Diana becomes comic superhero

Diana is "tailor-made" for the comic, the writer says

Diana, Princess of Wales is to be reincarnated as a mutant cartoon hero in a title from Marvel Comics.

The character is to appear in a storyline called Di Another Day, which will feature in Marvel's X-Statix monthly comic, a spin-off from its X-Men series.

The Diana character will be one of a team of super-powered mutants which a Marvel spokesman said would be a satirical look at fame and pop culture.

Writer Peter Milligan said the princess, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997, was "tailor-made" for the series because she is "someone famous for being famous".

He continued: "At a glance, Diana may not resemble the flying, teleporting, lethally oscillating characters that populate my comic, but the same power she exerts from beyond the grave certainly makes her a valid subject to explore."

"And of course, she looks great in Spandex!," he said in a statement issued by Marvel.

Spokesman Brian Reinert said the X-Statix mutants were "more concerned about their bank accounts than saving people from injuries and saving the world".

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson declined to comment.