Comics in Category : Controversy
Rage Against The Machine
Strip Info
- Title
- Rage Against The Machine
- Date
- January 22, 2023
- Tags
- AI art, artificial intelligence, capitalism, creativity, digital art, Future Kevin, Kevin, Past Kevin, The Future
Transcript
- Panel 1 : Int. Kevin’s Apartment – Day
- Caption: 20 years ago…
-
Past Kevin sits at his drafting table, drawing comics. Behind him, a time portal opens and a desperate Future Kevin leans out.
-
- Future Kevin
- Hey! I’m YOU from the future! Don’t post our artwork online!
- Panel 2 : Int. Kevin’s Apartment – Continuous
-
Future Kevin continues
-
- Future Kevin
- In the future, companies will train A.I. to mimic our style without our consent!
- Panel 3 : Int. Kevin’s Apartment – Continuous
-
Future Kevin continues.
-
- Future Kevin
- Then, any talentless hack can make comics just like ours!
Past Kevin looks down skeptically at his work.
- Panel 4 : Int. Kevin’s Apartment – Continuous
-
Past Kevin raises his eyebrows.
-
- Past Kevin
- …Like ours, but funny?
- Future Kevin
- IT’S INFURIATING!
The Problem with A.I. Art
Strip Info
- Title
- The Problem with A.I. Art
- Date
- December 11, 2022
- Tags
- AI art, AI training, artificial intelligence, Kevin, Lensa, self own, Stable Diffusion
Transcript
- Panel 1 : Int. Startup Office – Day
-
Kevin stands at the desk of an engineer in the office of an A.I. startup. Hands on hips and frowning, he wears a shirt that says “Reject AI Art.”
-
- Engineer
- O.K. sir, I searched our A.I. training database for your artwork and found no results.
- Kevin (indignant)
- Good!
- Panel 2 : Startup Office – Continuous
-
The engineer bends over, adjusting his glasses to better read the screen.
-
- Engineer
- Oh wait- there’s a note. It says: “This artist’s work was found to be of insufficient quality for training…”
- Panel 3 : Int. Startup Office – Continuous
-
The engineer continues reading as Kevin’s face falls.
-
- Engineer
- “…Including this artist’s work, even as an example of a negative output, would degrade the quality of the algorithm…”
- Panel 4 : Startup Office – Continuous
-
The engineer continues reading as Kevin puts up a hand in protest.
-
- Engineer
- “Hashtag crappy, hashtag hack-“
- Kevin (interrupting)
- O.K. Y-you can stop reading now.
Keyboard Generals
Strip Info
- Title
- Keyboard Generals
- Date
- March 7, 2022
- Tags
- current events, Dunning Kruger, politics, President, single panel, Situation Room, social media, Twitter, war
- Notes
Transcript
- Panel 1 : Int. The Situation Room – Day
-
A stressed US President hunches over a large conference table in The Situation Room. Seated around the table are military generals, advisers, and policy leaders. On the table are laptops and papers with sensitive military information. The President motions to a round, bald-headed man wearing wraparound sunglasses and a Bored Ape Yacht Club t-shirt standing beside him. The guy throws up the devil horns sign.
“Gentlemen, this is a very precarious international situation, Which is why I brought in @callofdoody69 for his expert opinion.”
The Tale of Climate Policy – Part 2
Strip Info
- Title
- The Tale of Climate Policy – Part 2
- Date
- September 5, 2021
- Tags
- bedtime story, castle, climate change, forest fires, King, The Kingdumb, villagers
Transcript
- Panel 1 : Ext. Castle – Day
-
A storybook king stands atop his castle, addressing his subjects below. Behind him, flames and a great plume of smoke waft skywards.
-
- King
- Good news! I have a plan to end the wildfiles ravaging our kingdom…
- Panel 2 : Ext. Castle – Continuous
-
The crowd below cheers.
-
- Crowd
- Huzzah!
- Panel 3 : Ext. Castle – Continuous
-
The king continues
-
- King
- …over the next thirty years!
- Panel 4 : Int. Bedroom – Night
-
A modern-day child lays in their bed, looking confused.
-
- Little Boy
- Wait- Why thirty years? The forest is on fire now!
-
Sitting at the foot of the bed, the mother scowls at the bedtime story she’s reading.
-
- Mom
- Because the king and all his rich friends will be dead by then.
The Kingdom That Almost Won
Strip Info
- Title
- The Kingdom That Almost Won
- Date
- August 1, 2021
- Tags
- bedtime story, COVID, dragon, dumb things people do, knight, medieval, misinformation, pandemic, The Kingdumb, villagers, white people
- Notes
-
This comic went crazy viral (go figure). Here’s my Twitter thread examining the spread.
