Daniel Warren Johnson has posted a new sketch of Optimus Prime taking on ICE. San Diego Comic-Con is under fire for its AI art policy. Multiple Avatars will come together in new Dark Horse book.
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Episode Transcript:
DWJ draws Optimus Prime versus ICE.
Comic-Con under fire for AI art policy.
Avatars unite in new Dark Horse book.
This is Comic Book Club News for January 15, 2026.
Daniel Warren Johnson Draws Optimus Prime Vs ICE:
Back at New York Comic Con, former Transformers writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson came under fire from some sections of the internet for a sketch he did of Absolute Batman putting an ICE agent in a chokehold. But if that blowback impacted him at all, he’s clearly not backing down — and neither is Optimus Prime.
In a new sketch posted to Instagram, DWJ shows the Autobot leader protecting two adults and a child holding an American flag, seen in shadow. Meanwhile, two ICE agents are firing on him, one is pointing towards Prime, and a fourth is trying to push his hand out of the way from protecting the family.
It’s pretty clear what Johnson is getting at here given recent events in Minnesota, and adding in his extremely pointed and non-subtle Absolute Batman versus white supremacists story in last year’s Absolute Batman Annual, it’s clear Johnson has a point of view and isn’t scared to state it. It’s what Optimus would want.
San Diego Comic-Con Under Fire For AI Art Policy:
San Diego Comic-Con is under fire for its AI art policy, at least online.
In a post on BlueSky, artist Karla Ortiz lamented the “tone deaf decision” to allow GenAI imagery at the annual Comic-Con art show, with thousands of reposts and comments buoying up her initial post. And she is correct about Comic-Con allowing usage of the tech. Per their official policies, “Material produced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be placed in the show, but only as Not-for-Sale (NFS). It must be clearly marked as AI-produced, not simply listed as a print. If one of the parameters in its creation was something similar to ‘Done in the style of <specific artist>,’ that information must be added to the description.”
In fact, this policy isn’t new: AI art was on display at the Comic-Con art show — which it should be noted is different than Artist Alley — last year, and perhaps earlier than that. This policy is also in line with other cons. For example, New York Comic Con explicitly says any usage of AI in art is “prohibited from being made available for purchase,” but does not state it is prohibited from being displayed.
The issue here is likely this is the first time Comic-Con International has added a provision for its shows, after similar sales bans were placed at cons across the country and beyond last year. Whether the current uproar will cause Comic-Con to enact a stricter ban? More on this at it develops.
The answer, it turns out, is yes. After a heated less-than-24 hours, Comic-Con amended their language to state that “material created by Artificial Intelligence either partially or wholly, is not allowed in the art show.” So there you go! Speaking out works. New York Comic Con? You’re up next.
Avatars Unite In New Dark Horse Book:
While it’s not quite Avatar: The Last Airbender In The Multiverse of Madness, multiple iterations of the Nickelodeon characters will come together in a new anthology graphic novel titled Avatar Legends: Masters of the Elements.
Each story in the book will feature a different Avatar ranging from Aang and Korra to Yangchen and Kyoshi. And it’ll also feature an array of writers and artists including Dave Scheidt, David M. Booher, Amy Chu, Meredith McClaren and more.
The first volume of Avatar Legends will hit stores on July 14 with a cover by Lyla Hammar.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And no AI was used in the creation of this podcast. They… Can’t see my weird fingers, right? Okay, good. You’re not recording this, right? Okay, good.
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