A Princess of Darkness, a time-travelling pharaoh and an ancient Arabian swordsman are among the superheroes of a new comic book - one of the first to be designed specifically for the Middle East.
Aya, Zein, Jalila and Rakan are the arab super-heroes sees them entrusted with keeping the region out of the hands of evil following 55 years of war between two unnamed superpowers.
"I believe that having superheroes, or superhuman beings, is an essential need - just like God," the AK Comics' managing editor Marwan Nashar told BBC World Service's Outlook programme.
"We need to believe in a higher being that will be there for help, and can affect change on his own. There is a global and human need for that."
'Succeed through hardships'
Middle East Heroes, in keeping with many popular Western comic books, has a message of good and evil, says Mr Nashar.
"They have their own ways and their own villains to encounter, and eventually succeed through hardships."
He added that his superheroes go through turmoil - and either overcome it and show their best characteristics, or fail and become villains.
What is notable about Middle East Heroes is that the female models are at least as powerful as their male counterparts. Jalila is most powerful character in terms of abilities.
"We really wanted to assess gender equality by creating two male characters and two female characters - and making them equal," Mr Nashar said.
He added that this strategy had been well-received, especially amongst women, who read the comic books in disproportionately large numbers.
Real events
market research had so far indicated a positive reaction.
"Obviously there's been a need for it, and people have at one point in time thought about it - maybe if they've picked up a foreign comic book, or watched a big blockbuster movie, they've thought that we should have characters of our own.
"We have the creativity, we have the background for the characters," Mr Nashar said.
Meanwhile many of the stories reflect events in the modern world in this key region, especially the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The heroes' enemies include the United Liberation Force and the Zios Army, who are "still clinging to their extreme views". Both enemies want complete control the City of All Faiths.
but it's hard not to be inspired by what is going on. It's part of our life - art from life, and life from art
Equipe internationale
Although published in Egypt, most of the art is done outside of the country - AK Comics has a studio in the US, and other work is done in Brazil.
Présentation
Kids everywhere are bombarded with electronic entertainment from mobile gadgets and the latest video games to satellite television. But until recently, an older, low-tech staple of youth culture in nations around the world was missing from the local market: the superhero comic book.
AK Comics’ raison d’etre? “Our mission is to fill the cultural and social gap that was created over the years between the West and East by providing essentially needed role models — in our case, Middle Eastern superheroes.”
AK publishes four monthly comic books showcasing superheroes that mix Arab identity with standard superhero abilities and progressive themes: Zein, a time-traveling descendent of the Pharaohs and a professor of philosophy; Jalila, a Wonder Woman-like scientist who gained her super powers from an explosion at a nuclear plant; Aya, the Princess of Darkness, who works for an underground crime-fighting organization in the region but is also a lawyer fighting for justice and gender equality. Finally, Rakan, raised by a sabertooth tiger, is an Arab swordsman who has dedicated his strength and skill to tip the balance of good against evil.
Distribution
AK’s superheroes have made a splash in Egypt’s youth publishing scene, currently selling more than 20,000 copies per month domestically, of which 2,000 are by subscription. EgyptAir buys a further 5,000 copies for in-flight distribution, the company says.