Transcript
- Panel 1 : Ext. Kingdumb – Day
-
A medieval knight points at a giant dragon lying on its back in a destroyed village. The knight beckons to nearby villagers.
-
- Knight
- Look! The dragon is almost slain! Let us arm ourselves and end its reign of terror!
- Panel 2 : Ext. Kingdumb – Continuous
-
The nearby villagers look at their armor with skepticism.
-
- Villager 1
- Wait- What’s this armor made of?
- Villager 2
- The court jester says it makes you magnetic…
-
A third villager wears a helmet with visor hanging under his chin.
-
- Villager 3
- I can’t breathe in this helmet!
- Panel 3 : Ext. Kingdumb – Continuous
-
The knight looks on in despair as the villagers continue.
-
- Villager 1
- Don’t push your pro-armor agenda on us!
- Villager 2
- The dragon hasn’t eaten anyone -I- know.
- Villager 3
- We should let the dragon eat us until it gets full.
-
Meanwhile, the dragon looms over the knight.
- Panel 4 : Int. Bedroom – Night
-
In a modern-day child’s bedroom, a little boy in bed furrows his brow.
-
- Little Boy
- I don’t like this story. The people are dumb.
-
Sitting at the foot of his bed, his mother hunches over a storybook, head in hands.
-
- Mom
- -Sigh- I know.
A Second Opinion
Strip Info
- Title
- A Second Opinion
- Date
- May 2, 2021
- Tags
- COVID, hospital, masculinity, medicine, misinformation, pandemic, podcasts, science, single panel, toxic masculinity
Transcript
- Panel 1 : Int. Hospital Room – Day
-
A man sits up in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV drip. He wears wraparound sunglasses. His doctor stands bedside, looking at his clipboard. Next to the doctor stands a short, muscular, bald man wearing the same wraparound sunglasses as the man in the bed.
-
- Doctor
- All my tests say you have cancer. But I called in your favorite podcast host for a second opinion.
Tote Bags
Strip Info
- Title
- Tote Bags
- Date
- August 14, 2020
- Tags
- Bird, capitalism, controversy, environmentalism, ethcial consumption, Kevin, liberalism, NPR, tote bags, white people
Transcript
- Panel 1 : Int. Home – Day
-
Kevin holds a reusable tote bag filled with groceries. A logo printed on the bag reads “NPR.” A green ring-necked parrot sits on a perch behind him.
-
- Bird
- Wait, Kevin- haven’t you heard? Tote bags are bad for the environment.
- Panel 2 : Int. Home – Continuous
-
The parrot is now on Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin looks incredulous.
-
- Kevin
- What? How?
- Bird
- Reusable cotton totes take more energy to create than plastic bags.
- Panel 3 : Int. Home – Continuous
-
Kevin looks down at his tote bag as the parrot continues.
-
- Bird
- Each new tote has to be reused 20,000 times to break even.
- Panel 4 : Int. Home – Continuous
-
Kevin raises his eyebrows.
-
- Kevin
- But… how will people know I support NPR?
- Panel 5 : Int. Home – Continuous
-
The parrot leans in.
-
- Bird
- Kevin, you’re a white, middle-aged liberal… we know.
-
Kevin deadpans to camera.
Opening Up
Strip Info
- Title
- Opening Up
- Date
- July 16, 2020
- Tags
- Becky, castle, controversy, COVID, crowd, dumb things people do, emergency, King, life or death situation, lockdown, Murder Fog, politics, quarantine, The Kingdumb, villagers, white people
- Notes
-
This is probably my most political comic to date. It blew up on Reddit. I think it even made it to the front page. People used the comments as a place to debate COVID-19 lockdown re-opening. The debate got so heated that the moderators of r/funny actually took it down.
Transcript
- Panel 1 : Ext. Castle Courtyard – Day
-
A King addresses a crowd of his subjects from the top of a high wall.
-
- King
- My loyal subjects.. I’ve decided to reopen the castle!
- Panel 2 : Int. Castle Courtyard – Continuous
-
From the crowd below, a lowly subject speaks up. Behind him is the main gate of the castle. On the other side of that, a green fog can be seen lingering right over the wall.
-
- Subject
- But Your Majesty! The Murder Fog is right outside the gates! We’ll be killed!
- Panel 3 : Int. Castle Courtyard – Time
-
The king motions to a group of three younger people to his left. They look insufferable. Like mideval hipsters.
-
- King
- I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I have no choice… Beck and her friends MUST BRUNCH!
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