So it’s been two weeks since the release of the first issue of “Galatea Powers” and the reviews have been largely positive.

Some people have expressed their pleasure at the return of a City of Heroes centered comic. As longtime readers of our comics know, we used to have a whole group of comic creators that banded together to create comics, with one of them actually having his custom character becoming part of the City’s lore. When NCSoft officially shut down the game, a lot of those creators moved on.

So some of the longtime players that have enjoyed the game and came back now that it’s operating on an officially-licensed server are happy to know that at least one of those comic creators is back and still creating stories in the City.

Sadly, not everyone liked the comic. The City of Heroes Reddit thread had one person that sabotaged the karma on this release.

To which, I take exception to. It’s not a “faux pas”. AI is a tool. Yes, some publishers like DC have said they will not use it for their art or stories, and I have no problem with that. I used it to create a cover that stands out for the first issue of a comic series. They have the luxury of being able to pay artists and writers and to get paid for their releases.

It’s no different than the foil covers that Marvel inundated readers with in the 90’s for all their “first issue” releases. No different than the “scandalous” and “provocative” cover pose from “Spider-Woman” #1 in 2014. No different than when independent publishers come up with “nude variant” covers. It’s a tool. Nothing more.

And, as I’ve said previously, I have no plans to use it to make future covers. There was an opportunity to come up with the image, and I took it. I’ve spent years creating covers for my comics using in-game content. That won’t change, as you will find out with the next issue.

Speaking of, it looks like the second issue will not be out until the start of 2026. There is too much going on in the real world for me to work on the next issue. A lot of it is related to the loss of my number one supporter, who passed away back in May, and whose estate I’m still helping to settle.

So keep checking in, keep checking the socials, and see when the next issue will be coming up.

Here’s an exclusive peek at the debut issue of “Galatea Powers”.

According to writer/creator David 2, the first issue serves as a re-introduction to the character and also to the series.

“It’s been a few years since we’ve been to Paragon City. Some of the longtime readers could benefit from the catching up, and, for the new readers, this is a quick way to get to know the characters.”

“Galatea Powers” #1 has a few firsts. This is not only the first solo title series set in “The City”, but also being the first series to have an AI-generated cover.

“We’ve played with AI for backgrounds in ‘Future’s Guardian’,” said David 2, “but this was the first time we used AI to create a photo-realistic cover image of Galatea. It took a few tweaks but I was really glad with how it turned out. It really captured Galatea’s look for 2025.”

While David 2 enjoyed working with AI, he says he has no plans on using it regularly.

“It’s a good tool, but it’s not perfect, and it doesn’t give the same look as the in-game images that I’ve been using all this time.”

Other publishers, such as DC Comics, have officially said they would not use AI in either their images or their stories, continuing their reliance on writers, editors, and artists to tell their stories.

“Galatea Powers” #1 will be online on Saturday, November 1st.