Gordon Brown, a new superhero?

Gordon Brown, who has been in the political doldrums of late and is often described as buttoned down, is depicted in a heroic light in "Captain Britain and MI13," a new comic that shows the prime minister helping stave off an attack of evil, green-skinned aliens.

The space invaders, known as the Skrulls, have even managed to penetrate the British Cabinet, impersonating at least three Cabinet ministers, but Brown manages to coordinate the ultimately successful efforts to fight them off.

To do so, he works with a fictional intelligence agency known as MI13 that seems closely modeled on MI5, the real British domestic agency, and MI6, the overseas intelligence agency that is the home base of fictional spy James Bond.

It is all quite a makeover for Brown, who has been tumbling in national opinion polls since taking over for the more charismatic Tony Blair less than a year ago.

Saving the world from alien domination, even in a comic book, can only burnish your reputation. So it is no surprise to find that the comic was written by a Brown fan, Paul Cornell, a successful novelist and television writer who has penned episodes of the popular show "Doctor Who."

"I do admire the prime minister," Cornell said Tuesday.