Advertising comics for the most part, tend to be pretty aggressive about the products they push. Whether it’s prominent placement of the product within the storyline, to straight-up name dropping, they don’t tend toward subtlety. A few years ago sportswear brand Perry Ellis hired agency Margeotes Fertitta Powell to do a $15 million campaign that went exactly that route—a series of comics about modern men living and working in the city, albeit well-dressed men. Two batches of comics were produced, the first illustrated by independent comics creator Adrian Tomine (author of Optic Nerve), and the second by illustrator Matthew Woodson.
The comics originally appeared as print ads in a variety of publications, including GQ, Cargo, and Esquire, as well as being posted on PerryEllis.com. The comics are no longer available at the official website, though Woodson has made his batch available to the public as part of his online portfolio.
