Damien Wassel, CEO of Vault Comics, on his transition from academia to publishing and the use of stories as tools for connection and influence. The former academic brings his PhD in Philosophy to underscore his partnerships with globally recognized brands and talent, and publishes multiple best-selling and award-winning comic books and graphic novels. He argues that in an age of distraction, it is stories that can attract and hold our attention, building community through a shared emotional engagement, even across time. It is the comic and graphic novel’s ability to provoke deep reflection, he says, that reminds us of how it feels to be human in the age of Ai.