Colin Kaepernick's next act: Big Tech-funded AI comic book mogul, but will anyone care?



NFL quarterback turned activist Colin Kaepernick has launched an artificial intelligence-based platform for creating comic books and graphic novels.

The platform, called Lumi, said it allows artists to skip over gatekeepers, high production costs, and production timelines within the comic book and graphic novel industry. Lumi is led by Kaepernick and venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, a company that boasts dozens of startups in its portfolio.

"By leveraging advanced AI tools, Lumi enhances the creative process, allowing creators to focus on bringing their stories to life, while the platform handles all of the logistics," the company said in a press release.

The platform can turn "any creator into Disney," it claimed.

'It's unclear what gatekeepers Mr. Kaepernick is referring to since he had a lucrative deal with Netflix for a show no one seemed to like.'

Kaepernick transitioned into left-wing activism after kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games following losing the starting quarterback position on the San Francisco 49ers. He made vague claims of oppression and has since enjoyed several high-profile endorsement deals while allegedly also feigning attempts to return to the NFL.

As such, the Lumi press release was not without activist language.

"Lumi aims to open the funnel, enabling anyone to access storytelling superpowers, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and equitable world," the company wrote.

Funding has also come from unnamed tech executives from social media platform Meta and rapper Chamillionaire. Perhaps most notably, tech company Contextual AI has also thrown its hat in the ring after securing $80 million of its own. It is unclear, however, to what degree any technology from Contextual AI will be used for Lumi.

"Lumi addresses an unnecessary dependency on gatekeepers that slows creators down," Kaepernick said. "This allows creators to get back to what they ultimately want to do: create . The platform empowers creators to work freely and independently, deciding when and how they want to collaborate with others. This independence is crucial for fostering a vibrant and diverse creative ecosystem."

While the platform potentially leads to a faster end product, it certainly leapfrogs many artists along the way in an industry already suffering.

"I think this is sad because it cuts out all of the talented artists, actors, and talent that create stories and replace them with soulless AI," Return's managing editor, Peter Gietl, remarked.

"It's unclear what gatekeepers Mr. Kaepernick is referring to since he had a lucrative deal with Netflix for a show no one seemed to like. It remains to be seen whether AI-created art will resonate with an audience; it hasn't so far, but I think it is possible a talented person could use these tools to create great art," Gietl added.

Blaze News previously spoke with musicians regarding AI-generated music who overwhelmingly stated that any type of AI-based artform is likely to lack a human touch that resonates with audiences.

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Spider-Man comic featuring 'queer' trans-anarchist villains promoted to children for Pride Month



A free comic book promoted by Marvel for Pride Month featured multiple messages about gender and sexuality while being targeted at children 13 years old and up.

As part of an initiative for inclusivity, Marvel sent out free issues of its "Marvel Voices" comic to distributors for Free Comic Book Day.

The gender and sexuality-driven issue was targeted at teens and also had dedicated pages regarding black and "indigenous" stories and creators.

After a Bollywood-themed Spider-Man and a female hero named Spider-Gwen, a glowing Spider-Man took on a rather interesting foe.

The comic showed a group of thugs ransacking the Stark pharmaceutical company, as the leader of the gang is shown to be a "trans woman" named Peach.

"Peach. Leader of the Commune. Trans woman. Hacker. Yorkie enthusiast. Currently really frustrated," the comic read.

After the group realized there are only needles and syringes remaining, the transgender leader decided it was time to leave before the security system came back online.

As Spider-Man arrived, it is then revealed that the group is actually a cohabitating consortium of queer anarchists that see themselves as working-class heroes.

"The Commune. A Robin-Hood-esque, queer, human, anarchist crew who live and work together."

In addition to the juxtaposition of a transgender person stealing from a pharmaceutical stock room, Spider-Man himself also pointed out that the female-identifying man isn't able to partake in discourse.

"Back off. Spidey! We aren't hurting anyone, and we don't wanna start with you," the criminal said.

"Come oooon. Trespassing and theft are easy-peasy, but you can't handle a friendly conversation," Spider-Man replied.

