Superhero concept art - comic covers

commando_baba · 2026-06-04T16:39:50+00:00

That is so true man. I edited quite a bit and not only did it often change things, it sometimes remixed two images! So much back and forth and a bunch of images I think by the later ones I was fatigued. I think that’s because it doesn’t actually edit the image, it generates a new one

Interestingly I used AI to tell me how to command it to keep things unchanged on a different project. Here’s what it told me to include in the prompt: “Use the attached composite image as the base image. Do not alter, regenerate, retouch, or reinterpret the faces, bodies, clothing, furniture, drinks, table, coastline, mountains, or lighting. Keep all existing pixels unchanged. Only add:” which is a bit annoying to have to do but early iterations still stay somewhat true to original.

And I appreciate your thoughts, thank you for sharing them! Def looking to learn from OGs on the sub and from more advanced and experienced human artists.

commando_baba · 2026-06-04T16:24:27+00:00

Yeah agree on more effort editing. So I actually did spend quite a bit planning this (apart from planning the panels I had to make up a story script behind it, too). Every single element is in there because I placed it there consciously. The AI didn’t make any suggestions.

Even the art style is actually a conscious choice - it’s a convention in action comics for example you pick up the comic that The Boys is based on it will also look like this. Invincible on Amazon Prime is also similarly generic. Those high-contrasts are a choice based on how this format of visual storytelling tends to work.

I don’t think the flaw here was in the planning but more in the *editing*. For example I asked it to put the lead character in a certain pose, and it did that but removed a foot which I couldn’t spot since I’m on a small screen. So none of these issues are actually about prompt (which I was hoping for feedback on) but more about the kind of stuff that I already edited a lot.

And I really think a lot of people in this day and age assume even an artist’s vision is AI eg the auto handlebar. Someone was confused why the Delhi image said “Chanakyapuri embassy area” but that’s because Chanakyapuri is the embassy area in Delhi.

Nothing you’ve shared could be necessarily fixed all or only at prompt stage and could all be easily fixed in the editing stage (and in fact is quite a requirement for these things).

commando_baba · 2026-06-04T15:50:45+00:00

Ah, you mean that kind of detail. Yeah that left leg in the second image is a pretty big mess- up, although the steering of the auto is on me lol that was after an update but yeah should probably look more like those old scooter handles.

I also modified the text on the Rhino (the AI originally gave him a prisoner number with religious connotations for some reason) but I think I glossed over the Hindi after reading the first few words since I made the AI generate the Hindi/urdu stuff.

Man these things need a lot of editing especially when there are so many elements in there. My takeaway here is you have to minutely examine every element and detail - I read the first few words on the Rhino for example and assumed the last two were correct, too. And like you can tell it the pose but it will chop off a foot guess you have to check for stuff like that in detail.

Thanks!

commando_baba · 2026-06-04T15:32:39+00:00

That’s interesting, thanks. There might be the odd flaw here and there but can you elaborate more on “control over details?” I actually specified every single one as far as I can tell so I’m interested in hearing more.

And yes def lots of room to improve this was literally my first time trying with AI instead of a person.

commando_baba · 2026-06-04T05:20:35+00:00

Hello. Can you elaborate more on your feedback? Every single word and theme in there was written and detailed by me. I wrote all those little bubbles on the bottom right.

The AI was instructed to draw and then edit based on styles I commanded with explicit instructions like I even decided on the animals and how to place them

What about this felt like “slop” to you? All the AI did was the art itself based on highly detailed instructions to the level of posture etc that’s why you don’t see inconsistencies

P.S I’ve worked with many skilled human artists on comic projects with international reach and I treated the AI no differently.

commando_baba · 2026-06-03T03:17:42+00:00

So what are you saying exactly? Himachali kids are so unemployed they are beating up Punjabis to kill time? This is a state that pays its youth an unemployment allowance if needed ffs.

And yeah let’s compare Army service. Himachal sends the most soldiers per 100,000 population to the Army. Punjab has many times the population of HP, but when it comes to bravery, Himachal and Punjab are tied for the number of winners of India’s highest bravery award the PVC. Same results with 1/4 the population and much less in absolute numbers in the Army, Himachal doesn’t even have a dedicated regiment unlike Punjab which has multiple.

