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Stardust’s Eisner Nomination Removed from Ballot while Comic-Con takes a look at its Submission Policy

Posted on May 20, 2026 by Brett Leave a comment

Last week, we broke the news that a nominee for the 2026 Eisners featuring some AI work. Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology was nominated this year under “Best Anthology.” Managed by Van Jensen, the anthology featured an impressive amount of talent and raised over $39,000 from 614 supporters on the Zoop crowdfunding platform.

One of those who contributed was Michael Todasco using his “AI persona,” Alex Irons for an included page. Irons has an author page on Amazon showing numerous releases over the years and the bio admits it being an AI “author.” Todasco boasted on LinkedIn about the page inclusion in the anthology. You can see Todasco’s post as well as the page from the anthology on our original article. Below is the author bio from Amazon.

Alex Irons is not a real person. Books under his name are written by AI tools like ChatGPT, Bard, and other large language models. The real-life person guiding those queries is a writer, entrepreneur, and technology enthusiast currently pursuing an MFA in writing at Johns Hopkins University.

All proceeds from Alex’s books go to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley.

Numerous contributors have come out publicly stating that they had no idea about the use of AI until after it was decided and the inclusion was not disclosed on the crowdfunding page.

As you can imagine, the nomination ignited a firestorm with petitions launched to not just rescind the nomination but also ask Comic-Con and the Eisners to create a policy regarding AI and its use in works submitted for nomination in future awards.

Comic-Con has released a statement that Stardust‘s nomination has been rescinded by its editor and that the convention will look at drafting a policy that will impact future awards.

In light of the recent disclosure that Artificial Intelligence was included in a work submitted for Eisner Award consideration, the judges have indicated that had they been aware of this information, they would not have voted for its inclusion. The editor of the anthology in question has also rescinded this submission for inclusion. Therefore, the submission has been removed from the list of nominees and will not appear on the ballot.

It is clear that the ever evolving landscape of technology, as it relates to art, will benefit from further review and discussion. For this reason, San Diego Comic Convention will undertake that effort and will produce a policy that better reflects its long standing efforts in the protection of artists and creators alike.

-Comic-Con International

The 2026 Eisner Nominations Includes the First Work Featuring AI?

Posted on May 14, 2026 by Brett 7 comments

The nominees for the 2026 Eisner awards were announced today and with it some controversy. We’re not talking the usual frustration with who was chosen and who was omitted. This year’s nominees includes what might be the first inclusion of work featuring AI.

Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology was nominated this year under “Best Anthology.” Managed by Van Jensen, the anthology was backed with an impressive amount of talent and raised over $39,000 from 614 supporters on the Zoop crowdfunding platform.

One of those who contributed was Michael Todasco using his “AI persona,” Alex Irons for an included page. Todasco seemed to have boasted of the inclusion on LinkedIn and you can see his page further below.

My AI persona, Alex Irons, is being published in a new comic book compilation starring the 1940s, public domain superhero, Stardust the Super Wizard. I trained a model on the original Fletcher Hanks artwork and story structure, and the AI generated the published tale. However, don't buy it for that reason. There are 139 pages of insanely talented human creators who fill the rest of the book, including legends like Mike Allred. A couple of days remain to pre-order a copy.

The inclusion of the AI generated story wasn’t disclosed in the original campaign and Todasco nor “Alex Irons” are mentioned on the campaign page but are in the table of content in a story unironically called, “Artificial.”

When it comes to the use of AI in Eisner submissions, we can’t find anything that prohibits it. The FAQ and “call for entries” don’t mention the topic. We’ve reached out to the team for any clarification and will update this article when/if we hear back. The eligibility is rather simple:

Eligibility: Any comic, graphic novel/album, or comics-related periodical/book shipped to retailers or bookstores or first made available online in the U.S. between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025 is eligible. Publications must not be more than 50 percent reprint material (except in the graphic album– reprint and archival categories); international material published for the first time in English the United States in 2025 is eligible.

So, congrats to whatever system that was trained on the hard work of Fletcher Hanks and your Eisner nomination!

Below is the page in question.

Drama over the future of Angoulême with a Lawsuit launched on the first day of Grand Off

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Brett

Today is the first day of Grand Off, the festival launched to replace this year’s Angoulême. After threats of boycotts, a pulling of funding, and general distrust of the organizers, the 2026 edition of the Angoulême Comics Festival was cancelled in early December 2025. In its place is a different festival, Grand Off, and a proposed launch of a comic festival in 2027. But with all of that, more drama with a lawsuit.

