Paul Pope on AI, Killer Robots, and the Enduring Soul of Comics

Paul Pope is a name synonymous with dynamic, expressive, and often dystopian comic art. His work, from the surveillance-state challenging “Batman: Year 100” to the mythological monster-fighting of “Battling Boy,” has left an indelible mark on the medium in the twenty-first century. Yet, for over a decade, major new comics work from Pope has been scarce, a period he admits has been marked by frustration.

In a recent interview, Pope revealed the challenges inherent in creating graphic novels, a process vastly different from monthly comics. “Making graphic novels is not like making comics,” Pope explained. “You’re basically writing a novel, it can take years, and you work with a contract. No one can see the work, so it can be very frustrating.” He illustrated this point by holding up a substantial stack of drawings, representing years of unseen labor.

Fortunately for his fans, this period of relative quiet is ending. A significant career-spanning exhibition of Pope’s original work recently opened at the Philippe Labaune Gallery in New York. This coincides with the release of “PulpHope2: The Art of Paul Pope,” an expanded edition of his acclaimed art book, published in March. Further fueling his return, the first volume of a collection of his self-published science fiction epic, “THB,” is slated for release in the fall.

These initiatives are part of a deliberate strategy, described by Pope as “a number of chess moves,” aimed at “reintroduce[ing]” and, with a touch of reluctance, “rebrand[ing]” himself to a new generation and reminding the existing one of his prolific output and unique vision.

A Return Amidst Technological Upheaval

Pope’s re-emergence arrives at a pivotal and complex moment for the creative industries, particularly comics. The landscape is increasingly shaped by rapid technological advancements, most notably in artificial intelligence. Generative AI tools capable of producing images and text have sparked widespread debate, excitement, and significant anxiety among artists and writers.

The concerns are palpable: publishers and creators are filing lawsuits against AI companies, alleging that their copyrighted work has been used without permission to train AI models. Simultaneously, AI-generated art that mimics the styles of popular artists goes viral online, raising questions about authorship, compensation, and the very definition of art in the digital age.

This context presents a particularly stark contrast with Pope’s own artistic practice. Known for his mastery of traditional tools — brushes, ink, and paper — he largely eschews digital methods for the core drawing process. Yet, despite this analog foundation, Pope is not dismissive of AI. He acknowledges its utility, particularly for research, and doesn’t rule out leveraging it in the future.

“I’m less concerned about having some random person create some image based on one of my drawings, than I am about killer robots and surveillance and drones,” he stated, highlighting a perspective that prioritizes the broader societal implications of AI over the immediate artistic copyright debates.

The Craft of Analog Art in a Digital World

Pope’s commitment to analog art is deeply rooted in his artistic philosophy and history. While he incorporated Photoshop for coloring and textures around 2003, the core of his work remains ink on paper. This preference was reinforced after developing carpal tunnel around 2010, leading him to steer away from excessive digital work.

He doesn’t necessarily view analog as objectively superior, echoing the sentiment of artists like Moebius, who famously experimented with unconventional tools. “Any tool that works is good,” Pope remarked. However, he finds personal satisfaction and value in the traditional approach.

One significant difference lies in the physical nature of the output. Analog art results in unique, tangible original pieces that can be collected and sold, unlike digital documents which exist as binary code. Furthermore, Pope feels a strong connection to the lineage of artists who influenced him and worked primarily in analog, including figures like Alex Toth, Steve Ditko, Moebius, and Frank Miller. He sees himself as a “torchbearer” for this tradition.

Despite his personal preference, Pope recognizes the inevitability of digital tools in comics creation. “The genie is out of the bottle at this point,” he conceded, viewing digital methods as part of a “new, vivid array of tools” available to artists.

When advising younger artists, Pope insists there is still a viable path for analog work. However, he notes a crucial difference in the learning process. Digital tools, while offering a quicker initial learning curve and easy correction, can lead to a drawing process that “never ends.” Analog art, in contrast, is “punishing.” He recalled advice received early in his career: the first 1,000 ink drawings with a brush would be terrible, a necessary hurdle to overcome. This demanding process, with its inherent mistakes and physical challenges, gradually builds “authority over the tool,” enabling the artist to translate their internal vision onto paper with precision and confidence. This discipline, Pope suggests, is a vital component of artistic development that might be less emphasized in purely digital workflows.

Navigating the AI Landscape: Copyright and Creativity

Pope’s engagement with AI extends beyond mere observation; he uses it for research and story structure consultation, albeit with a healthy dose of skepticism. He likens AI to a “sociopath personal assistant that doesn’t mind lying to you,” citing instances where AI hallucinated non-existent books in his bibliography. Despite this, he firmly believes AI is a tool that shouldn't be ruled out entirely.

The contentious issue of AI using existing art for training and replicating styles is a frequent topic of discussion among artists, including Pope and his friend Frank Miller. Pope acknowledges the argument that using an artist’s work without compensation to train models, which can then generate images “in the style of” that artist, is problematic.

He explored this by asking AI to compare unlicensed art usage in AI generation to the music torrenting of the ‘90s. The AI noted similarities in using previously created work without compensation but highlighted that AI allows for adding new elements, unlike simply distributing an identical copy of a song or album. Pope agrees that if an AI-generated comic looks identical to his work and is published, that would constitute a clear legal issue, one that he believes will likely be resolved through ongoing class-action lawsuits.