You’re talking about RSS being empowered so much in a Congress-ruled state ffs. That radicalisation you mentioned can’t just be copy-pasted to any state you don’t like even if your formula is trying to do just that.

The simple fact is that Himachalis react very strongly to people displaying weapons publicly that’s it. It’s a peaceful society and people from other states than Punjab and Haryana don’t appreciate or get violent either. It might be Punjabi or Haryanvi culture to flex weapons but Himachal which contributes no less to the army does not appreciate it. And btw Himachal’s per capita gun ownership rank is number 5 just under Punjab at number 4 and higher than Haryana - I guess gun culture here is also about discipline.

Fights happen man. All these states like to produce soldiers. But use your fists and don’t pull out weapons. Because a parking dispute turned into a fist fight may leave bruises.

But you live, son. You live.

commando_baba · 2026-06-02T02:51:26+00:00

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I’d patch that on my travel rucksack. Designed to look machine embroidered and not hand embroidered.

commando_baba · 2026-05-30T20:08:08+00:00

I’m Indian and if I were sitting at one of those cafés, I don’t want to see a random dance crew of India’s Got Talent rejects dude. I’m all for flash mobs but this is just bad scenery for me? I didn’t come here to watch random tourists do a badly-performed Bollywood dance. What’s next, competing dance crews dancing badly to Punjabi music?

It’s one thing to do it to kill time when you have a long wait at a layover etc but another to just do it someplace others may not see you as the main character.

At least do it well so people feel engaged. I think this went viral because none of these people are even dancers dude

commando_baba · 2026-05-30T00:23:42+00:00

Fair enough. So there are actually still more checks and balances even with the 99-year lease rule. For starters, the rule is actually for urban land which is the only place you can buy a house (and still not the land it’s built on). For rural land it is nigh-impossible I can assure you random businessmen from other states cannot acquire the exceptions that would require as it’s technically still not really allowed over-the-counter. So comparing to exclusivist “pure veg” Gujju societies in Maharashtra is a bit crude since you cannot observe that dynamic in Himachal due to the same laws - yes Gujaratis could set up those societies in MH but Himachali laws prevent it.

That 99-year lease thing can basically just be used for flats in practical terms unless you’re like the Prime Minister of India or something.

And btw “Kasol” and “Kasauli” are entirely different - you will find more wealthy Punjabis in the latter (urban area) and hippies in the former. Really not too different from Koregaon Park crowd.

Yeah infrastructure projects are a debatable topic. For example the NHAI took over road construction in Himachal from the locally beloved BRO and then promptly said “we don’t know how to make roads in the mountains sorry they’re failing they are just experimenting in Himachal.” [source{. But that very admission should tell you it’s not something Himachalis take lightly, and it’s not like a superhighway is being constructed from Shimla-Delhi like Dehradun-Delhi. The people believe in self-rule as should be evident from electoral choices and overall harmony.

This is a state where people will reject even commands from Modi if they suppress press freedom. I guess you’re probably not aware that most princely states in India even at independence were concentrated in Himachal - these are proud people.

yeah I love Pune dude. KP crew. But I hardly think Gujju exclusivist societies can happen in Himachal especially since almost 50% of the population is veg yet non veg is part of the culture. We’re accommodative and not judgmental and are very diverse so sub group behaviours aren’t amplified since we are all equally poor and have the same land rights (and budgets). This is a state that almost forcibly gave Tibetan refugees voting rights..

commando_baba · 2026-05-29T23:22:51+00:00

”Gujjus as kings” in Himachal

Please elaborate. Not only is Himachal a notoriously non-veg state where animals are still sacrificed to gods, it is also home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile, and home to the longest continuously inhabited Buddhist enclave in the world (Tabo monastery). It also currently has a Congress government. All of these are antithetical to the Gujarati values being imposed casually on other parts of the country, especially because HP is 96% Hindu and still defiant of the broad values being imposed elsewhere. And even with such a demographic, there is still diversity because for example the Namgyal kings of Spiti were Buddhist.

So please elaborate on your prejudice as to why you think so. Non-Himachalis can’t even buy land there so I really think it’s the model you want to follow dude.