The Angoulême International Comics Festival (FIBD), along 9e Art+ festival manager Franck Bondoux have announced they are suing the Development of Comics in Angoulême (ADBDA). The ADBDA was tasked with replacing Angoulême in 2027. FIBD and Bondoux accuse ADBDA of “unfair competition and parasitic behavior.”

In January 2026, ADBDA sent out a request to find an organizer for a new festival. It would push to the side FIBD and 9e Art+ and move on from recent scandal. Bondoux in statements is saying this new festival is building off of the work he has done building up the reputation of Angoulême.

The lawsuit requests that the proposed convention be cancelled and “prohibit any act that would aim to organize a comic book festival in Angoulême in the first quarter of each year.”

FIBD wrote on Facebook:

The specifications drawn up by the ADBDA thus constitute a clear and deliberate appropriation of the Festival, while claiming to change its name. This crude subterfuge, a simple semantic artifice, cannot mask the reality: it is clearly an attempt to reproduce the FIBD as it has been built, structured, and developed for more than fifty years, and particularly during the most recent editions.

Even more seriously, the ADBDA claims in the same document full ownership of this future event, thus confirming an attempt at dispossession, a pure and simple spoliation of the FIBD Association, its history, its work, its volunteers, and its rights.

Deliberately marginalized and then excluded by the public authorities from this entire process, excluded from any consultation, deprived of its founding event, the FIBD Association, the target of extremely violent remarks from certain elected officials whose sole aim was to delegitimize it, is now forced, reluctantly but resolutely, to take legal action and seek the protection of the courts.

Faced with this unjustifiable appropriation, legal action is now the only possible way to uphold the law and reaffirm the fundamental principles that govern associative and cultural life. Consequently, the FIBD Association, in conjunction with 9ème art+, has initially decided to take lega

ReedPop Attempts to Clarify its dealings with ICE

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Brett

Earlier this week, we reported that ReedPop was under pressure due to its parent company’s connection to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ReedPop manages numerous high profile conventions like New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, PAX, and more.

ReedPop is owned by RELX which also owns LexisNexis which provides services to ICE. LexisNexis is an online system used by many that features various databases including case law, articles, publications, court documents, market intelligence, and more.

LexisNexis has been scrutinized for years over it providing data to ICE that includes addresses, phone numbers, relatives’ names, and more, and used in its actions. In 2019, legal scholars and human rights activists called on the data platform to cease working with ICE due to its use in deporting undocumented immigrants.

Calls have been raised to clarify any use of ReedPop’s data in that deal as well as others calling for boycotts of conventions ReedPop manages. Multiple petitions have been launched concerning the issue asking those who have ReedPop managing their conventions to cut ties with the company. Others have outright said they will not be attending their conventions.

ReedPop has released a statement clarifying it is not them who sell information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE. It emphasizes that they operate independently.

The statement, which you can read below, was met with mixed reactions. While some accepted it at face value, others pointed out the loopholes in the statement, such as ReedPop not directly selling data/information but what it collects could rollup to its parent company then trickle down through other related companies such as LexisNexis.

In fact, the statement links to ReedPop’s privacy language which states:

Depending on the Service provided, we share personal information with:

Our affiliates, trading names and divisions within the Reed Exhibitions group of companies worldwide (for a list, click here) and certain RELX companies that provide technology, customer service and other shared services functions; and/or

Our service providers, suppliers, agents and representatives, including but not limited to, payment processors, venue providers, onsite event contractors, customer support, email service providers, IT service providers, mailing houses and shipping agents, to process the information as necessary to provide the Service, complete a transaction, fulfil your request, or otherwise on our behalf based on our instructions and in compliance with this privacy policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.

The statement doesn’t address the fact that by attending a ReedPop convention, attendees, creators, exhibitors are also helping its parent company profit. By boycotting all of RELX’s companies, pressure could be applied to cut all ties by RELX’s companies with ICE.

The statement also does not condemn recent actions by ICE, like the murder of American citizens, or state that it would protect attendees at various conventions.

Check out the full statement below:

We hear you and want to correct some false information that has been circulating on social media.

We at ReedPop do not sell customer information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ReedPop/RX operates entirely at arm’s length and independently. None of our data is shared for marketing or commercial use by any other entity within our parent company.