'There is no specific race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, religious or planetary-origin requirement to being a hero.'

The comic book is riddled with incessant ideological messaging, including a full-page spread about diverse superheroes. Author Angelique Roche wrote that since the 1960s, the Marvel team has "evolved to reflect the world around us."

"Our heroes and their stories provided proof of what we have always known: that there is no specific race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, religious or planetary-origin requirement to being a hero," she wrote.

Roche has described herself on her website as a former congressional staffer, and she was also a campaign manager for Democrat Nina Turner. Turner was an Ohio state senator from 2008-2014 before she ran for Ohio's secretary of state, losing to Republican Jon Husted. Roche managed Turner's campaign for that race.

That Park Place editor John F. Trent described the comic as an attempt to corrupt children and lead them into despair.

"On a storytelling level, they are priming their alternative universes with these characters so they can then bring them into the main universe to supplant their other characters like Captain America, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, and Thor," he said.

The Pride comic is almost entirely made up of alternate timelines. Examples included "Earth-65" for the female Spider-Man character and "Earth-50101" that featured an Indian Spider-Man acting in a Bollywood film.

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New feminist Wonder Woman comic has hero enslaved as traditional, Christian wife who must reject the Bible to escape



A new Wonder Woman comic book has the hero trapped in her mind as a traditional, Christian wife who is verbally abused by her husband.

"Wonder Woman #8," written by author Tom King, places Wonder Woman under the constraints of a villain who has bound her with the Lasso of Lies, a powerful weapon much like her own, which he uses to manipulate her mind.

Please note that this article contains many spoilers.

While tied up with the magical lasso, the reader learns that Wonder Woman is trapped in her mind, living as a Christian wife in a pseudo-1950s landscape with cell phones.

Her husband is an abusive military officer who immediately takes issue with his wife's inability to deliver dinner on time. After reminding his wife, trad Wonder Woman, that he is "going out with the boys," she insists that she is "going to be better" for him.

The comic jumps back and forth between the real world and the one created to torment her. In her traditional-hell landscape, Wonder Woman's thoughts are invaded by Bible passages that poison her mind. 1 Timothy 2:9-15 is used, which talks about women being encouraged to dress modestly and decently, learning in quiet, and not having authority over a man.

Ephesians 5:22-24 is later cited, which says, "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior."

Later in the comic, Wonder Woman's husband complains about the temperature on his steak, and when asking her why she isn't eating, she says it's because she's trying to lose weight.

"I do need to watch my figure," she states.

After becoming enraged when Wonder Woman asks him when he will be home, the tormenting husband tells her that she may not be able to cook, but at least she looks good.

"I shouldn't have asked. Have fun. I have so many chores around here to distract me. As much as anything can distract me from you," she said painfully.

"You can't cook, and you never know when to shut your mouth. But dammit, you do look all right in that outfit," the husband said while embracing the emotionally damaged woman.

Preview for Wonder Woman #8
— (@)

Eventually, Wonder Woman escapes her mental prison but not before one more painfully written interaction with her husband. While sending her spouse into a spiral by burning his eggs, Wonder Woman is mentally battling more Bible passages.

Titus 2:3-5 is then quoted in the comic as "women, likewise, are to be reverent in behavior. Not slanderers or slaves to much wine."

"They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children," it goes on.

She scolds her husband in their final interaction for not listening to her.

Eventually, Wonder Woman's mother appears in her hallucination to remind her that she is a strong, powerful woman who can accomplish anything.

Inspired by her mother, Wonder Woman breaks free from her confines and, while holding the villain by his throat, yells, "I do not believe your God!"

Loving this Wonder Woman issue 8 Cover D 1:25 Joshua 'Sway' Swaby Card Stock Variant #WonderWoman #Dc
— (@)

With dialogue narrating how Wonder Woman's will can never be broken — unlike even the toughest of men — the story comes to an end in both worlds.

In the trad world, Wonder Woman's husband is left with a departing note from his now-estranged wife.

"Steve. My mother came by. I'm leaving with her. I am not coming back."

"The truth is, I'm not who you think I am. I am only who I think I am."

