Lieutenant Kuo Shih-yu, who in July emerged as the military's first female officer to become a frogwoman, is one of the leading characters in the comic book. She serves in an amphibious reconnaissance battalion as a support squadron platoon leader.

Kuo said she felt nervous but also amazed to be one of the project's leading characters and gave the comic book a score of 99 out of 100.

"A comic-book version of the defense white paper can be more accessible to people. I feel very honored to have taken on this mission," the short-haired Kuo said at the press conference.

Another leading character, Chen Shih-lin, who is an armored vehicle captain and participated the rescue work after typhoon Morakot, said he hopes his contribution can help attract more youngsters to sign up for military service.

MND officials said the comic book project was completed in house with the help of three cartoonists who graduated from the department of applied arts at Fu Hsing Kang College under National Defense University.

The officials said that the publication represented a bold step for the traditionally staid and conservative ministry to reach out to the younger generation in a lively, animated style.

"The new approach is part of our efforts to attract more youngsters to sign up for military service, as the government is set to establish an all-volunteer military by 2015, " a MND official said Monday.

The ministry has published 10,000 copies of the comic book, which will mainly target junior high school students, who tend to be avid fans of the medium. The comic books will sell for NT$100 (US$3.12) apiece.

(By Lee Shu-hua and Fanny Liu)