In one of the more unexpected announcements from New York Comic Con, DoorDash has announced a partnership with Marvel to create exclusive, custom content inspired by and created for real-life heroes – Dashers. The custom comic book, The Dashers, celebrates the work and lives of those who deliver with DoorDash. The comic book depicts how, through independence, ingenuity and flexibility, four Dashers are able to save the city of “Dashville” all while pursuing their life goals and passions and delivering for their communities. The move is a clear attempt to raise the opinion of DoorDash and services like it that have seen numerous controversies over the years. You can find out more here, here, here, here, and here.
The DoorDash x Marvel brand partnership celebrates Dashers, highlighting the opportunities dashing offers them, amplifying the role they play in their communities and illustrating how dashing supports their families, responsibilities, and pursuits.
This isn’t the first time Marvel has teamed with questionable companies to help with a public relations boost. In 2017, the company was to release a custom comic with Northrop Grumman which also revolved around New York Comic Con. That project was canceled.
The Dashers comic book features four super hero characters who each value dashing for a different reason: Ernesto values the ability to explore the city and having different experiences, Julia appreciates being able to earn flexibly while taking care of her family, Remi is an aspiring chef who dashes to support her passion, and Andrew is a young tech-savvy college student who dashes to help buy books and support his education. They each utilize their own Dasher super power – from the ability to be in multiple places at once, or “omnireplication,” to hyper-flexibility, or “supernatural elasticity,” and more – to navigate the city, dash, and ultimately, save the day.
Earlier this year, DoorDash released an Economic Impact Report which revealed that 88% of Dasher respondents had other income or responsibilities, which includes Dashers who have a full- or part-time job, are self-employed, students, stay-at-home caregivers or retired.
In addition to the comic book release, Marvel will bring The Dashers to life in a motion comic series that will be released in five chapters. At New York Comic Con, DoorDash will recreate the city of Dashville in an experiential activation. Attendees will be able to test their Dasher super powers and complete challenges to see if they, too, can save Dashville.
Chapter one of The Dashers motion comic will be launched October 12.
