The Moons On Mars, a science fiction comic written by British actor and writer Daniel Peacock, was due to launch at Gosport Comic Con on England's south coast, next door to the much larger Portsmouth event, with artwork made with generative AI, Bleeding Cool reported on 26 March. Peacock's credits include The Young Ones, Only Fools and Horses and The Comic Strip Presents, and was twice BAFTA-nominated for writing the children's series Harry and Cash. He also played Nord the Vandal in the Doctor Who story The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.
The book is published by Red Dust Comics and Vanguard Comics. Vanguard is also the local comic shop that runs the Gosport show, whose guests that weekend included Marina Sirtis and Paul McGann. Bleeding Cool said this was the first time it had seen a convention, and the shop behind it, launching an AI-made comic, at a time when other conventions have been acting against vendors selling AI work.
In their pitch, the publishers say they spent 18 months looking for human artists without finding the right partner, then worked with Wayne Jackson on what they call an ethical, transparent and responsible use of AI rather than put the story on hold. They argue the technology is a tool, not a replacement for artists, and stress that the story is human-written and the voices in a companion animation are real performers. They describe the project as pro-storytelling rather than anti-artist, and as an interactive world open to other creators, performers and fans. Sophie Aldred, who played the Doctor Who companion Ace, is lending her voice and image to the project, and Peacock promoted the launch on TikTok.
Bleeding Cool's writer was not persuaded, noting that image generators are built on artwork taken without permission or payment and that the publishers offered no reason to think this case differs. When he raised the AI with them, they repeated that 18 months with human artists had not worked out, which he found hard to accept given how many skilled artists are looking for work.
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