Parmanu, also known as Wonderman Parmanu! One of the best superheroes of Raj Comics. In the early 90s, apart from other series and things like kings and queens, he was the most popular superhero of Raj Comics’ continuously selling comic series. Other characters were Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva, Bhokal, and Bankelal. Raj Comics especially advertised these five particular characters. The first comic of Parmanu was named after him, ‘Parmanu.’ Although in Parmanu and Aag comics, we only know about Parmanu and his alter ego Vinay, that Vinay is an inspector and his younger brother is also in the police, who has joined hands with criminals, and the name of that terrorist group is Spera, which has caused havoc in Delhi. And when Vinay gets evidence of his brother’s involvement in crime, he eliminates him. And along with that, he destroys the entire group of Spera.
Vinay’s transformation into Parmanu was later explained in the Revolver Comics, along with what happened to his parents. When Vinay was in high school, he witnessed the murder of a group of criminals by his classmate, whose name was Nilima. He swore to avenge his death. He acquired a weapon, a revolver, which belonged to Nilima’s killer, and accidentally got away with it. He found out that the killer was none other than the police chief himself, who was trying to cover up his crimes. In an attempt to retrieve the revolver and save himself from the law, Vinay was attacked by the police chief. He was saved by his uncle, Professor K.K., who took him to his laboratory. While there, they were attacked by a monster bull, and Professor K.K. Verma told Vinay that he had created a suit that could give him superpowers. Vinay wore the suit and transformed into the powerful Wonderman Parmanu. After a fierce battle, Vinay successfully defeated the bull. Afterward, he avenged his classmate by killing the police chief. Since then, Parmanu has been protecting the people of Delhi.
In the beginning, Parmanu was one of the three important superheroes in Raj Comics, first came Nagraj, then Dhruva, and then Parmanu. Raj Comics’ main concern was action, and after the success of Nagraj and Dhruva, they focused on making Parmanu the next big thing. However, they made a mistake by giving up on it when they didn’t get the expected response for Parmanu on 6-7 occasions. Parmanu was their third highest-selling action hero. In fact, when Raj Comics started a permanent series with Nagraj and Dhruva, they had no alternative, so they tried different things based on public feedback. But when it came to making Parmanu the bestseller, they had new but super options. They focused on their attention on Doga and Bhediya. Actually, the focus was on Doga because Bhediya had received the blessings of the outstanding artist and writer Dheeraj Verma from the beginning. So, now Parmanu was at number 5 in Raj Comics’ action category, but even that position was not secure, and the reason was Bhokal, who was coming up with excellent comics and stories for the readers. Parmanu and Bhokal kept competing with each other until 2006. And Parmanu’s end came. But it’s not like Parmanu’s comics stopped coming, but now it was confined to multi-starrer comics, and the reason behind this was Raj Comics itself.
In reality, when a series runs for years, it demands a variety of flavors and styles besides its original theme and regular storyline. The Parmanu series lacked many flavors, such as comedy and emotional aspects. Only Shilpa and Dhanush, stationed at their police headquarters, were shown in some comedic moments, and that too not regularly. Also, Raj Comics had accepted that mystery and suspense weren’t meant for Parmanu.
An interesting fact is that Vinay (Parmanu) was Raj Comics’ first alter ego. So, this was a significant experiment because until then, there was no Sun (Doga), Raj(Nagraj), or Abhay (Tiranga).
Even Parmanu’s personal life has been touched upon to some extent. But when Parmanu came into the hands of Anupam Ji, their first touch changed their powers and sent Professor K.K. into a coma. In his place, their Xerox robots, each with Professor K.K.’s special traits, took over. Additionally, 1998 was a dry year for Parmanu fans, as if Raj Comics was digesting this major change in the Parmanu series. In 1999, only 5 Parmanu comics were released. The year 2000 was the year of Doga, but Parmanu also maintained its presence with one comic per month. Black Zone, Paramushak, Professor Animal, Beshak, Kohraam, Qayamat, Naak Mein Dam, Joro, Maut Samne, Gulam, Ek Naya Itihaas, I Am Sorry, and this was a virtual curtain call for Parmanu.
Parmanu’s special costume provides various superpowers such as flying, shrinking, teleportation, and more. Parmanu rays emanate from the gadgets on his wrist and chest. Additionally, the gadget attached to his wrist releases Parmanu strings. His belt is filled with advanced gadgets that assist him in creating Parmanu, shrinking, and teleportation.
Only a select few people know that Vinay is Parmanu, including his uncle KK and Mamta Pathak, also known as Pranlakha. But at one point, Parmanu’s secret was in danger, and the reason was Ratan Daga. Ratan Daga, who harbored hatred towards Professor KK because the professor had expelled him from his lab for suggesting treason against the country for money. Ratan Daga sought revenge by ensnaring Professor’s wife in his love trap and separating her from the professor. Years later, he not only discovered that Vinay was Parmanu but also framed Professor for his wife’s murder. However, Parmanu uncovered Ratan’s conspiracy and sent him to jail. In Parmanu’s comics, we never felt a shortage of new villains. Such as Angaar, Lakadbaggha, Gunakar, Ratan Daga, Holika, Typhoon, Madam Cold, Budhi Palat, Fandebaj, and many others.
When it comes to Parmanu’s love life, he has only one preference, and that is Sheena. However, Mamta Pathak, also known as Pranlakha, also harbors one-sided love for him. But the writer has never elaborated on this aspect, instead always portraying her as a supportive ally to Parmanu in his battles.
