“Generations of Indians grew up on ACK comics, which still have a cult base. HAL is India’s aviation story, and hopefully it will now reach and guide a new generation of readers,” said one of the persons cited above.

The comic book chronicles the full arc of HAL’s 86-year journey and its pivotal role in shaping Indian aviation, from assembling its first aircraft, the American Harlow PC-5A, to developing the first indigenous fighter, the HF-24 Marut, and manufacturing aircraft such as the MiG-21 and Sukhoi-30 in India.

The cover showcases crisp illustrations of HAL’s Prachand light combat helicopter (LCH), HTT-40 trainer, Dhruv advanced light helicopter, and Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA)—key platforms explored in detail in the comic.

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the last ruling Maharaja of Mysore, also features on the cover for his role in HAL’s founding—he donated 700 acres of prime land and invested ₹25 lakh in industrialist Walchand Hirachand’s vision to establish an aircraft company, at a time when other princely states had declined to support the proposal.

The comic opens with the students of Vidyabhavan School, including Ananya, Rohan and Mansi, visiting the HAL Museum in Bengaluru. The guide, “Mr Rao,” takes the curious children on a journey through HAL’s history, achievements and legacy.

“He (Walchand Hirachand) dared to dream of an aircraft factory in India when we didn’t even have a bicycle factory,” the bespectacled Rao tells them at the start of the museum tour. He also introduces the students to American businessman William Pawley, who Hirachand met on a trans-continental flight and who later helped set up HAL.

The Harlow PC-5A trainer’s first flight on July 29, 1941 marked the first time an aircraft made in India took to the skies, the comic reads. Pawley’s team taught HAL workers to build American Harlow trainers to exact standards.

The comic traces HAL’s evolution, from trainers and observation aircraft to fighter jets.

“By the 1960s, India wanted more than licence-built jets. With German designer Kurt Tank and HAL’s team, the HF-24 Marut was designed, India’s very first jet,” it reads.

The comic touches upon HAL’s newer-generation platforms. HAL engineers spent years testing the Prachand LCH in hot deserts and icy mountains to make sure it could fight and survive where other helicopters struggled, the comic notes. Its blades, engines and systems can handle thin air, freezing cold and sudden winds, it adds.

“Dhruv, LCH and LUH (light utility helicopter) give India its own helicopter family — from rescue and transport to combat in the mountains,” says Rao, responding to a barrage of questions from the children.

The comic highlights the drive towards indigenisation, citing the LCA as a milestone. “Tejas has flown at global stages like Dubai and Farnborough airshows, shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best fighters and helicopters. The world now knows that Indian aircraft aren’t just copies — they’re innovations,” says Rao.

The firm’s contributions to India’s space journey are captured too.

“See this? This is the Gaganyaan crew module fairing. This will help carry Indian astronauts to space safely,” Sapna, an engineer from HAL’s space department, tells the students. “When India’s astronauts launch, they will ride in a spacecraft with structures, tanks and systems made by HAL engineers,” the comic adds.

It isn’t the first time that ACK has ventured into telling stories of organisations and modern day heroes. In 2018, the comic book published the story of Amul and the man behind India’s milk revolution, Dr Verghese Kurien. A year later, the Tatas also commissioned a special comic book on their 150 year history. While the commissioned books are not as widely available as the regular comics, the Tatas one for instance was a collector’s item. Officials at HAL are confident that the interest in aviation will make this new series a bestseller.