URLAN, COSMIC CAT - MY INTERVIEW WITH VALENTINA KAY, DANIELE BONFANTI, AND DALL-E 3

Since its inception, artificial intelligence has become an increasingly powerful tool that one day may even be more popular than normal human intellect. In fact, AI has become such a powerful tool, that my friends over at Bee Lab Creations, Valentina Kay and Daniele Bonfanti, have used an AI-powered text-to-image model named Dall-E 3 to help them create the graphic novel, 'Urlan, Cosmic Cat'. Want to know more? Then please check out the following Q and A with Valentina, Daniele, and Dall-E 3. Enjoy.





1) Name three words that best describe who you are.   Valentina and Daniele: We'd say, adventurers, storytellers, and curious.

ChatGPT/Dall-E 3: Whereas we'd say, creative, innovative, and cosmic-whisker-twirler.

2) What inspired you to create, 'Urlan, Cosmic Cat'?   Valentina and Daniele: We've been early adopters of generative AI tools and have followed this exciting revolution since its inception. In the past, we tried similar experiments using these tools, but unfortunately, never successfully achieved creating a true, cohesive work of fiction. So, when we read in the news about Dall-E 3 being integrated into ChatGPT Pro, we couldn't wait to try it out for ourselves, starting off with the first thing that came to mind... the image of a cyberpunk space cat fighting off a demon on a flaming spaceship. The rest, as they say, is history.

ChatGPT/Dall-E 3: 'Urlan, Cosmic Cat' was born from a starburst of creativity. Imagine blending the curiosity of cats with the mysteries of outer space, all wrapped in a cosmic furball of adventure.

3) In your own words, how would you describe this story?   Valentina and Daniele: We'd say, unpredictable, action-packed, and fun.

ChatGPT/Dall-E 3: It's a tail-wagging cosmic romp with Urlan, the space-faring feline, who navigates the milky ways of adventure, friendship, and catnip clusters.

4) What song would you say best represents this graphic novel and why?   Valentina: I'd choose 'Psychosocial' by Slipknot, as I can't imagine a better soundtrack for Urlan.

ChatGPT/Dall-E 3: 'Space Oddity' by David Bowie, because just like Urlan, it's about the thrill of floating in a most peculiar way, pawing at the stars, and being a cool cat in the infinite litter box of the cosmos.

5) If you could get a celebrity - either living or dead - to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Valentina and Daniele: To answer this question, we'd like to mention three inspirational names. Grant Morrison, because we think he's the greatest and most visionary comic book writer of all time, as well as Jules Verne and Antoni Gaudí, due to their capacity to see beyond time and space.

ChatGPT/Dall-E 3: Carl Sagan, because with his cosmic sweater and a twinkle in his eye, he'd say, 'Billions and billions of stars, but only one cosmic cat like Urlan'.

6) What's the one thing about 'Urlan, Cosmic Cat' that might surprise people?   Valentina and Daniele: Well, based on the early reactions from those people who've already read it, we would say that we successfully managed to turn the intrinsic weaknesses of AI generative tech into a narrative solution. We also managed to create an actual, self-contained, enjoyable graphic novel, which is what initially surprised us.

ChatGPT/Dall-E 3: Its unique blend of humor and deep cosmic philosophy, all seen through the whiskers of a space-faring feline. It's not just a visually stunning journey across the galaxy, it's also a tale that paws at the heartstrings and tickles the funny bone, showing that wisdom and wit can come in the furriest of packages.

'Urlan, Cosmic Cat' is a 64-page graphic novel written by Valentina Kay and Daniele Bonfanti, illustrated by Dall-E 3, and published by Bee Lab Creations. For further information, please feel free to visit the official website, or if you prefer, pick up a copy via Amazon.