Another Comic Artist Falsely Accused of Using Generative AI

Another comic artist is currently being accused of using generative AI for one of their illustrations for Marvel Comics.

The controversy stems from a Marvel Comics Instagram post last Wednesday depicting a show-off between Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk. The illustration was credited to DC and Marvel cover artist InHyuk Lee.

Some commenters were quick to claim that the artist used AI, or at least a few modifications made from generative AI, to produce the artwork.

One user even complained that it is "getting annoying" how comic publishers have started using more AI-generated images for their social media posts, while others tried to point out supposed inconsistencies in the image.

On the other hand, longtime fans of the artists are banding together on the Instagram post and on X (formerly Twitter) to defend the artist from AI allegations.

In a later post on X, Lee clarified that the illustrations published on Marvel Comics' Instagram page were from 2015, long before generative AI was conceptualized.

More Comic Artists Involved with AI Allegations

Lee's case was not the first time a comic or graphic artist was falsely accused of using generative AI for their illustrations thanks to the rise of supposed "artists" hiding AI-generated materials as genuine human-made works.

Just earlier in May, DC Comic cover artist Will Jack was also accused of using AI on one of their illustrations for "Supergirl Special #1" from last year.

Several even claimed that putting the image on an AI detector, which was also powered by faulty AI tools, showed how the illustration is highly likely to be artificially made.

It is more likely that Jack's artworks were among the common targets of web crawlers to build their datasets to train AI models.

How to Spot AI-Generated Materials?

With AI becoming increasingly more advanced, it has also evolved to be able to mimic human artists' styles and artworks more consistently.

This has made identifying AI-generated illustrations harder to make. However, many professional artists online have also been putting out guides to help amateurs and regular users determine the real from AI.

One common advice is to look for inconsistencies in the image's composition and other details that human artists who have trained for their crafts can do.

These include the direction of the hair and clothing, the positioning of the subject from the perspective portrayed, and the distribution of additional details that would not clog the main focus of the artwork.