"P.S. The house is a little messy. And you're going to need a new vacuum."

Steve is revealed as looking stunned while reading the note. A caption adds, "We pushed her as far as any man has ever been pushed."

"But from the clay from which she is made, it will not crack."

As That Park Place reported, a former DC Comics artist who worked on Suicide Squad and Justice League of America comics announced he would boycott the company over the recent tones in the Wonder Woman series.

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'Just another word for shapeshifter': X-Men creators scold fans over 'nonbinary' character for Disney+ reboot



The original creators of "X-Men: The Animated Series" defended a recent change for the Disney+ reboot of the show in which one of the characters has been remodeled as "nonbinary."

As Blaze News previously reported, a shapeshifting character named Morph was reimagined as a "nonbinary" person for the Disney+ iteration of the show called "X-Men '97."

"This is a lighter take on the character, who is nonbinary and has an interesting buddy relationship with Wolverine. The character's past with Mister Sinister, the show's villain, could also come into play," former Executive Producer Beau DeMayo stated.

This caused an uproar from fans as Morph's entire look was changed for the new, nonbinary direction, looking rather alien-like in the latest version of the show compared to how he was originally portrayed as a generic male character in the 1990s cartoon.

Creator Eric Lewald, his wife and writer Julia Lewald, and director Larry Houston spoke about the controversy, largely defending the change by claiming being nonbinary is the same as being a shapeshifter.

"For me, the word ‘nonbinary’ is the same as the word ‘shapeshifter,'" Houston said. "Every character that can change from one gender to another, or from human to animal, that’s just another word for ‘shapeshifter’ for me," he told Variety.

"He attacks Wolverine, his closest friend, in the most dramatic way by turning into Jean Grey and putting his hand on Wolverine’s neck and leaning in for a kiss," Eric Lewald said. "That’s as nonbinary as you can get. It’s Morph turning into a woman and coming onto Wolverine to freak him out. It was all there in Morph’s character. Now it’s become such a social thing that I think people will be more sensitive to how it’s used. That’s the only difference. We didn’t see a problem in reading him and didn’t feel he was any different," he added.

Julia Lewald chose to scold fans who took issue with the change:

"Did we teach you people nothing? Were you not watching?" she asked. "Did we not figure out how to be nice to each other and how to get along? It’s very odd to feel like we are still dealing with the same issues that we were dealing with 30 years ago. It’s painful," she explained.

Voice actor Lenore Zann took a similar tone and stated that the "message needs to be spread throughout the world right now."

"I hope we can bring hope to people and to children so they can look to the future and go, 'I have a place in this world. I belong, and it’s OK to be different.'"

If X-Men '97 is the "next day" - then really why does Morph look radically different? Look, he's right here, not looking odd at all:
— (@)

Aside from fan controversy, the show has dealt with internal issues leading up to the reboot's launch. DeMayo, the aforementioned former executive producer, was fired a bit more than a week before his project premiered.

Marvel had no comment on the matter and DeMayo went silent taking his Instagram account offline, the Hollywood Reporter noted.

While no official reason for his departure was known, speculation swirled around his consistent controversies. In 2023, he reportedly announced he was deleting his Twitter account after coming under fire for allegedly whitewashing a character named Sunspot, a Brazilian who appeared to be tan in earlier versions.

DeMayo faced criticism for casting actor Gui Agustini in the role, even though he is Brazilian.

DeMayo, who is also reportedly a gay black man, allegedly posted shirtless photos of himself online and operated what has been described as a non-explicit account on the site OnlyFans, which is known for pornography.

Morph's character design for 'X-MEN '97' by Amelia Vidal.
— (@)

Nonetheless, Morph was an iconic character as he appeared in the very first episode of the original cartoon and is the only character to undergo such a drastic reimagining.

In addition to complaints of other character-model tweaks, the show has likely had far more controversial moments before its launch than it should; however, this could, of course, translate to a greater number of eyeballs.

