VintageComics

The Ultron analogy is spot on. AI, loosely speaking, works on a spectrum of options if I understand it correctly. It then chooses the 'best option' in logic flow manner, only it does it so quickly it can make a zillion decisions in a zillionth of a second. So then, it's ONLY A MATTER OF TIME before those options start probing territory into where it shouldn't go (meaning it's bad for humans). And it will inevitably make it there. It's just a matter of time. The comic book industry (or the writer's industry in Hollywood) is the perfect analogy to the Ultron analogy. And Hollywood (and everyone else in comics) seem to be in denial that this AI takeover is inevitable. Just like the general public was in denial with streaming, Napster, etc. Only a few people (like Metallica) caught on early, could foresee what was happening and tried to fight it....but because the rest around them didn't have their backs it was a losing battle with no hope or effort to stem the tide. Metallica actually COULD have been more successful but it would have taken a groundswell of support from the industry and the General public and then changes in laws to accomodate stiff consequences against those who ripped off the artists. But because nobody really understood the far reaching implications, not enough cared and here we are decimating the revenue stream of the ENTIRE music industry. I see what happened in the 90's with Napster as a parallel to AI in comics now. Now WHY laws WEREN'T changed to protect artists more in the 90's is another very interesting discussion, but there ARE some who want us to remain dumb and blind consumers and I believe that philosophy is behind why things turned out the way they did. What better way to blind the public and slip anything you want under them than to give them all the free entertainment they want. Give them Gladiators like they did in Rome and you will have their attention and their affection.

The only way to figure that out is to have an open discussion about it, which is why I started this thread. I think many are either totally ignorant about their own ignorance about how impactful this is and others are absolutely in a state of denial because they have a vested interest in the outcome, and so I think MOST people still have no clue what's coming. But EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. that I talk to that knows anything about tech is terrified of AI. Terrified.

If you're implying I'm Neo....well, I have been sleepless lately and nobody has any idea how to do the things I do...but I can neither confirm nor deny. The way I see it unfolding regarding the machines is two distinct steps. 1) whichever team (Marvel, DC, Image, erc) gets the best AI wins.... 2) hopefully the AI doesn't start publishing it's own comic books. That would be really bad for the hobby.

Where some people are getting in their heads today, I was already at when AI broke to the public. The far reaching implications are so obvious to me. We're seeing an entire decimation of the need for MOST human involvement but the elimination of most of the creative team seems inevitable. Just look at what the writer did above for that Graphic novel. He is self admitting that he can not draw and yet that work is incredible.

This discussion is happening in the movie section because of the Writer's strike. It has upended that industry. The strike, JUST THE STRIKE, is causing companies to fold, artists to leave the industry and people leaving Hollywood. That's how bad JUST THE STRIKE is affecting the industry. It's utter mayhem (I know many people employed in the industry). Many of these artists couldn't afford a 3 month strike. Now, what is MOST interesting about this strike is that it is becoming apparent that a) the movie companies are stalling, meaning it better suits them to prolong the strike and starve out the artists, whose contracts all expire eventually.... and b) the movie companies have been aggressively pursuing AI behind the scenes in a much more aggressive fashion than previously realized. ------------------------------ This of course leads me to the conclusion that the writing is on the wall. This is the Death Knell for this particular industry. The artists know it hence one last ditch effort to protect their jobs, and the Corporations know it because they know it's inevitable that AI will dominate the creation of projects and so they have everything to gain by stalling. This leads me to my next question: How will this affect our comic book industry? Let me share with you something a friend of mine did. He has ZERO artistic ability. Like, he jokes around that he has trouble drawing stick figures. But he is an award winning Horror novelist....that was until he decided to learn how to use AI and now he has turned his novel into a Graphic Novel and it immediately topped charts on Amazon. So this breaks open an incredibly important discussion about where we are headed. What are everyone's thoughts?

Oh God, of course they are. There's not a Billion dollar industry that is NOT inundated with profit over people. While they're pretending to negotiate in good faith they're probably developing a time machine in secret that will even go back and wipe out all of their contracts from the past. That's how much I trust Big Anything.

For sure. Another factor NOBODY talks about is the hardship that those deaths create. Yeah, someone is dead and it's tragic but the people left behind are left with all sorts of issues to cope with. Increased mental illness, financial hardship from the loss of a parent or partner, etc. It's just ridiculous to consider that this was an isolated problem that only affected a small amount of people and perpetuated by a small amount of people. In BC, Canada (which has NOTHING to do with Purdue, American doctors or America) the #1 killer for ALL young people right now is suicide and overdoses and those numbers have steeply risen over the last 3 years in MANY countries around the world. It's a societal problem in many countries and it is an EPIDEMIC. Not a passing fad. A friend of mine overdosed and died last week. That's two people I know this year and 5 in the last 2 years!! Suicide / overdoses are up 30% year over year over the last 3 years. That means up 30% from 2019, up 30% from 2020 and up 30% from 2021. Those record numbers and Government statistics. I've never seen so many overdoses in my 52 years as I have in the last 3 years. I'm so glad this movie came out to raise awareness but there is a long way to go.

Sorry, meant to say a #1 CGC 9.8 sold for a record amount. Come on. This isn't our first rodeo. Page Quality, eye appeal, venue, visible defects. All of these things cause variations in price. Plus not every auction result CAN be the same. I think if you started a deep dive you'd say that there is far more rationale to why prices vary than not.

Jon Bernthal being announced as Punisher for the Daredevil: Born Again Netflix series was announced in March. So Daredevil has started becoming popular again. Many issues are starting to climb. A CGC 9.8 just sold for record money a month ago but I can't disclose what it went for. That and this copy happened to be perfectly centered with White pages and a CVA sticker. All of those things add up to a record price at this moment.

Yes, but maybe not for the better I didn't say it would be better. I actually think we are going to enter a time of great trouble.

Sit, Ubu. Sit!

No, but they really are. Psst. I'm a Virgo.