We remain committed to creating safe, inclusive, and welcoming environments. Our community is made up of people from different backgrounds and identities. We stand by our principles of inclusion and belonging. We see you, we hear you, and all are welcome here.

If you want more information on how we collect, use, and protect personal data, please see the RX/ReedPop Privacy Policy at privacy.rxglobal.com.

Conventions

ReedPop’s Parent Company Under Pressure for ICE Cooperation

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Brett

ReedPop might be known for running events such as ECCC, C2E2, Star Wars Celebration, New York Comic Con, PAX and more, but concerns are being raised over the company’s parent company RELX and its association with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

RELX is a massive multinational corporation whose divisions include ReedPop, scientific journals, and LexisNexis. While the RELX has had years of controversy over many issues, it’s LexisNexis that’s putting it, and ReedPop, back into the spotlight.

LexisNexis is an online system used by many, I used it during my time in the United States Senate (for what, I don’t remember), that features various databases including case law, articles, publications, court documents, market intelligence, and more.

With the recent further militarization of ICE, the federal agency’s occupation of American cities, and murder of numerous individuals including US citizens, scrutiny has increased and that includes its sister company ReedPop. ICE has not hidden the fact that it uses data and tech tools to aid in their criminal actions.

By supporting ReedPop and its sister news site Popverse, individuals are allowing LexisNexis’ parent company RELX to further profit. Economic boycotts and pressure is being increasingly used in defiance of the fascist takeover of the United States and the complicity of corporations in it. It’s part of the debate and difficult subject of ethical consumption/consumer activism/political consumerism and limited support of corporations, businesses, and individuals who have negative impact or show lack of support for communities.

Emerald City Comic Con, an early in the year major event for ReedPop, takes place March 5-8 in Seattle.

Update: San Diego Comic-Con Quietly Updates its Art Show AI Policy Reversing Course

Posted on January 14, 2026 by Brett

San Diego Comic-Con 2026 is gearing up and had a bit of a dust-up already when it comes to AI’s presence at this year’s convention. Policies and more were released concerning the art show at the convention, which initially allowed “material produced by Artificial Intelligence (AI).” As you can imagine, with a convention built on artists that went over exactly like a turd in a pool.

Less than 24 hours after the issue was raised, the convention quietly updated the policy reversing the decision:

(3) Material created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) either partially or wholly, is not allowed in the art show. If there are questions, the Art Show Coordinator will be the sole judge of acceptability.

We imagine extra scrutiny will be given towards every policy, presentation, exhibitor, when it comes to this year’s convention after this and speaking up can create positive outcomes.

Also, fuck AI.

Update: Glen Wooten, the individual in charge of the art show, gives much more context of the situation, explaining that the language has been that way for years but flew under the radar due to the fact the use of AI wasn’t as much of a thing. But, with the issue front and center, it needed to be updated instead of discouraging, outright banning its use. A check of the Wayback Machine has the language present in 2024.

The 2026 Edition of the Angoulême Comics Festival Officially Cancelled

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Brett

After threats of boycotts, a pulling of funding, and general distrust of the organizers, the 2026 edition of the Angoulême Comics Festival has been cancelled.

The issue the lead to this is over claims of toxic management and the dismissal of a staff member who had lodged a rape complaint. She was fired after going to the police to report the rape during the 2024 festival. The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the complaint and she has taken her case to the Paris industrial tribunal to contest her dismissal.

Cultural minister Rachida Dati withdrew €200,000 (£176,000, $231,000) of public funds from the festival and had invited those boycotting it to a meeting.

The festival, first held in 1974, has been managed by 9eArt+ since 2007 even though it is a non-profit. Franck Bondoux the most recent director of 9eArt announced he would step down last week. 9eArt’s contract was recently renewed only inflaming tensions further.

Hundreds said they would “girlcott” the festival in support of the staffer fired along with numerous high profile publishers. Nine organizations and unions representing authors and illustrators stated they would not attend January’s event if it were held. They want the festival to no longer be managed by 9eArt+ with a refocus on rebuilding its values.

With the cancelation it could lead to an economic catastrophe for the local area it is held. The festival attracts over 200,000 visitors each year. The festival would have taken place January 29 to February 1, 2026.

