Lexus, a luxury vehicle division of Toyota, and Marvel have announced a collaboration at the brink of the opening of Comic-Con to pair the first ever 2018 Lexus LC with Marvel’s Black Panther character in the highly anticipated film, Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, scheduled to hit theaters on February 16, 2018.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, and starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o, the film follows T’Challa, who, after the events of Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Civil War,” returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda, to take his place as King.
“Marvel continuously captures audiences through charismatic characters and inspiring stories — the ideal fit for Lexus’ mission to craft amazing, engaging experiences,” said Brian Bolain general manager, Lexus marketing. “And the LC’s aggressive styling, high performance and agile handling are a perfect fit for the Black Panther’s quick, cat-like reflexes and superhuman feats. We’re excited to see the duo in action.”
To facilitate the collaboration between Lexus and Marvel, Lexus also teamed with Marvel Custom Solutions to create an original graphic novel, with storytelling driven by famed writer Fabian Nicieza, and cover illustrations by emerging graphic artists Scott “Rahzzah” Wilson and Szymon Kudranski. Centred around the balance between human and machine, the comic features the Lexus LC 500 with a new, Wakandan spin and its role in helping the Black Panther defeat a legendary villain.
Lexus and Marvel celebrated their collaboration during Comic-Con after-hours at an exclusive Black Panther-themed event, with special performances by DJ Lulo Café and a surprise headliner. During the exclusive event, six variant covers for the graphic novel will be revealed to industry guests and comic enthusiasts.
“This campaign clicked from the get-go,” said Mindy Hamilton, Marvel’s SVP of global partnerships. “We have this bold, sophisticated hero stepping into the spotlight for the first time, and it’s been a blast to work with the Lexus team to build out a story that’ll familiarize fans with T’Challa as well as his advanced home nation of Wakanda.”
Lexus’ collaboration with Marvel is being coordinated by Lexus’ multicultural advertising agency, Walton Isaacson.
Introducing a new era of design and engineering at Lexus, the LC 500 is expressive and chic, with enhanced dynamic capability and performance.