India-focused mobile webtoon startup TOONSUTRA announced that it is releasing a free special edition, original webtoon comic book based on Stan Lee’s only Indian superhero, Chakra The Invincible. The new comic has been made exclusively for Indian audiences and available now in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu at the official website of Toonsutra to celebrate the legacy of the greatest superhero creator of all time on what would be his 100th birthday on 28 December 2022.
In addition, those who sign up for early access to the Toonsutra webtoon app, will also have a chance to receive one of a limited 100 commemorative physical comics of the Chakra story made available in India for the occasion.
Chakra The Invincible was co-created by legendary icon, Stan Lee and Indian superhero creator, Sharad Devarajan through Graphic India, the country’s one of the leading original character entertainment company and POW! Entertainment. The original graphic novel by Lee and Devarajan was released in 2012 which led to numerous additional Chakra stories across comics, animation and digital shorts reaching over 100 million views around the world.
“Stan was a mentor, friend, inspiration, and teacher. He was my guru. Like millions, if not billions, of superhero fans in the world, I miss Stan ‘The Man,’ Lee and honor what his stories mean to all of us. As audiences around the world dream of being Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk and Thor – there’s really only one hero they should aspire to be like – a kind and generous man who spent his life creating universes and stories that will inspire generations. Stan Lee was the greatest superhero of them all.Our mission with Chakra The Invincible was to create a character that would transcend countries and cultures, bringing together ideas from east and west by speaking in the primal language of human imagination. With this special edition comic we want to celebrate his legacy and love of comics by making it free across the country in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telegu,” said Toonsutra co-founder & CEO and Chakra The Invincible co-creator Devarajan.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest creators of the 20th and 21st centuries, Lee is the writer and co-creator of the world’s most popular superheroes, including Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Hulk, The Avengers, and more. His characters have established some of the most beloved stories in human history.
“I have always been fascinated by Indian culture. It’s so philosophical and rich in tradition and morality. I’ve written countless superheroes of every nationality and every part of the world before, I’ve even created many heroes from other planets and galaxies, but Chakra The Invincible is the first superhero I am creating specifically for the Indian market. My goal with Chakra is simple—I want to bring an eastern concept like the chakras to the world via the western genre of superheroes. I think people around the world will be excited by Chakra’s tales and will accept him as a hero for themselves. I want to make Chakra as famous as Spider-Man,” Lee had said about Chakra The Invincible in 2012.
Chakra The Invincible tells the story of Raju Rai, a young Indian student living in Mumbai. Determined to unlock the secrets of human potential through science, Raju and his mentor, the scientist Dr. Singh, develop a technology suit that activates the mystical chakras of the body, unleashing superhuman abilities and powers. When Raju is accidentally bonded to the suit, he vows to use his newfound abilities to protect the city.
The new commemorative Chakra comic features the hero once again encountering the real-life Stan Lee in Mumbai, who he first met in the first issue of Chakra released in 2012. Stan teaches him a valuable lesson about being a hero. The story was created by the original team at Graphic India who worked on the series including Sharad Devarajan, Jeevan J. Kang and Ashwin Pande.
Prior to working with Lee on Chakra The Invincible, Sharad Devarajan and artist, Jeevan J. Kang were also the creators of the Spider-Man: India comic series in 2004, introducing Pavitr Prabhakar as an Indian reimagining of one of Stan Lee’s most iconic characters. In addition to comics and animation, Graphic India and POW! Entertainment both are also actively developing Chakra The Invincible as a live-action Hollywood project for audiences worldwide.