Conventions

Angoulême Comics Festival is in Danger as Support Dwindles and Calls for Boycotts Increase

Posted on November 20, 2025 by Brett

The Angoulême comics festival is under threat of cancellation as the support for this coming festival has tanked while calls for boycotts have increased. The issue is over claims of toxic management and the dismissal of a staff member who had lodged a rape complaint. She was fired after going to the police to report the rape during the 2024 festival. The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the complaint and she has taken her case to the Paris industrial tribunal to contest her dismissal.

Cultural minister Rachida Dati said €200,000 (£176,000, $231,000) of public subsidies were being withdrawn from the festival and invited those boycotting it to a meeting. She also said it was hard to see the festival happening in January with the boycott:

Realistically, if there are no authors or publishers, it’s hard to see how the festival can happen in 2026. We are at a turning point in the history of the festival, which is in difficulty and in danger.

Hundreds have said they would “girlcott” the festival in support of the staffer along with numerous high profile publishers. Nine organizations and unions representing authors and illustrators have said they will not attend January’s event. They want the festival to no longer be managed by 9eArt+ with a focus on rebuilding its values.

The French national publishing union emphasized that it too believed the likelihood of the festival going on as planned is unlikely:

Given this large-scale movement [to boycott], which they understand, publishers believe the 2026 edition can no longer go ahead.

There are worries the canceling of the event would be an economic catastrophe for the local area it is held. The festival attracts over 200,000 visitors each year.

The organizers have said the event will take place:

We remain hopeful that ongoing discussions will lead to a solution for the 2026 edition to take place, in defence of the comic ecosystem’s interest and out of respect for a passionate audience.

Conventions

Angoulême International Comics Festival’s Future Faces Questions and Boycotts

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Brett

In August, nearly 400 artists and 12 associations signed a petition to boycott the 2026 Angoulême International Comics Festival. The issue is the festival’s management company, 9eArt+. The company is accused of retaliating against a female employ who reported a rape at the 2024 event that was revealed after an investigation by L’Humanité magazine. The individuals and associations called for the festival to open the management contract to an open RFP or face a boycott of the upcoming festival. Four of the last five Grand prix winners: Anouk Ricard (2025), Posy Simmonds (2024), Julie Doucet (2022), Chris Ware (2021), as well as notable American cartoonists: Art Spiegelman (Grand prix 2011) and Alison Bechdel signed the petition. There was over 2,200 signatures on it in total.

Now, things have gotten even worse for the festival. Franck Bondoux and 9e Art+ won the contract to keep it managing the show for a nine-year term after their contract ends in 2027. That would keep them in place until 2036. 9Art+ will have to work in partnership with the Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image (International City of Comics and Images) to organize the festival starting in 2028. A proposal between the two must be submitted by November 20 2025. Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image is a non-profit and has bristled at the idea of working with 9e Art+ but a joint bid was pushed by the festival in the final hours of the process. Their management is at the center of the complaints by publishers and attendees.

With that, publishers, creators, and more have pulled out of the show starting with 2026’s festival which takes place January 29 to February 1, 2026. Over forty publishers have withdrawn from the upcoming show. Over twenty Grand Prize winners released a statement calling for “rapid and profound change in the management of the festival.”

The Angoulême Comics Festival is in mortal danger.

For years, the Festival has been plagued by scandals, communication blunders, and a lack of ambition, all shrouded in complete opacity in its management. This decline is seriously damaging the entire industry.

Comics, however, need this event, which has become an essential meeting place for authors, publishers, the media, and of course, readers.

As calls for a boycott multiply, the Grand Prix winners say with one voice that it is high time to turn the page on 9th ^Art + so that the Festival can rediscover, with new operators, the values that built its international reputation.

Without a rapid and profound change, the 2026 edition is very likely to be the last.

Signatories :
Florence Cestac
Régis Loisel
Philippe Dupuy
Charles Berberian
Martin Veyron
Art Spiegelman
Jean-Claude Denis
François Boucq
Chris Ware
Franck Margerin
Jacques Tardi
François Schuiten
Baru
Blutch
Willem
Lewis Trondheim
Riad Sattouf
Hermann Huppen
Max Cabanes
Anouk Ricard
Posy Simmonds
Julie Doucet

Alternative publishers group Syndicat des éditeurs alternatifs (SEA) released their own statement:

The Angoulême International Comics Festival (FIBD) is therefore once again demonstrating its disregard for the opinions of others, and it is indeed 9e Art+, and only 9e Art+, that retains absolute control of the festival.
This is a clear case of private interests taking over an event that has long been a matter of public interest , regardless of what Delphine Groux, the FIBD’s president, may think.

