The use of so-called “artificial intelligence” software in the comic book industry has been a source of heavy debate. Tech companies continue to promote the programs amid accusations of art theft by professional writers and artists. Dark Horse Comics took a stand on this issue, affirming a company-wide commitment against using AI-generated writing or artwork.
The publisher announced the new policy on their social media on Thursday, July 18. The statement, said to be a response to “a frequently asked question,” confirmed the publisher’s commitment to “supporting independent creators.” This policy was clarified to specify “supporting human creative professionals.” The company’s solicitations page also now includes a line reading “Dark Horse does not accept any submissions that include material generated by computer Artificial Intelligence programs.”
The official Dark Horse Comics statement on X, may be viewed below.
Dark Horse Comics codifies an unspoken industry standard
Many comic editors and executives declared a personal commitment against publishing AI-generated material before the Dark Horse Comics policy release. DC Comics President Jim Lee is the most notable of these, stating, in a France24 interview, that using an AI art generator would be “robbing myself of the whole point of why I got into this business.”
Despite Lee’s attitude, DC has no official written policy against the use of AI-generated artwork. However, the publisher pulled solicited variant covers by Daxiong and Francesco Mattina that were allegedly AI-generated. This would seem to make the company’s attitude on artificial intelligence clear, with or without written rules. However, while this affirms what is seemingly the common industry attitude, Dark Horse Comics’ policy offers a firm statement of where they stand.
Another notable point regarding the Dark Horse Comics policy is the AI controversy largely being focused on art rather than writing. The submission guidelines of Image Comics, for instance, state the publisher is “not interested in AI generated artwork.” Nothing is said about AI generated writing, one way or the other. Dark Horse Comics’ policy against both AI generated writing and artwork makes it all the more notable and important in setting an industry-wide standard.