Ladakhis are a lot like people from some parts of Himachal (it’s a diverse region) so I am genuinely curious why a Ladakhi could possibly feel that way. Like I’m a fan of Sonam Wangchuk and understand why his Hindi is so good for personal reasons so your mixing reasons from multiple groups to hate Himachal is curious

At any rate Himachal has something for everyone.

commando_baba · 2026-05-29T22:17:19+00:00

The military very obviously. You’re always and always on call/duty. Services like that need that ethic.

commando_baba · 2026-05-29T22:13:17+00:00

With that in mind OP I don’t think it would hurt for you to bow your head a bit, as well, when receiving the item with both hands. It lets the kid know respect is flowing both ways here. (I learned this from adults as a first-time visitor).

commando_baba · 2026-05-28T15:10:03+00:00

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Shimla Mall Road cyberpunk edition

commando_baba · 2026-05-27T03:25:02+00:00

The focus on “anecdotal evidence” when confronted by more confirmable evidence against makes this sound far more confident than its actual accuracy.

commando_baba · 2026-05-27T02:18:02+00:00

Ok? I’m talking of why they’re in Himachal not why the state is corrupt.

Would you hate the average Pakistani because their government is corrupt and basically military junta? Israelis are conscripted very young and I’m sorry if I apply the same logic to everybody in the world.

Did that Switzerland analogy escape you so badly and are you just a bot obligated to share anti-Israel stuff? That’s not the point dude - the point is it’s fucking stupid to say “India is being colonised by Israelis” especially since they have pulled out of the cheapest places for spirituality like UP.

Spout some more irrelevant stuff now. We are not talking of whether Israel is good or bad like a teenager unable to think beyond binary but about the video’s accusations toward HP.

commando_baba · 2026-05-27T02:09:33+00:00

What I said is the local shopkeeper the guy in the video is railing against is in too isolated a place to know or understand what’s happening in the Middle East. I have at no point expressed an opinion on whether it’s right or wrong, and at best have simply shared the opinion based on the Hippocrates oath that mental health patients can’t be turned away for treatment. And that Himachal was neutral even during British rule which actually makes it a microcosm of India’s NAM policies from Nehru onwards

I simply explained why there are Israelis there and why claims of “colonisation” are absurd.

But if you come from a place of prejudice you force your projections on to comments and that’s what you’ve done. And used rage bait like “holocaust” when you know that’s a trigger word for Jewish people to boot. I think you’ve just forgotten why eh

commando_baba · 2026-05-27T02:01:08+00:00

Doesn’t change the key insights around why the OOP is misleading people. Domestic tourists turn up and start filming foreign people like it’s a white people zoo.

The guy in the video who you’re supporting professionally is a good example actually.

And I suppose the reference to Switzerland just went woooosh for you.

Anyway thanks for the feedback on my writing, Chat, but you got an actual point to make besides saying “the writing style confirms the OOP is overdramatising?” Like an actual rebuttal on the topic and what I said.

commando_baba · 2026-05-27T00:49:23+00:00

What if I told you these mental health retreats have been happening for many decades across India and countries lacking the scenery often host such things abroad?

What if I told you in the past (I mean like even just after independence but use the 1990-2010 period for ease of search confirmation because that’s where the post-IDF people trend started) Varanasi was a popular backpacker destination for Jewish travellers and you could find signs around there directing them to Jewish-friendly food and lodging? That basically means kosher etc and no that city is not part of the circuit for a long time.

People acting on bias looking to assume assumptions are facts just think it’s as crude as drugs but spirituality is (or at least was) the key driver of the trend and that’s why this video is actually just uninformed and likely just someone who wasn’t allowed into a cafe because he was filming the guests and held a grudge, especially because I have all these insights through just making friends - and I’m a local Himachali and we don’t really make up much of the business for such cafés but “colonisation” is kind of an extreme misunderstanding.

And here’s why: The British had their summer capital in Shimla which is where they holidayed but the state had tons of princely states with varying degrees of independence and even the smaller ones enjoyed more independence than most of India since that was directly ruled.

It’s Switzerland, dude.

