State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said Thursday that he was surprised to see a comic strip featuring him as a Batman-like hero making the rounds on the Internet.

"They brought me these 26 panels, and I looked through them, of course," Gryzlov told reporters, Interfax said. "Taking into consideration that there was some connection to Batman, I can tell you that the movie was much more interesting."

The comic strip tells the story of Gryzlov turning into a superhero clad in red tights, fighting an underground monster and saving Moscow from a fire and the explosion of a natural gas pipeline -- all on his way home from work in the State Duma.

gryzlovman.ru Panels from the comic strip showing Gryzlov flying.

The creator of the comic strip and the owner of the web site where it was first posted, Gryzlovman.ru, were unclear. The site was created Monday. The comic was making the rounds in the Russian blogosphere all week.

Gryzlov, the No. 2 leader of United Russia after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, has not been associated with Batman before, although he is often referred to by Russian bloggers as "The Android" for his faceless political style and obedience to orders. The comic strip is called "Gryzlov the Man."