MV Agusta Heads Down The Comic Strip – No, Not That One…

Over recent months, whenever an email from MV Agusta announced its arrival in your inbox, it was usually another slew of gorgeous images of whatever latest model they were peddling direct to our lizard brain lust cores. Not this time. Instead, it was to show off their new comic strip. Riiiiiiight… Harley Davidson builds an adventure bike, and MV moves into comics – welcome to 2021…

In some ways it’s not such a surprise, seeing as MV of all the Italian motorcycle manufacturers are the most ‘lifestyle’ oriented, but luckily with decent metal to back that ethos up. Comics are still considered cool, MV’s bikes are considered cool, why not marry the two because it’s not like you have to actually look at it if you don’t like that kind of thing, is it? Well, perhaps you should, as MV partnered with one of the best comic schools in Italy to create this, and it does at least appear rather striking.

Found in the ‘MV Stories’ section of the official website, characters have been created to match or somewhat mirror the bikes they ride and in the instance of issue#1, it’s all about Cesare in ‘Soul Of The Mountain’. With strong noirish undertones, he’s a helicopter pilot who lives in the mountains and gets about on his Tourism Veloce. But, wait, there’s a big bear on the loose! Drama! What will Cesare do? Etc!

There are eight characters in total, so we imagine another seven issues at least will be released. Also be aware that these will be written in Italian first and foremost, so it’s entirely possible some nuances could be lost in translation. But, hey, it’s something free and different at least!

For a long time or hard-boiled bikers, this isn’t really for them unless they just happen to like comics. For MV, and much like many things most manufacturers do these days which utterly baffle the already biking converted, it’s all about broadening their appeal. To be honest, it doesn’t take much to buy into the MV vibe, a single picture of any one of their bikes should do that job nicely. But for someone new, going to this kind of effort may just sway them enough to make a brand choice. Maybe…

MV’s marketing manager, Filippo Bassoli, certainly seems to think so:

“To capture new audiences, and venture into new markets, you have to keep an open mind and must not be afraid of doing things differently. MV Agusta is currently expanding its customer base and entering new segments of our industry. This comic series is a small revolution in the way we have traditionally communicated our brand. It is also an evolution, since the new narrative around our latest models is clearly aimed at the younger generation bikers, but also appeals to a more mature clientele. The eight characters chosen to appear in the comic represent the augmented embodiment of our fans’ aspirations for their respective MV Agusta models. But apart from any branding and marketing considerations, these stories are fun to read, well written and superbly drawn. I am sure MV Agusta fans around the world will enjoy them and feel part of a wider community that extends beyond borders and social boundaries.”