The SEA warns that if the voices of artists and publishing houses are not taken seriously, the consequences will be significant and likely irreversible. Starting in 2026. Then in 2027. And perhaps forever. Many publishing houses at the SEA have already cancelled their booths for the 2026 edition; others will soon follow suit.

They’re calling for resignations from leadership among other demands.

The Syndicat national de l’édition (SNE) has released its own statement that it will end its relationship with the festival in 2027. The SNE represents multiple publishers.

With charges of corruption in the process, leadership that’s out of touch and not listening to the participants, and rising tensions, expect this to only escalate in the coming months.

Conventions

DC Cancels Red Hood After a Single Issue After Pressure

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Brett

This week saw the debut of Red Hood, a more adult series featuring a character who has built up a fandom from writer Gretchen Felker-Martin, with art by Jeff Spokes. It’s received relatively positive reviews with a current 8.7 rating from critics and a 7.2 from users, even with some review bombing. But, the comic has already been canceled after just its first issue and while DC hasn’t said why, it’s likely due to Felker-Martin’s comments after yesterday’s assassination of controversial rightwing figure Charlie Kirk.

While DC didn’t give specifics they said in a statement to Popverse:

At DC Comics, we place the highest value on our creators and community and affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints. Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct.

DC has told retailers it has canceled orders for future issues of the series and is also offering credit for all of the orders placed by retailers on the first issue, including sold copies. The ongoing series had its first three issues solicited, the first issue released September 10 with the next issue to have come out on October 2 and third November 12. The series was intended for a 17+ audience and not part of its more mature label DC Black Label, a curious move along with the release of another comic this week that is creator-owned and for all ages that teased a possible shift in the company’s publishing strategy.

Felker-Martin is no stranger to controversy, regularly being banned by social media platform Bluesky, and was banned again yesterday by the platform. She has been accused of antisemitism, support of Hamas, threatening statements towards JK Rowling, among other provocative statements that had been made well before she was hired by DC for this series. Felker-Martin recent post that’s most often shared:

The post was latched on to by regressive and rightwing elements within the industry that are known for their brigading to attack creators they disagree with politically, particularly creators who are minorities like African-Americans, LGBTQ+, and especially Trans individuals. Felker-Martin is Trans and numerous posts to DC’s social media attacks her for that. Kirk has said being gay is an “error” and has advocated that gay individuals should be stoned to death quoting a Bible verse that advocates for it during a debate and saying it affirms “Gods perfect law when it comes to sexual matters.” More of Kirk’s greatest hits of awfulness can be found here with lots of links out for evidence.

Trans people are a throbbing middle finger to God… …an abomination to the Lord, Your God.

-Charlie Kirk

Gretchen Felker-Martin’s firing coincides on the same day Matthew Dowd was fired by MSNBC for comments made during coverage of the shooting of Kirk continuing the trend of cancelation of “the left” while the right makes threatening and hyperbolic statements with no repercussions.

DC’s decision also rewards bigotry on full display in social media messages towards them and only encourages further similar action.

The firing also comes in an environment where parent corporations are regularly firing staff, censoring output, to appease Donald Trump and the current administration. DC is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav publicly stated that a Trump administration could offer a “pace of change and an opportunity for consolidation” for the media industry. Warner Bros. Discovery has announced a recent split back into two companies and who knows what future approval from the administration it will need. Zaslav has mentioned the need to consolidate streaming services to better compete as an example.

WBD confirmed that a company representative recently reached out to the Trump orbit seeking advice about how the company might advantageously interact with the White House and improve its Trump-age odor. The reported message was to look at the example of Amazon and Jeff Bezos paying Melania Trump $40 million to participate in a documentary about herself. Don Jr. might like a hunting and fishing show on the Discovery Channel, they were told. And that CNN could have more pro-Trump voices — suggestion provided.

Trump is a frequent critic of CNN which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. He has sued the news organization unsuccessfully multiple times. Find an example here and here. During his first administration, Trump’s antitrust officials sued to stop AT&T from buying Time Warner. Some believe that suit was due to Trump’s distate for CNN though officials have said that wasn’t the case.

Whatever’s best for stock prices…

Comics

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