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Comic book artists are responding to the rise of AI by rejecting digital techniques in favor of traditional methods
Department of Truth co-creator Martin Simmonds says the rise of AI has caused comic artists to return to traditional illustrating techniques
NewsbyJoshua Lapin-Bertone, Contributing writer
Published on Wed Aug 12 2026
Popverse’s coverage of Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026 is brought to you byDark Horse Comics.
In a world where AI artwork is on the rise, comic book artists are responding by returning to traditional artwork.
As computers and digital art programs became more advanced, some comic book artists began embracing these programs, trading in their pencils for a digital stylus. Today, you can create an entire comic book without using a pencil or a sketchpad. All you need is an iPad and some digital proficiency. However, The Department of Truth co-creator Martin Simmonds says he prefers the hand painted approach, and other comic book artists are joining him.
“If you go back and look through my different projects, you can see there’s kind of a transition for a cleaner digital work to the more expressive stuff,” Martin Simmonds says during a panel at San Diego Comic Con 2026. “I spent a lot of time trying to make digital work look hand-painted. And there’s a point where I was like, just paint it. And Department of Truth was the perfect opportunity to do that. It’s so much more exciting to go back to the traditional means, especially in this day and age with AI. Hopefully, one of the positives that comes out of AI is people reverting back to using traditional methods. I really hope so, it helps comics more when people do that.”
The Department of Truth by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds is published monthly by Image Comics.
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Comic-Con is the premier event for all things comics and related popular art, including movies, television, gaming, interactive multimedia, and so much more! Enjoy cosplay galore and take part in unique programming, exclusive previews, and presentations, not to mention the expansive and diverse Exhibit Hall featuring merchandise and displays representing all fandoms.
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Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear.
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