San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) 2026 is this week/weekend. It’s the biggest celebration of the last surviving, successful, print media: comic books. I was there for the first time last year. Throughout my time on the floor, I could feel the ultimate villain’s specter everywhere I turned. Artificial intelligence (AI) was the bogeyman, the bad guy, the scourge of all things art.

Long story short, every single artist attending the show was against the use of AI in the generation of images. I spoke to dozens of pro-artists, like Marc Silvestri, David Peterson, Michael Golden, Bob Burden, Stan Sakai, Jae Lee, just about every pro in the artist alley. It was a resounding NO-AI EVER.

Just after the convention ended, famed artist Jim Lee, who is now the President of DC Comics, stated that DC Comics will never use AI art or storytelling in anything. It was a staunch rebuke of AI-generated images overall.

My Inspiration

When I got back from the show, I drew this. It’s the embodiment of everyone’s feelings… AI vs. hand-drawn art.

For the record, I have to state that I used AI to generate the “Major A.I.” character in the background. I thought it would be cool if Major A.I. wore a costume with other villains’ faces pasted all over it. Why? Cuz he’s just a copier, a fraud, a fake, unskilled, with no personality of his own. Here’s the kicker: It turned out well-proportioned and pretty startling to look at. I only had to do a few cleanup fixes by hand. (Time to create Major A.I.: 15 seconds)

The character of the “Illustratress” is my first attempt ever at drawing a superhero. Her weapons are drawing tools. Perhaps her power is the strength of human creativity. Destroying AI art with real hand-drawn sketches come to life. (Time to draw and color Illustratress: 4 hours)

I took some inspiration from how various X-Men (Marvel Comics) artists drew their heroes in the 1990s. But zero chance I’d be able to sketch and render like a Marc Silvestri or Jim Lee (yes, the DC President), though I tried.

That’s the key here. I tried.

Because I can’t draw like Jim Lee, one of my favorite artists, should I have let AI make my art?

It’s actually true. I failed to draw it the way I wanted it to look. I can’t draw a ¾ view from the back for the life of me. My detail is lacking, mainly because it takes me so long to draw. If I spent days on it, maybe, but I don’t have that much time. I typically do simplistic coloring out of a lack of skill. Don’t get me started on drawing hands.

But I attempted it.

I created the best I could, by my own merit.

That's all that matters.

Analyzing if AI-Generated Art is Ethical

AI can do just about anything now. But does that make me a producer of whatever it cranks out? Let’s analyze.

AI could make me a symphony. Am I a great composer because I asked it to do it for me?

AI could write me a whole novel. Am I a legit author because I asked it to do it for me?

You get the idea. AI could make me a BLANK. Am I a professional BLANK because I asked it to do it for me?

In other words, I did zero hard work. I built zero skill. I put in zero to little time. Can someone ethically then sign their name to these AI-generated works as if it’s their own? Chime in — in the comments below (follow this link).

This is a growing issue in the scientific research world, too. Papers, formulas, results all generated by AI, where the researchers sign their names to it. But AI in research is a debate for another time.

Ironically, I'm putting together an upcoming “Special Report” all about using AI to augment engineering practices. Making an argument that it’s essential to use AI tools to become better engineers. All the while, I rally against AI use in art.

To be honest, I'm using this to help put my opinion to paper, so to speak. If you read my editorial from a few EDWs ago, you can read a little about my views on AI’s use in engineering design. Also, a debate for another time.

Final Thoughts

I’m feeling like my cartoons are a bit of a white elephant. I spend four to six hours drawing something relatively simple. I can’t keep up with that. So, I wonder if there’s a point in me even continuing?

The Big Question and the Poll

I ask you, the reader, for the final say in this matter. Depending on the outcome of our talk, I may either continue drawing new comics, or I will quit altogether and let AI-generated cartoons be all that remain here.

We all agree that AI use in writing, or storytelling in Jim Lee’s case, is not something that's “OK” for an author to put forth as their final product. Even if they directed the AI to do whatever. It’s an immediate rejection, and you will get called out, or worse. Like all those AI-generated papers. But, what about images and art as a final product?

AI images are everywhere, but I will specifically talk about what I make by hand. This also came up in a few debate panels at SDCC. It’s a tough question to answer.

This debate will return again when I create my Special Report. AI’s use in engineering.

“The poll, Cabe?” Yes, with no further ado.