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Superhero Flicks Like ‘Madame Web’ Stink Because They’re About Other Movies Instead Of Real Life

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James Wan Takes Viewers To An Ocean Far Away In ‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’

Aquaman is routinely mocked in nerd culture as the fish guy, but Wan’s take on the hero works because he fully embraces the universe.

BlazeTV contributor Eric July clears nearly $1 million in preorders inside 24 hours for his latest graphic novel, proving once again readers want good stories, not bad ideology, from their comics



BlazeTV contributor Eric July put it all on the line and launched an independent comic book company in 2022, sure that he was not the only "comic book lifer" exhausted by the leftist agitprop and infantilizing regurgitate churned out by woke publishers like Marvel and DC Comics.

That risk paid off big-time last year.

July's Rippaverse Comics released "Isom #1" in 2022, telling the tale of Avery Silman, a valorous Texas rancher who resumes his duties in Cincinnatian fashion after it becomes clear his city once again needs the costumed hero Isom's help.

The book, which received rave reviews on League of Comic Geeks, raised over $3.7 million dollars in a preorder where the stated goal was $100,000, evidencing a significant appetite for compelling content unencumbered by woke innocence-signaling — for books where story comes first.

The Dallas-based podcaster, musician, and author is back with a second comic.

\u201cThe Pre-Order Campaign for ISOM #2 is now LIVE! And check out the FIRST official project from Rippaverse Studios - the ISOM #2 Animated Trailer! #Rippaverse #Isom #Isom2 #comicbooks\n\nhttps://t.co/Plp6D3XC8V\u201d
— Rippaverse Comics (@Rippaverse Comics) 1686578445

Within 24 hours of preorders for "Isom #2" going live, July raised over $863,000 (247% over the set sales goal), proving last year's success was not a flash in the pan but rather an actionable market signal.

In fact, the excitement over the second installment in the series was enough to strain the Rippaverse website to the point of temporarily breaking.

July told TheBlaze that the website went down Monday following an unprecedented deluge of preorders and activity. While he stressed the crash was "unacceptable" and is working to bolster his comic universe's burgeoning infrastructure, July admitted it was nevertheless a "great problem to have."

While there was no guarantee ahead of the company's launch last year that there would be such overwhelming interest, July was convinced from the start he was staring down a "perfect storm."

After all, as a self-professed "comic book lifer" with a customer-centric perspective on the trade, July understood precisely how the comic book industry was "destroying itself."

The big publishers appeared willing to alienate readers who once turned to comics as a form of escapism and excitement — those who sought archetypal characters and transcendent stories that stood the test of time, free from faddish jargon and propaganda.

Oftentimes, where ideology wasn't the leading character, readers still had to contend with demoralizing stories in dead worlds populated by recycled characters.

DC Comics published a comic book in 2021 with a storyline where the Robin character comes out as bisexual after another male character asks him out on a date.

According to the New York Post, Marvel modeled an evil character after former President Donald Trump.

The multibillion-dollar company later hired identitarian leftist Ta-Nehisi Coates to transmogrify Dr. Jordan Peterson's ideas and put them in the mouth of the fictional Nazi villain Red Skull.

Marvel also saw fit to introduce to its bloated fictional universe a pair of affected heroes named "Snowflake" and "Safespace"; the former a "non-binary" character who identifies as a dehumanized plurality.

DC Comics is evidently no better.

Superman, a sometimes-homosexual in a deeply unpopular series canceled after 18 issues, has a son who advances climate alarmism.

"Between changing all of these characters and you have this ridiculous kind of push for social justice, insulting the audience and all of that — and I was like, you know what? I am going to be a solution to the problem," July told TheBlaze last year.

In the way of a solution, July did not set out to pen the great anti-woke comic book. If anything, he wanted to write a "non-woke" comic book that anyone could settle into without having to worry about being sold on some grand political project.

"You have a lot of bad American comic book content. It's terrible," July told TheBlaze Tuesday. "People that have been reading comic books like myself forever finally said, 'Hey look, these guys clearly aren't making these books with an audience like myself in mind, so I'm just not gonna buy it.'"

Comic book lovers turned off by the mainstream output "still like comics," said July. "They like American comics."

