To underscore how great work typically starts on paper, Domtar Corp., Montreal, Que., Canada, has released a video that shows how comic fans got to meet one of the industry's founding fathers at the recent Comic-Con International. The film shows a massive 8-ft. sheet of paper interacting with fans at Comic-Con, which started as a showcase for comic books and has become one of the world's largest pop culture events. More than 130,000 fans gathered in San Diego, Calif., USA, and paper became an instant hit. 

Fans – many of whom dressed as aliens, superheroes, and characters from movies, television shows and comic books – drew sketches and wrote notes on the giant paper, dancing with it and taking selfies. 

 

"This is a fun way to remind people that this popular event hinges on great work that began with paper as an integral part of the creative process," said Paige Goff, Domtar's VP of Sustainability and Business Communications. "That's why we used the hashtag #StartedOnPaper. Many of the best comic books, posters, and movie scripts have always stemmed from the creativity, imagination, fantasy, adventure, and entertainment that originate on paper." 

 

 

The paper character was created by the company that designed Iron Man, and it used Google Glass technology to allow the person inside to see. Some comic book fans considered it to be one of the most notable things at the show.

 

The video marks the latest effort in Domtar's award-winning PAPERbecause campaign to showcase the effectiveness and sustainability of paper. Since its launch in 2010, PAPERbecause has been profiled in The New York Times, featured on the front page of USA Today, and, last month, it won a Silver Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which is considered the world's most prestigious annual advertising and communications award honoring marketing excellence.

This week's release is the latest video in a series that has been viewed more than half a million times on YouTube. It's also the second time PAPERbecause has focused on comic books. 

 

In 2012, Domtar ran a vintage-style print ad in a special issue of Newsweek, showing a boy dressed as a superhero and reading a comic book, while his mother proudly watches. The message: while entertainment options may have changed, people still enjoy reading on paper. An online poll of readers honored the ad as the best in the magazine.

 

"With PAPERbecause, we've used humor and creativity, we've highlighted environmental stewardship, and we've even developed an app that helps teachers and students," Goff said. "All of it is to emphasize an important point. When you make paper the right way, it's environmentally sound. And even in a digital age, it continues to play a vital role in our lives."