills he brought to the page. We are extremely proud of Mike’s work on this book, and what the entire team has built together, and we hope our readers enjoy it.”
The Beat followed up these statements from Deodato and AWA with additional questions regarding the production of the book.
Deodato wrote, “I’ve already said everything I wanted to say on this subject. For those interested in my process, there are multiple videos and posts on my Instagram where I paint the ultimate Oz, showing the work in various stages.”
As of this writing, AWA has not responded to The Beat’s follow-up email.
A review by The Beat of Deodato’s Instagram page, which includes videos of him drawing characters from Marvel, DC, and more, found a video of him drawing the Ultimate Oz character Shaggyman, several other panels (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), and even a sketch of a tin tree. These videos do not show Deodato working on a panel that was shared on social media as an example of generative AI.
Earlier this year, AWA confirmed it had published AI-generated art to accompany the closing essay of Mark Russell’s graphic novel The Police. After the book’s publication, Russell posted a statement on social media, claiming he had no knowledge of the use of AI in the book.
“I am not working with any of these people. I have had no relationship with any of them, but today is the first I’m hearing about anything like this,” Russell posted in April.
When The Beat pointed out AWA’s past use of AI in our correspondence, the company claimed it was a one-time collaboration with another company.
“While our partners at Futurific Studios wanted to explore new tools and artists for behind-the-scenes stories, we do not use AI-generated art in the comic stories we publish. We employ the best creators in comics and will continue to do so,” said Nahuel Fanjul Arguijo, Senior Marketing Director at AWA.
The use of AI in Polis is said to be aimed at providing an example of a theoretical project that brings the world within the story to life, similar to an architectural mock-up. The difference, as some critics have pointed out, is that the latter does not use tools trained on stolen works.
There is no surefire way to determine whether Deodato used AI-generated art in the Ultimate Oz universe, despite tons of evidence to suggest otherwise. However, this book was published using funds raised in a Kickstarter campaign, so anyone who backed this book and believes it contains unpublished AI art can contact Kickstarter directly to request a refund of their pledge.
Kickstarter’s policies don’t completely prohibit AI-generated content, but they do require creators to disclose information. If the book features AI and the publisher did not disclose this to backers at the start of the Kickstarter campaign, AWA could feel the impact.
Editor’s note: The Beat previously published a different version of this article. This revised article includes more information and additional reporting regarding the accusations against Deodato regarding the alleged use of AI in Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands.
Something like this:
Like loading…