The appetite is there, but readers won't necessarily be satisfied by foreign content, even if unwoke. Japanese manga, for instance, "doesn't scratch that itch."

Making the search harder is the impenetrability of certain extant fandoms.

"It can be intimidating for a lot of noobies to try to get in on a character they might recognize from a movie," said July.

One of the apparent benefits of a fresh comic universe unspoiled by focus groups and ESG czars, such as that on offer in the Rippaverse, is that prospective readers don't need to have committed entire genealogies to memory or suffered through convoluted multi-film, multi-series backstories and reboots.

"Isom #2," for instance, "is not intergalactic. It's not interplanetary and all that stuff with none of those crazy crossovers. It's none of that. ... It's a street-level story."

The book, written by July, whose writing appears to mine some particulars of his personal story, is illustrated by artist Cliff Richards. In addition to doing pencils for Dark Horse Comics' "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series and the artwork for Del Rey Books' graphic novel "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," Richards has also worked on various DC Comics titles.

The drawings are colored by Gabe Eltaeb, a former DC Comics colorist who quit in 2021 after taking issue with the woke bastardization of the Superman character and saying, "I'm tired of them ruining these characters; they don't have a right to do this."

The Rippaverse will soon be populated by content from Chuck Dixon as well — the prolific writer who worked on Marvel's pre-woke "The Punisher" comics, "Batman" for DC Comics, and hundreds of others.

Beyond the top-tier artwork and stories, July indicated some fans might see the appeal in the company's independence, decentralization, and personal touch.

"I think the day of the mega-corporation is over. It's not to say this is going to go away. What I mean is that you're going to see a lot more successes like ours who keep it relatively small. ... I'm at the warehouse. I'm packing orders. I have a direct line of sight with my audience. That's something you don't get with the likes of Bob Iger."

This direct line of sight goes both ways, enabling customers to see that they're dealing with people who "cherish what it is they're doing and take care of it. The audience picks up on this and the fact we don't despise the audience," said July.

In turn, Rippaverse Comics "recognizes that in order for us to last, we have to give them something that they want."

So far, so good, July indicated — despite the constant stream of vitriol from the left.

"When people found out that a guy that they feel like is ideologically different from them in an industry they feel like they own built his own sandbox, they got very aggravated," he said. "Despite all my hot political takes, I've not had anything ever in my life that got me more backlash. Nothing comes close. Not even comparable."

"I've got called everything that you can think of in the book, but doesn't matter because they can't stop it. That's the reason why we did it the independent way. We're going to continue to be great. We love our customers. They're gonna continue to support it."

Leftists, simultaneously confronted with the books' wide support and rendered incapable of cancelling Rippaverse due to its independence, "know that they can't do that with us, so they can scream into the abyss. We go virtually unimpacted. If there is an impact, they're just galvanizing the truth, incentivizing people to buy more Rippaverse books."

Eric July's Isom 2 Shane Davis Cover Drawing Process youtu.be

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BlazeTV contributor Eric July's Rippaverse Comics puts woke Marvel and DC to shame with jaw-dropping sales



Just one day after the official launch of BlazeTV contributor Eric July's independent comic book company Rippaverse Comics, pre-order sales for its debut series, "Isom #1," have blown past expectations and put the comic book industry on notice.

With an initial pre-order campaign target of $100,000 in sales, total sales revenue for July's first comic series has already approached $1 million in just one day — and there are still 74 days left before the campaign ends.

It's an astounding success that July believes shows how many comic book fans are ready to support a "parallel economy" that will challenge the industry's "old guard."

\u201cWhat a way to start the day! THANK YOU!!! #rippaverse #isom #WeWillWin #comicbooks\u201d
— Rippaverse Comics (@Rippaverse Comics) 1657630972

In recent years, legacy publishers like Marvel Comics and DC Comics have taken a leftward turn that has alienated some readers. Controversies over sudden and dramatic changes to long-standing characters — like making Batman's sidekick Robin bisexual — have divided the fan base, with some embracing the push for diversity and others lamenting that good storytelling has been undermined by "woke" industry activists.

