When it comes to marketing, BMW is often ahead of the curve – bmwfilms.com even got reviews in the New York Times. Now New Jersey-based BMW North America is enlisting A-list comic book talent.

The brains behind the idea is Portland, Ore.-based Dark Horse Comics, which is extending The Hire into an original comic book series, the first of which, Scandal, streets this month.

Pat McKenna, BMW’s consumer communications manager, says the comics are geared at 18-to-34s, with a male skew. ‘It’s the audience everyone’s chasing. There are a lot of theories about where they’re going. Comic books are a way to reach them.’

The six-book series features a diverse range of comic talent, including pop cult film actor and author Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness), Katushiro Otomo (Akira) and Steven Grant (X-Men).

With minimal promotional support from BMW, the plan is to build a buzz organically, repeating the strategy of bmwfilms,com, which spawned 64 million views. ‘The mentality of using great talent is that you don’t have to go out and try to sell it,’ says McKenna.