Good, old Diamond Publications is now coming out with the Hanuman comics, in association with Percept Pictures Company. According to agencyfaqs.com, the comics will be published in Hindi, English, Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, and Punjabi. The monthly comics will be priced at Rs 35.

Of course, it is no coincidence that the comics are coming out at time when the animation flick Hanuman did so well in India. The animation industry in India is busy spinning out tales of Indian superheroes.

Talking to Agencyfaqs.com, Manish Verma, director, Diamond Group of Publications said, “Hanuman’ is a universal product. Bringing out the comics is just an extension of the already well-established brand.”

Verma further added, “Right now, we will bring out the first edition. But with the movie, ‘Hanuman 2’, under way, the second edition is a surety. After that, if the brand requires it and the response is good, we will bring out more editions.”

For starters, Diamond Publications will focus on marketing the product through merchandise. According to the company, it has sold about Rs 5 million worth of toys related to the brand and aims to garner Rs 14 million by the end of the year. In addition, the company will also tie up with an apparel giant and add about 1,000 products by the end of the year. The company will participate in a direct marketing program through schools.

The other successful Diamond Publications characters include Chacha Choudhary, Billo and Pinky.