If you’re at all invested in comic books, then you probably know the name Jim Lee. Other than names like Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Frank Miller, he is one of the most recognized names in the entire industry. He’s not just President of DC Comics. His artwork and style have defined multiple generations of comics for Marvel and DC alike. So, when he says something, his words carry a lot of weight.
But when he stated outright at New York Comic Con 2025 that DC Comics will never support generative AI, I just can’t believe that in its totality. That’s not because I think Mr. Lee is being dishonest. I suspect he means every word he says with 100 percent sincerity. But like so many statements regarding technological trends, it’s likely his statement will not age well.
There’s no question that generative AI is not viewed favorably in many fields. And in an artistically driven industry like comics, that animosity is understandable. There have already been documented controversies about AI art generators creating images with copyrighted material. There are also major legal implications with AI art. At the moment, it cannot be copyrighted like traditional art. And for any industry that relies heavily in intellectual property, such as comics, that’s a big issue.
But with respect to the comic book industry, it’s far more vulnerable to the impact of generative AI than nearly any other industry. Capable AI art generators have only been publicly available for three years, as of this writing. In that time, the capabilities of these tools has improved considerably.
Yes, this progress has come with plenty of controversy. Many of these improvements came largely from AI models using copyrighted work without permission. But it’s too late to undo this progress. And there’s no turning the clock back with technology like this.
Even if the United States and Europe passed strict laws yesterday about what generative AI can do with respect to copyrighted works, it’s impossible to enforce it in the long run. There are also too many countries in the world who don’t care for foreign copyright laws and are happy to provide black market alternatives.
For Jim Lee and DC Comics, it’s easy to make this promise now. Current AI art generators are still not capable of matching the quality of skilled artists. And even with continuing progress, these programs won’t match and exceed that quality in the near future.
But that won’t always be the case. At some point in the future, generative AI will be capable of producing artwork at a quality that’s equal to or greater than someone like Jim Lee. On top of that, it will be able to produce that artwork at greater volumes and at a fraction of the cost. And that’s the primary reason why I think Mr. Lee’s commitment will eventually falter.
As accomplished and sincere as he is, Jim Lee won’t be President of DC Comics forever. DC Comics is also just a subsidiary of a larger media corporation, namely Warner Bros. If at some point Warner decides that Mr. Lee’s stance on generative AI is detrimental to their profits, there’s nothing preventing them from changing that policy.
And I believe that will happen eventually. It may not happen for many years. It may not happen until Jim Lee is retired and out of the comic book industry completely. But it will happen as soon as generative AI is good enough and cheap enough to provide DC Comics with content. There’s even a chance that DC or some other publisher will adopt this practice beforehand and without informing consumers.
That would be grossly dishonest and deeply scandalous. But if AI is at a point where even the most discerning comic book fans can’t tell the difference between AI and human artists, then Warner and other companies like Disney have every incentive to embrace it. Integrity makes for great headlines and good PR, but it rarely wins out over greater profits and lower costs.
As a lifelong comic book fan, I have mixed feelings about this. I don’t doubt that generative AI will continue to be controversial. The current sentiment among most fans is that generative AI is slop. Any company that uses it will likely be scolded, shamed, and boycotted. But like those who resisted getting a smartphone years ago, the technology will improve regardless of how we feel about it.
Nobody knows where the comics industry will be in five years. Nobody knows what the state of AI will be in that same timeframe. For now, Jim Lee’s stance on generative AI is understandable and laudable. But it won’t last. It can’t last if AI continues to improve. And when it happens, the world of comics will never be the same.
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