It’s been a wild year of AI “development,” as more companies than ever are revealing generative AI usage in video games and more. The comic book industry has widely taken a firm stance against generative AI, but some creators have been accused of using it in their work. Most recently, artist Sean Northridge shared a thread of panels from AWA’s Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands, illustrated by Mike Deodato Jr., and called them “a mix of AI Slop, Trace Photo Ref, and Actual (mostly rushed) Art.”
Many have used Northridge’s thread as a rallying point to talk about the graphic novel, agreeing with his observations and claims that it allegedly features AI generated art.
Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands is a new graphic novel co-written by Cullen Bunn and Larry King, with art by Deodato and a foreword from Elton John. Northridge raised this complaint as a backer of the Ultimate Oz Kickstarter, posting his frustration on Bluesky: “AWA Studios really pocketed 100K in Kickstarter Money and ran with this.”
In his thread, Northridge points out side-by-side panels where the Tin Man has a completely different design, as well as panels where the Emerald City is shown with three totally different skylines, moving windows, and textures.
The characters’ clothing is also an issue, as articles change from panel to panel, and helmets never seem to remember which piece should face forward.
In another panel, one of the characters has a hand with just three fingers, which has been a “red flag” sign for possible AI usage since its inception. Generative AI struggles with hands, feet, and connective lines. In Northridge’s comments, animator Mark Truesdale pointed out another panel in which a character’s suspenders stop halfway down his back, seemingly melting into the fabric of his shirt.
Taken together, these examples from Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands don’t seem to match artist Deodato’s overall body of work, according to readers and creators discussing the book on social media.
When reached for a comment by The Beat, Deodato stated, “There is no AI-generated art used in Ultimate OZ Universe. The artwork is entirely created by human artists, using standard professional digital tools, in the same way comics have been made digitally for years. I’ve been drawing comics professionally for decades, and this project is no exception — it’s all hand-crafted work, guided by experience, storytelling, and artistic intent.”
In a separate statement, AWA also dismissed any AI rumors.
“The interior art is entirely by Mike Deodato Jr. (with colors by Ive Svorcina)… AI was not used to create the art in Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands,” the publisher wrote in an email to The Beat. “Mike is a veteran in comics, a world-renowned artist with decades of work behind his name, and Ultimate Oz is very much in line with his recognizable style and storytelling approach. We hired Mike for this project precisely because of that legacy and the craft he brings to the page. We’re incredibly proud of Mike’s work on this book, and of what the whole team has built together, and we hope readers enjoy it.”
The Beat followed up these statements from Deodato and AWA with additional questions about the book’s production.
Deodato wrote, “I’ve said everything I have to say on this subject already. For anyone interested in my process, there are multiple videos and posts of me drawing Ultimate Oz available on my Instagram, showing the work at different stages.”
At time of writing, AWA has not responded to The Beat‘s follow-up email.
Upon review of Deodato’s Instagram page, which has footage of him drawing characters from Marvel, DC, and more, The Beat found videos of him drawing the character Shaggy Man from Ultimate Oz, as well as multiple other panels [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] and even a sketch of the Tin Man. None of these videos show Deodato working on the panels shared on social media as examples of alleged generative AI.
Earlier this year, AWA admitted to publishing AI-generated art to accompany the concluding essays in the graphic novel Polis, written by Mark Russell. Russell posted a statement on social media after the book was published claiming no knowledge of the AI usage in the book.
“I did not collaborate with any of these people. I had nothing to do with any of them and today is the first I am hearing of any of this,” Russell posted back in April.
When The Beat pointed out AWA’s past AI usage in our correspondence, the company claimed it was a one-off due to collaboration with another company.
“Our partners at Futurific Studios, wanted to explore new tools and artists for the backmatter, but for the comic stories we publish we do not use AI generated art — we hire the best creators in comics and will continue to do so,” said Nahuel Fanjul-Arguijo, AWA’s Senior Marketing Director.
The AI use in Polis was purportedly to provide examples of theoretical projects that could make the in-story world a reality, similar to architectural mock-ups. The difference, as pointed out by several critics, is that the latter do not use a tool that is trained on stolen work.
Despite piles of alleged evidence, there is no surefire way to determine whether Deodato used AI-generated art in Ultimate Oz Universe. However, since the book was published using funds raised in a Kickstarter campaign, those who backed the book and believe it has undisclosed AI art can contact Kickstarter directly to request a refund for their pledge.
Kickstarter’s policy doesn’t outright ban AI-created content, but it does require disclosure from creators. AWA could feel consequences if the book does feature AI and the publisher did not disclose this to the backers at the start of the Kickstarter campaign.
Editor’s Note: The Beat previously published a different version of this article. This revised article includes more information about the accusations toward Deodato regarding alleged AI use in Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands and additional reporting.
