Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 Appears in Comic Book, Contest

Panasonic pulled out all the stops for its new Toughpad FZ-E1. The 5-inch Toughpad now has its very own four-issue comic book series and a huge giveaway sweepstakes. The comic was written and illustrated by real artists from the industry.

The story follows the adventures of the League of Valor and its IT specialist Kevin Massing, who helps them save the world by making sure their Panasonic enterprise applications and hardware run smoothly. The comic starts out with the League in full action, trying to save the world from an evil race of aliens. The superheroes seem confident at first that they will overcome the aliens easily, but then there’s a major glitch and they get captured.

Panasonic Toughpad Comic — Image used with permission by copyright holder

With the threat of destruction imminent, we find Massing freaking out in the IT department because he’s the only one left who can save the League and the world. The somewhat geeky Massing with his signature “I’m a geek” glasses and slight 5 o’clock shadow runs around with his small, portable, and extremely durable, 5-inch Toughpad FZ-E1 tablet. The tablet helps him navigate and problem solve on the go, as aliens attack him with fire, water, ice, and so on.

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Miraculously the Toughpad survives everything — even a great fall — and works without a hitch, as Massing saves the world and his superhero friends. All’s well because, as Panasonic reminds us, Toughpads can get the job done even when the world seems like it’s coming to an end — literally.

In an official statement, Panasonic says that even though Massing’s story may be fictional, it’s a theme that plays out each and every day on construction sites and the other extreme locations where Toughpads are used. Indeed, according to Panasonic, the Toughpad FZ-E1 can survive drops onto solid concrete from 10 feet above, plunges into 5 feet of ice cold water for up to 30 minutes, and temperatures ranging from -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Toughpad comic book — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Interesting marketing campaign aside, Panasonic is also offering a special giveaway and sweepstakes.

Anyone who enters stands a chance at winning a trip for two to Comic-Con 2015 in San Diego, a Toughpad FZ-E1 of their own, a hard copy of the “Unbreakable Valor” comic, and a character named after them in the next issue of the four-part series. Second prize winners will get either the Windows 8 based Toughpad FZ-E1 or the Android Toughpad FZ-X1 and a copy of the comic book. Panasonic will also send the comic to 3,500 runners-up.

You can enter the contest on Panasonic’s website from now until September 30.