Beijing ( CNN ) -- With a few masterful strokes , Remon Wang turns the cuddly panda into a menacing state security agent , creating another wildly popular cartoon image across Chinese cyberspace . Donning an olive-green military coat and shooting red flames out of his eyes , Wang 's character delivers a powerful kick to a subdued American superhero , who hopelessly lies on the ground with his camcorder knocked over . The headline screams above : `` Pandaman vs. Batman premiere in China ; cast : Christian Bale , National Security . '' The 38-year-old Chinese political cartoonist first drew the creature in December after learning of the `` Batman '' movie star 's failed attempt to visit a prominent blind Chinese activist whose nearly 15-months of house arrest has drawn international criticism . A CNN camera captured the scene of guards roughing up Bale and stopping him from entering the activist 's village . `` It just came naturally to me when I saw footage of those guards in military coats , '' Wang said , explaining the birth of Pandaman to CNN over the phone from his home in central Hunan Province . `` Panda is a national treasure , and 'national treasure ' and 'state security ' sound the same in Mandarin . '' An instant hit with Chinese netizens , Pandaman went viral online within a few hours , generating countless comments and inspiring colorful imitations . Before long , however , censors -- who act on orders from government propaganda officials -- removed the image from the public feed of Sina Weibo , China 's equivalent of Twitter . For Wang , who signs his work as `` Rebel Pepper , '' such a fate for his drawing is hardly unexpected . The advertising illustrator-turned-political cartoonist switched careers only two years ago but already knows well the daily battle faced by what he says is a `` rare breed '' in China . `` I 'm a news junkie who loves drawing , and my advertising background trained me well to work under tight deadlines , '' he said . `` I do this out of passion -- and I do n't think you 'll see many people join the few of us anytime soon because of all the limits and risks . '' Wang jokingly labels himself a `` hardcore reincarnationist '' on Sina Weibo , which he says has deleted his account for more than 180 times thanks to the sensitive nature of his posts . Although his pseudonym on the site was not accessible for a while , he managed to keep signing up with different names . Despite the censors ' best effort , Rebel Pepper continues to thrive in cyberspace , lampooning everything ranging from Beijing 's pollution , what he sees as China 's limits on religious freedom to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il 's untimely death . Calling any Internet restrictions doomed to fail , Wang especially enjoys interacting with like-minded peers online . When someone commented on the Bale story by tweeting , `` now that Batman has been beaten up , the only way forward is to organize Shrek , Wolverine , Iron Man and the Green Hornet for a group visit , '' Wang quickly drew a second Pandaman cartoon . Titled `` Pandaman 2 : Superhero All-Star Contest , '' the evil bear character -- still sporting his signature military coat -- strikes a classic kung fu pose while facing off against a slew of fighters for justice , including Batman , Superman and V from `` V for Vendetta . '' `` People do feel more comfortable commenting using humor rather than direct criticism , '' said Jeremy Goldkorn , founder of Chinese media-monitoring website danwei.org and a leading commentator on China 's social media . `` I think it 's also an expression of many absurd things that happen in China -- in some way , the only rational reaction is to laugh . '' With more than 130,000 followers on just one of his several websites , Wang 's rising fame online has opened doors for him to traditional media . A newspaper in Taiwan has hired him as a cartoonist and several liberal Chinese publications also print his regular contributions . Ultimately , though , he aspires to become not just a satirist but also an iconoclast . `` Sometimes my cartoons give me a sense of accomplishment , '' he said . `` But what I really want is to wake up my fellow countrymen by injecting a sense of civil society in their minds . China will change one day and I hope my work will help reduce the number of brainwashed citizens in the meantime . '' This kind of lofty goal has already brought Wang a harsh reality check . After he created cartoons last year for a group of independent candidates who defied government warnings to run for seats in local legislatures , he says state security agents showed up at his door -- twice . `` I know their bottom line , '' he said . `` If you draw mostly as a hobby , they leave you alone . But if you draw to rally people around a political cause , you 're crossing the line . '' Recounting his initial fear of official reprisals , Wang says he 's since moved on and now feels undeterred by the potential consequences of his work -- and Pandaman has n't prompted another `` Pandamen '' visit , yet . `` Getting such visits -- it 's like how a virgin feels about having sex , '' he deadpanned . `` You 're scared before the first time , but after that you 're just not nervous anymore . ''
Wang first drew Pandaman on learning of Wang attempt to visit an activist . An instant hit with Chinese netizens , Wang went viral online within a few hours . Cartoons lampoon everything from Beijing 's pollution to Beijing 's limits on religious freedom . Pandaman says he feels undeterred by the potential consequences of his work .