However, the legal and ethical complexities are compounded by the global nature of AI development. Regulating AI distribution and usage in countries with different legal frameworks presents a significant challenge.

While acknowledging the validity of copyright concerns, Pope maintains a broader perspective on the threats posed by AI.

Beyond the Canvas: Societal AI Concerns

Pope’s dystopian comic “Batman: Year 100” depicted a future dominated by surveillance. He sees parallels between such fictional narratives and the real-world trajectory of AI development, particularly concerning autonomous weapons and pervasive monitoring.

He believes the widespread deployment of technologies like killer robots and surveillance drones is alarmingly close, potentially just “about two years away.” He notes that robots are already used in warfare and points to examples like fully automated coffee shops as signs of increasing automation entering everyday life.

Pope’s primary concern is the rapid implementation of these technologies without sufficient public discourse or a developed “social contract” regarding their implications. He worries that people are becoming normalized to advanced technology before its societal impact is fully understood or debated.

He shared a striking anecdote about visiting the Poster House gallery in New York, which featured an exhibit on how the atom bomb was portrayed in 20th-century poster art. He was drawn to the “Atoms for Peace” movement, which advocated for atomic energy while opposing nuclear war. This historical parallel resonates with his view on AI: “AI for peace.”

This perspective underscores his earlier point: he is “less concerned about having some random person create some image based on one of my drawings, than I am about killer robots and surveillance and drones.” He sees the latter as a “much more serious question,” fearing a tipping point where the rapid, unchecked development by “bad actors” and profit-driven developers could lead to irreversible negative consequences for society.

The potential for AI to replace human jobs, including creative roles like comic book artists, is a tangible fear within the industry. Pope recounts his lawyer’s prediction that major publishers like Marvel Comics could replace artists with AI within two or three years to cut costs. He finds this “completely conceivable,” seeing AI as capable of replacing tasks like storyboarding and animatics, and eventually, potentially, the entire comic creation process.

The Future of Human Creativity

Despite the looming potential for automation and replication, Pope remains fundamentally optimistic about the future of human creativity. His belief is rooted in the unique qualities that distinguish human intelligence and artistic expression from machine capabilities.

“I don’t worry about my career because I believe in human innovation,” he stated, identifying himself as an optimist. He argues that until machines achieve true autonomy, consciousness, memory, and emotional reflection — the core elements required for human artistry and identity — they cannot truly *replace* what humans do; they can only *replicate* it.

Pope draws a distinction between replication and genuine invention. While AI can easily replicate the style of an artist whose work it has been trained on (like Jim Lee, as mentioned in the interview), it struggles to achieve the kind of groundbreaking innovation seen in human artistic movements. He questions whether machines can introduce something fundamentally new, akin to Miles Davis’s impact on jazz or Picasso and Juan Gris’s invention of Cubism.

This perspective ties back to his emphasis on the discipline of analog art. The years spent mastering a brush, the physical struggle, the accumulated experience — these are not just technical skills but formative experiences that shape an artist’s unique voice and perspective. Pope worries that if society increasingly devalues the time, effort, and struggle required to develop deep artistic skill, focusing instead on quick, easily editable digital outputs or AI generation, it risks decoupling the artist’s inventive capacity from the foundational craft that nurtures it.

He reflects on the challenge for young artists growing up with instant digital tools, contrasting it with the historical reality of artistic development. While he hesitates to use the term “singularity” in the context of AI surpassing human intelligence, he feels we are approaching a critical point. His concern isn't just about machines overtaking human ingenuity but about a potential “forfeit on the part of the people” — a loss of essential human qualities like ethics, curiosity, determination, and perseverance. These “old school, bootstrap concepts,” though sometimes seen as outdated, are, in Pope’s view, crucial for preserving our humanity and sense of soul in an increasingly automated world.

The Next Chapter: THB and Battling Boy

The current phase of Paul Pope’s career is marked by the strategic release of significant bodies of work. The upcoming collection of his “THB” comics is a major part of this “rebrand or relaunch,” representing a key “chess move.” “THB,” a sprawling science fiction epic, holds a special place for Pope, having been self-published over many years.

Fans are also eagerly anticipating “Battling Boy 2,” the sequel to his acclaimed graphic novel. Pope confirmed that this is indeed another planned “chess move.” The sequencing of these releases shifted due to restructuring at his publisher, Macmillan, allowing the “THB” collection to come out first. This change was a relief for Pope, as “Battling Boy 2” is a massive undertaking, exceeding 500 pages. The creation process has been intermittent, punctuated by commercial work and other projects, making it feel like driving a high-performance car that constantly needs refueling.

The imminent release of the “THB” collection has provided a significant boost, “kick-start[ing] everything” and injecting new energy into his ongoing work, including the much-anticipated “Battling Boy 2.”

As Paul Pope steps back into the spotlight with new and collected works, his perspective offers a valuable lens through which to view the challenges and opportunities facing artists today. While grappling with the evolving tools and economic realities of the comics industry, he remains steadfast in his belief in the power of human craft and creativity, even as he casts a wary eye towards the broader, potentially more profound, societal transformations driven by artificial intelligence.