AI-assisted art is making its way into the comic book world. The Bestiary Chronicles may be the first-ever comics series where the art was “inked” by AI.

The free-to-download comic books are available now on the Campfire site. And you can also get printed anthologies in softcover and hardcover.

Midjourney AI software created 100% of the art in the stunning 4-part science-fiction odyssey from New York-based Campfire Entertainment.

The AI-assisted images in The Bestiary Chronicles bring comic book art to another level. And Coulson turned to Midjourney to make it happen. Midjourney is an algorithm-based service that turns short text phrases aka prompts into images. The software scans massive databases trained on visual art by humans. 

According to the Campfire website, they “specialize in world-class participatory programs and immersive experiences that ignite fan cultures, encourage spread, and drive awareness.”

The immersive fan experiences include those for shows like Ted Lasso, Westworld, and Watchmen. And its founders are behind the Blair Witch Project franchise. 

The Bestiary Chronicles is a science fiction cautionary tale about how monsters created by human arrogance with out-of-control technology hubris destroy the world. 

AI-assisted art with Midjourney

Writer and creative director Steve Coulson was excited about the project, "We're seeing the rise of a completely new visualization tool that will radically change the storytelling process across both the comics industry and entertainment in general." 

"By the new year, even the trained eye probably won't be able to perceive an AI generation from any other," Coulson added.

In a CNET interview, Coulson describes the possibilities and the process as, “exciting and terrifying at the same time. But you can't put the genie back in the bottle, so we're embracing the future as fast as we can." 

"The advances in AI image generation over the last few months have been exponential and mind-blowing. And this technology is only going to get better -- faster than we can imagine."

Two Midjourney upgrades can be tracked in the series. The advances in AI image generation from #01 Summer Island to #04 Exodus are obvious and a little startling. And each of the comics reveals a visual improvement.

Coulson gave Midjourney collaborator credit. He admits he is a lifelong fan of comics, and he has also been known to ponder the complex questions raised by Artificial Intelligence.

He doesn't think that Midjourney or similar tools will ever replace the creativity of comic book artists.

 "Those geniuses have an eye for dramatic composition and dynamic narrative that I strongly doubt machine learning will be able to match," he wrote in the afterword to Summer Island. "But as a visualization tool for non-artists like myself, it's a hell of a lot of fun."