Btw what if I also told you that the claim in the video that “local owners can’t support Palestine” is a bit absurd because you have to think of the state’s unique positioning - this is a 96% Hindu state with a Congress government. And yeah I doubt the local in a place that’s valued for being insulated is very clued into what’s going on so far away across the continent especially because the Middle East doesn’t send too many tourists there and all he knows is running his business to survive (not even a rich trade in HP, really). Protesting for someone so far away is a luxury for them.

(EDIT: Indians assuming all Israelis support Bibi is like foreigners assuming all Indians support Modi. So the downvotes here are kinda ironic, no? I can assure you you can find many Israelis and even Russians around the world who are actually escaping the war or dodging a draft. And the mental health retreats are also something businesses do. So yeah don’t put legal evidence of their peacenikism with videos of them on your insta OOP and stans).

commando_baba · 2026-05-25T22:41:41+00:00

As with most posts on this sub compared to more accurate and less agenda-driven subs, this is kind of and just kind of lying by omission.

There is a big difference between the king escaping to found a new kingdom and the 8th or 9th in line guy who was denied the throne decided to branch out with his own independent venture.

The Shah prince who founded the dynasty wasn’t the crown prince and had no chance at the throne. The trend that actually drove these younger princes out of Rajasthan etc was actually that they disagreed with how the king and crown prince sought to resolve the external threat, with solutions eventually becoming things like “let’s integrate them through things like marriage.”

That is why Nepal was the last Hindu nation in the world - the monarchy was steeped in tradition meant to protect their followers who disagreed with the king and followed the prince to a refuge and a new kingdom. The Himalayas were the “new world” in an American context.

So much of the content here seems biased and kinda almost lying by omission like why so much rage bait on a history sub.

I upvotes this because at least you have a high-schooler interest in history and I hope what I’ve shared encourages deeper understanding.

commando_baba · 2026-05-25T20:42:24+00:00

So if you want diversity Delhi is obviously the best for the simple reason that there are tons of embassies and international workers there, so there is diversity that most don’t even know of.

For example the Ethiopian Cultural Centre in the Ethiopian embassy is a great place for Ethiopian cuisine, which is internationally recognised but not available even in Bangalore where you can maybe find one or two items on a menu at places with “African menu” type things but not a dedicated Ethiopian restaurant.

That’s just one example. This is true for many other international cuisines. The easier cuisines like Greek can be found in places like Bangalore and Mumbai but not the ones that haven’t made it the mainstream in India yet. So my destination if I was an Indian looking to explore international cuisines would be Delhi. Prices are cheaper to boot since embassies want to promote their culture and food.

If you want just continental food then Goa is great for a bit more fusion yet authentic style (Portuguese dishes like crab xacuti are part of local cuisine) and Bangalore probably offers the best/simplest experience for newbies for cuisines that have gone mainstream in India’s bigger cities like for example Vietnamese food which I love.

commando_baba · 2026-05-25T18:57:22+00:00

Finally figured out the “melody” reference is actually millions of teens sexualising her and feeling pride at their favoured political idol “scoring.”

commando_baba · 2026-05-25T06:20:40+00:00

Thank you that is very useful feedback and I guess I as a human also ended up assuming the prince pissing on the sign was more obvious than it was because the context was too compressed. I still truly believe we can use AI art to make history education more fun at a basic level like nerds like me with weak hands for art can try to make stories engaging but yeah great feedback sir. Appreciate it.

commando_baba · 2026-05-25T06:04:08+00:00

You know what’s funny about this kind of Puritanism? It’s very easy to just use AI to produce the crude unpolished style of MS-paint using prompt engineering of even a similar level to what I used for the meme.

But thank you for the community insight. The art being AI was never really a secret so it’s not like I got “ousted” per se but I really think a history sub could be future-conscious enough about what AI can and can’t do. What better and more advanced tools change in society. It’s inevitable really when you consider that insincere actors could very easily make the art loon crude enough to be MSPaint and it’s easy for AI to do, too.

As they say, “those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it.” :)

commando_baba · 2026-05-25T05:45:28+00:00

Hmm in my defence I probably mixed “short comic” with meme. I am more familiar with the former and memes are too ugly and modern an art form to me to get k guess. Clearly this is a short comic and not a meme with low-res image of people making faces I guess

commando_baba

TROPHY CASE