Who would have thought that a joint venture between DC Comics and Kentucky Fried Chicken would result in one of the most creative promotional comics ever created? It wasn’t too long ago that KFC struck a deal with the publisher that resulted in three stories that brought the one and only Colonel Sanders to the DC Universe.
But these comics weren’t just by-the-numbers one-offs that soullessly sang KFC’s praises. Rather, they were three well-crafted (and frankly hilarious) stories that seamlessly blended the legacy of Harland Sanders with some fantastic deep cuts into DC lore that seriously raised the bar when it came to promotional tie-ins with other businesses.
DC’s Corporate Comic History and KFC’s Most Ambitious Ad Campaign
As far back as the late 70s, DC Comics has loaned out its characters to promote other brands and franchises. Whether it was a one-page ad detailing a hero like Green Lantern snacking on a Hostess Snack Cake or double page spread showing how Snickers could satisfy super-villains, DC was never shy went it came to unique ad campaigns. The publisher sometimes went above and beyond and actually created short promotional comics, like when DC Comics partnered up with Craftsman.
So how did DC Comics’ partnership with KFC get off the ground? Well, it all began when Kentucky Fried Chicken decided to ‘resurrect’ its mascot, Colonel Harland Sanders in 2015. Sanders was portrayed by SNL veteran Darrell Hammond in several commercials before he was suddenly and unexpectedly replaced by comedian Norm MacDonald. This was just the first of many changes as subsequent ads saw Colonel Sanders portrayed by other famous celebrities such as Rob Lowe, Jason Alexander, Ray Liotta and Reba McEntire.
Months after Norm MacDonald kicked off the Colonel Sanders change, KFC leaned into its ‘multiple Colonels’ angle by partnering up with DC Comics to create Kentucky Friend Chicken Presents: The Colonel of Two Worlds #1. The comic was given out for free at New York Comic-Con 2015 and would wind up being the first of three stories from DC Comics and KFC’s joint venture. The two following comics, KFC: Crisis of Infinite Colonels #1 and KFC: Across the Universe #1, were given away for free at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
DC Comics Brought Colonel Sanders to the DC Universe
Kentucky Fried Chicken Presents: The Colonel of Two Worlds #1 by Tony Bedard, Shaine Edwards, and Tom Derenik centered around Captain Cold and Mirror Master teaming up with Colonel Sanders’ evil Earth-3 counterpart, Colonel Sunder. Sunder’s evil plan? Creating a bunch of knock-off KFC restaurants and using the staff to rob nearby banks. Fortunately, the doppelganger drew the attention of the real Colonel Sanders, who works with Green Lantern and the Flash to defeat Sunder and banish him back to Earth-3 “where things make sense”.
Bedard and Derenik reunited a year later for KFC: Crisis of Infinite Colonels #1, which picks up right where the first one left off. Colonel Sunder forms an alliance with another evil variant, Colonel Grodd (yes, like the Flash villain) to steal KFC’s 11 herbs and spices from the minds of 11 Colonels across the DC multiverse. With the assistance of Earth-11’s Flash, Sanders’ new Colonel Corps re-create the recipe and dish out some Kentucky-fried justice to Colonels Sunder and Grodd.
The final chapter of the trilogy, KFC: Across the Universe #1, was also done by Bedard and Derenick, and saw Sanders launch an effort to send his new KFC Zinger sandwich throughout the universe. Unfortunately, the swath of sandwiches is taken by the greediest being in the DC Universe, the Orange Lantern Larfleeze. Obsessed with the Zingers, Larfleeze tries to capture Colonel Sanders, but the entrepreneur instead talks Larfleeze into opening up a KFC franchise on his home world, provided the Orange Lantern adheres to the Colonel’s standards.
DC’s KFC Comics Raised the Bar with Humor and Passion
The true beauty of the DC / KFC trilogy is that it digs deep into DC Universe lore to give its readers a more compelling and satisfying story. Not only does The Colonel of Two Worlds acknowledge Earth-3 as the home of the Crime Syndicate, but it also touches on Earth-3’s invasion during Forever Evil, giving the promotional comic a touch of authenticity that many other commercial tie-ins often lack. That’s to say nothing of how inspired it was to name the book after the classic “Flash of Two Worlds” story and connect it with KFC’s multiple Colonel Sanders campaign.
Crisis of Infinite Colonels went even further with its deep dive into DC mythology. Hot on the heels of The Multiversity, this story takes readers through dozens of iconic worlds, such as Earth-51, the home of Kamandi, the last boy. Not to mention the Colonel visits the settings of notable DC properties such as Kingdom Come and Teen Titans Go!. The story is incredibly self-aware and knows exactly what it is. But it has fun with its premise and never takes itself as seriously as other promotional comics.
These comics knew exactly who their audience was and the kind of humor that would play well with readers. Is the idea of an alien stealing fast food in Across the Universe ridiculous? Sure. But by making that alien Larfleeze, the being that has tried to steal everything, including Christmas, the creators of this comic demonstrated that they knew this comic book world inside and out. Thorough knowledge of the DC Universe and clever, witty writing turned out to be the secret recipe that turned this promotional comic from good to great.
KFC and DC Comics Were a Finger-Lickin’ Good Partnership
It would have been easy to drum up a story that saw the Justice League dining out at a KFC and call it a day. But Colonel Sanders was never one to do things the easy way, and neither were these stories’ creative teams. Bedard, Edwards and Derenick went the extra mile by crafting stories that went beyond being simple promotions and actually created good, solid stories with a solid understanding of the sandbox they were working in.
Sure, Colonel Sanders isn’t going to be gaining Justice League membership anytime soon and KFC’s days in the DC Universe might be over. But the publisher’s partnership with the restaurant proved that a promotional effort doesn’t have to talk down to its audience. Under the right creative team, a partnership like DC Comics and Kentucky Fried Chicken can come together to create something that is more than the sum of its parts and is just plain fun for everyone.
