Synthetic Comics: Computation, Standardization, Automation

This book delves into the intricate relationship between automation, industrial manufacturing, and the production of comics, tracing a historical continuum from early mechanization to contemporary algorithmic tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT. The volume situates comics within a broader discourse of automation in art, noting that unlike other art forms, the medium has long incorporated industrial processes as fundamental to its production. Concepts such as efficiency, marginal utility, and computability have been essential both technically and conceptually, as comics evolved within a dense information economy driven by standardization and scalability. The book argues that comics production, from ideation to editorial revision, operates within a framework of human-machine collaboration, defined by decentralized, asynchronous processes akin to what Rudy Rucker describes as computation—finitely describable processes of calculating, processing, and transforming information. By examining the industry’s historical attempts at automation, the volume suggests that the integration of computational processes in contemporary comics production is a natural extension of the medium's longstanding practices. The book positions this evolution as a continuous thread linking early industrial practices with today’s use of generative AI, reshaping our understanding of comics craftsmanship as a symbiotic expansion alongside advancements in printing, distribution, and communication technologies.