Food delivery service DoorDash announced it partnered with Marvel Comics for a comic series, “The Dashers,” centered around a new group of superheroes who each deliver for DoorDash.
The new series has comic book enthusiast and DoorDasher Michael Chunall, of Richmond Hill, excited.
Chunall feels as though he is represented in the series, as the four superheroes are based upon real life Dashers like himself. He said working as a Dasher is both a convenient and enjoyable job for him to do on the side when he’s not attending classes in college or working on creating content for his YouTube channel, PookieTUBE.
With approximately 170,000 YouTube subscribers, Chunall cites his work as a content creator as his main source of income. Much of his content is focused around cars and playing video games like Fortnite, with kids as his targeted audience. However, when he’s not shooting or editing videos, Chunall enjoys logging in work for DoorDash, citing the flexible schedule as a big factor as to why he continues to do it.
Chunall began working for DoorDash in 2021 shortly after recovering from COVID-19. He was unable to create content for his YouTube channel because his asthma and the sickness caused him to have trouble speaking and breathing for several months. He then saw an advertisement for DoorDash and thought it would be a good source of money on the side, becoming a Dasher.
“It’s a great experience working for DoorDash,” Chunall said. “As a big comic guy, I think this collaboration is really good. It’s a great way to promote DoorDash.”
Chunall estimates that he spends around 30 to 40 hours each week driving for DoorDash. He enjoys getting to drive around New York City as he makes deliveries. Additionally, he encourages others, especially college students and those who may be retired, to work for DoorDash too.
“This job is good money and has flexible working hours,” Chunall said. “Since I started, I’m consistently making more and more money [on deliveries and tips].”
According to DoorDash’s recent Economic Impact Report, 88% of Dasher respondents had other income or responsibilities. This includes Dashers who have a full-time or part-time job, are self-employed, students, stay-at-home caregivers or retired. Additionally, 40% of Dashers earned less than 10% of their total household income from dashing in the previous month. Approximately 87% of Dashers agree that dashing allows them to be their own boss and 89% feel as though they can work as many or as few hours as they want. Ninety percent of Dashers worked less than 10 hours per week on delivery in any given 2021 quarter.
The Dashers were introduced at New York Comic Con last week. The comic book depicts how the four heroes are able to save the city of Dashville through independence, ingenuity and flexibility, all while pursuing their life goals and passions and delivering for their communities. This partnership between DoorDash and Marvel Comics is meant to highlight the opportunities dashing offers, amplifying the role dashers play in their communities and illustrating how dashing supports their families, responsibilities and pursuits.
“We’re thrilled to work with Marvel, the authority on superheroes, to uplift the stories and experiences of Dashers,” DoorDash Head of Brand Marketing David Bornoff said. “The pandemic highlighted the vital role Dashers play in their communities, helping local businesses grow sales and connecting consumers with essential products. The Dashers comic book celebrates the everyday heroism of Dashers and shows how they have the freedom and flexibility to pursue their passions while dashing.”
The four super hero characters, Ernesto, Julia, Remi and Andrew, each value dashing for a different reason. Like Chunall, 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. 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, to hyper-flexibility and more – to navigate the city, dash and ultimately, save the day.
In addition to the comic book release, Marvel is bringing The Dashers to life in a motion comic series that will be released in five chapters. At New York Comic Con, DoorDash recreated the city of Dashville in an experiential activation. Attendees were able to test their Dasher super powers and complete challenges to see if they, too, could save Dashville.