July, a content creator, musician, and lifelong comic book fan, is among those who do not like the direction the industry has taken.

"Between changing all of these characters and you have this ridiculous kind of push for social justice, insulting the audience and all of that — and I was like, you know what? I am going to be a solution to the problem," July told TheBlaze in an interview.

Supported by hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, July told TheBlaze he founded Rippaverse Comics to tell good stories. His company is guided by a code of ethics that prioritizes respect for the customer, a streamlined canon and continuity to avoid the excesses of other convoluted comics stories, and a comprehensive timeline that will "keep reboots to a minimum" and allow readers to easily grasp and enjoy the stories from the Rippaverse.

But at the heart of this endeavor is July's desire to tell stories about heroes who can serve as role models, who understand the difference between right and wrong, and who will entertain and inspire readers by being relatable.

"The Flash was a character that was my first favorite comic book character. Why? Because he ran fast and I was a fast kid. You know, you do the Field Day thing, and people that know me, I went all the way through the collegiate level as a track and field athlete. And that's why it resonated with me," July said. "But as I got older, it was like Batman and some of the experiences that he had, basically growing up without a father being present and all those sorts of things I resonated with as I got older."

"We're not writing down to the audience," he added. "I'm not in the business of lecturing people and telling people exactly how to live their lives. But there are universal truths that I will acknowledge and I think that's what's sort of missing, because people have, unfortunately, definitely in comic books these days, put other stuff at the forefront, and telling a good story is secondary. Acknowledging those universal truths are secondary, if they are ever acknowledged at all."

Rippaverse Comics' first series, "Isom," tells the story of Avery Silman, a common Texas rancher who gains superpowers and becomes the superhero Isom. After walking away from the superhero life, Silman is called back into action to confront an old friend who has since become one of the most feared men in his city.

The story was written by July, illustrations done by artist Cliff Richards, and the coloring done by Gabe Eltaeb, a former DC Comics colorist who quit last year after expressing disgust with out-of-character changes to Superman's character.

\u201cWelcome to the Rippaverse\u201d
— Rippaverse Comics (@Rippaverse Comics) 1657292401

Pre-orders for the series launched on Monday, July 11, and by Tuesday afternoon, total revenue for Isom #1 was more than $984,000 and growing, with over 10,000 total purchasers. July said that initial plans to distribute about 12,000 graphic novels have changed after massive demand "destroyed expectations." He estimates Rippaverse will sell close to 100,000 graphic novels now.

July said that customers demoralized by the "old guard's" left-wing politics are flocking to Rippaverse Comics, whose innovative sales model was responsible for the series' unexpected success.

"These people that are demoralized want to believe that the old guard that stands right now, because they stand right now, they have to always be there. They've existed for years ... and I think that they underestimate the power that we have, even just with the internet," July said.

He explained that the internet and social media give Rippaverse Comics "a direct line of sight" to connect customers with "a project that people want to buy."

\u201cWe do not need the Old Guard. That\u2019s what this pre-order campaign highlights. \n\nTheir model is archaic. We had No inorganic mega-corporate push or placement. All the promo has been from our amazing corner of the internet. \n\nParallel economy.\u201d
— Eric July (@Eric July) 1657598823

Rippaverse Comics will also be a place where content creators, artists, writers, and anyone else in the comic book industry who feels alienated by big corporations can come and tell their stories without fear of censorship or judgement, July said.

"There are a lot creative people that are in our space, on our side of the line of thinking, in support of the value of liberty. No matter whether you are conservative, libertarian, or whatever, and they're just undiscovered. They're in hiding because they have to work for the old guard," he said.

"What feels good is that I get to reach out to them first or that's the pool that we have to choose from. Before I start doing external stuff, I get to point to our community. I get to point to people that are in our space and say, 'Hey,' or put that call out at — 'Hey, we're looking for this. We're looking for that' — and give these guys well-paying jobs to be able to create or be part of something that is fresh, that is new, but also that they know doesn't hate them."

Pre-orders for Isom #1 are available now from Rippaverse Comics' website. Parents should be advised the series is appropriate for teens or older readers.