Posted in: Comics | Tagged: A Trick of The Light, ai, illusionary Radiance, kickstarter

Kickstarter Approves, Then Removes, Comic Stolen With A.I.

When is a comic book not a comic book? When it is one stolen by A.I. and used in an attempted Kickstarter scam online.

The "British Girls' Comics" vibe is based on the rush of anthology comic books sold weekly in British newsagents in the sixties, mostly the seventies, and into the eighties, from the likes of IPC and DC Thompson. Aimed at a young female audience, and often involving tales of mystery, horror, romance and depressing slice-of-life calamities, including titles such as Bunty, Mandy, Judy, Misty and Tammy, they included work by creators who would get greater fame on the likes of 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine. There's still a lot of nostalgia for that age (the Edgar Wright video for Charlotte Hathaway's Bastardo is a great example) and in 2021, it was the inspiration for a comic book called A Trick of The Light by Ali Fell, successfully Kickstartered.

With artwork displayed that was utterly gorgeous, reflecting the original inspiration, but using more modern storytelling techniques, and a very deft and engaging use of linework.

But this week someone launched a copycat comic, using AI to change and smooth over the art as well as change the title, crowdfunded on Kickstarter for a comic now called Illusionary Radiance.

Claiming to be by one "Sandy Contrerac" or "Sandrine Christine" (neither of whom have a social media profile), the original listing went through some kind of AI filter itself, changing certain elements and making them nonsensical.

So that "Hello. I'm Aly Fell. 'A Trick of the Light' is a black and white 40 page comic with colour elements, with some inspiration from British girls' comics of the 1960s and '70s. I've attempted to catch an atmosphere in the story; a sort of 'frozen in time moment'. Inspired by 'Hauntology', and perhaps elements of 'Folk Horror',  it's set in a place that could slip just out of reach. Nigel Kneale meets Timeslip…" becomes "Greetings! I am Sandy Contrerac an artist from England living in France, the creator of 'illusionary Radiance'. It's a 40-page comic in black and white with a touch of color, inspired by British girls' comics of the 1960s and '70s. The story aims to capture a particular ambiance, a moment in time that is frozen. Drawing from the concepts of Hauntology and Folk Horror, the narrative takes place in a location that almost disappears. In other words, it's a meeting of Nigel Kneale's and Timeslip's elements."

While Aly Fell told us "I've always been fascinated by stone circles and the marks we leave on the landscape, whether ancient or modern. As a teenager I hitch-hiked (!) round a number of the neolithic sites of the UK, and for a brief period lived close to two stone circles in central England. They are the custodians and remind us we are just passing through" the AI remembered that their version was meant to be French, so told us "The concept of stone circles and the impact they have on the  environment, both in the past and present, has always intrigued me.  During my teenage years, I embarked on a hitchhiking journey to explore  several neolithic sites across france. I even had the  opportunity to reside near two stone circles situated in central France for a short while. These ancient structures serve as caretakers,  reminding us of our fleeting existence on this planet."

Though faking a back story for the creator in comics was harder. Aly Fell told us "My previous book 'The Shadow Glass' published in 2016 by Dark Horse was 180 pages and its sequel currently in production, is a similar length. However, unlike that, where the lettering was completed by the amazing BLAMBOT (Nate Piekos), I've done everything on 'A Trick of the Light' myself including the dialogue."

But Sandy had a different version of events.  "My previous book 'The Dark Glass,' published by Nor Horse in 2016, had 180 pages, and its sequel, which is currently under production, is of a similar length. However, unlike 'The Dark Glass,' where the lettering was completed by the talented Nathan Pieros, I have taken up the task of doing everything, including the dialogue, for 'illusionary Radiance' myself."

There is, of course, no The Dark Glass book, there is no Nor Horse and there is no comic book letterer called Nathan Pieros. No more than there is a Sandy Contrerac or Sandrine Christine. Conjured from the ether by AI to sound convincing.

The Kickstarter raised $7 before someone realised and it was cancelled. But with each step, they get further and further inside the house…

Aly Fell's actual current Kickstarter, The Kissing Gate, has currently raised over $18,000, is utterly gorgeous and is very much the real deal.

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