File this under “plan comes together” — as Deadline.com and others reported earlier today, Rest, the comic that started life as a feature script by Mike O’Sullivan before being developed as a comic by Heroes actor Milo Ventimiglia and his Divide Pictures production partner Russ Cundiff, is being developed as an NBC series with Ventimiglia set to star in the lead role (a character whom he rather closely resembles in the comic).

The comic first found life at Devil’s Due in 2008, before moving to Top Cow, who debuted a new Rest hardcover collection at last month’s New York Comic Con. It’s about a working man who gets hooked on an experimental pill that eliminates the need for sleep, which as one might expect, isn’t without some unfortunate side effects.

Legendary Pictures — the production company responsible for, in association with Warner Bros., The Dark Knight, The Hangover and this Friday’s Due Date — announced today that they’re launching a graphic novel division, to be headed up by former DC Comics editor and Oni Press co-founder Bob Schreck.

About a third of Legendary’s output has been comic book adaptations (including 300, Watchmen and Superman Returns), so getting into the publishing game isn’t an entirely surprising move — their first film was 2005′s Batman Begins. The company’s release says they’re looking at four to six graphic novels a year, published both digitally and in print and with the initial title out in the first half of 2011. No specific projects or creators were mentioned in the statement, though Schreck is quoted as saying the imprint has “collaborations lined up with world-class creators” and Neil Gaiman, Max Brooks and Frank Miller all comment in the release.

The move means Schreck leaving his current job as a senior editor at San Diego-based IDW, where he also wrote Jurassic Park: Redemption.

Full release follows after the jump.

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There were superheroes in 1910?: I’m going to have to deduct points from this Daily Cardinal article about superheroes for claiming that “Superheroes have been an integral part of our country’s zeitgeist over the last hundred years.” And more points for the “It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” formulation of the headline, which follows only “Biff Bam Pow!” and “Holy _____, Batman!” for annoying headline formulations for articles about superheroes. And more points for  spelling Spider-Man “Spiderman.” And– Oh wait, The Daily Cardinal is a collegge paper? So these are students writing and editing this thing? And I’m just being a jerk? Oh, okay then. Sorry kids; carry on.

I could have used one of these for basically any job I’ve ever had: On Fantagraphics’ Flog blog, Krisit Valenti shares a “Handy Fantagraphics Map/ Staff Field Guide” created by a few interns in order to help future interns.

Frank Miller’s “Krypto-Fascist”: Check out this drawing by Miller; I think he’s actually found a way to make the idea of a dog with all of Superman’s powers even more terrifying than it already is. (Via The Beat)

Grant Morrison, continuity freak: I enjoyed this post at DC’s Source blog in which Morrison details the origins of some of the characters who appeared in his Batman and Robin story arc with Cameron Stewart. While there are several new creations, a lot of them are recreations, and a surprising number of them—I’m thinking of Bruce Wayne’s ancestors here—come from mentions in relatively obscure Batman comics.

Julia Wertz on “The Insidious Nature of Book Reviews”: I wish I hadn’t read this funny cartoon by Wertz, as I hate to think anything I say type on the Internet could make a cartoonist cry. Of course, I like Wertz’s work an awful lot, so I’m reasonably certain I won’t make her cry. Everyone loves you, Julia Wertz!

First, Happy Midterm Elections Day, everybody! Hope you all cast your ballots today, be it for Democrats, Republicans, or the Tomorrow Party (though if it indeed was the latter, you should probably question both your values and your grasp on sanity).

Alvin Greene, the inexplicable Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in South Carolina, lost big in his race to incumbent Jim DeMint, but fear not — looks like he’s got a blossoming career as a comic book superhero ahead of him.

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Don’t worry Cap, I’m sure writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and pencil artist Scot Eaton will come up with some sort of threat to keep your fellow Avengers too busy fighting and adventuring to talk about you too much in Iron Man/Thor #1, the first part of a four-issue, $4-per-issue miniseries.

Amazing Spider-Man #647: If I’m reading the solicitation right, this is the end of ASM’s three-year, 101-issue experiment as a team-plotted, almost-weekly book. Bob Gale, Marc Guggenheim, Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Stan Lee, Adam Archer, Max Fiumara, Karl Kesel and Marcos Martin close out the era with a $5, oversized issue.

Batman/Catwoman: Follow The Money #1: Howard Chaykin writes and draws Batman, Catwoman and The Cavalier in this 56-page, $5 one-shot.

Batman Confidential #50: Hey, Batman Confidential, the Batman monthly you were most likely to forget DC was even still publishing, has made it all the way to issue 50! For comparison’s sake, Superman Confidential lasted just 13 issues; the similar JSA: Classified lasted 39 issues, and JLA: Classified lasted 54 issues, which Batman Confidential is on its way to surpassing. This is an oversized $5 book featuring the first of a five-part story by writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Jerry Bingham.

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Written and created by Brian Andersen, art, colors and letters by the talented Celina Hernandez. For more So Super Duper go to:www.sosuperduper.com!

File this under: “should have seen it coming.” In the latest testament to Comic-Con’s ever-growing popularity, registration for the San Diego event (coming July 20-24, 2011) shut down today shortly after opening up at 9 a.m. west coast time, due to overloaded servers.

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Well, looks like that massive marketing campaign for the Frank Darabont-helmed adapatation of Image’s The Walking Dead paid off pretty well: Deadline.com is reporting that last night’s series premiere, shrewdly broadcast on Halloween night, attracted 5.3 million viewers, “the largest audience for an original series on AMC.”

That number also includes 3.6 million in the always desirable 18-49 demographic. So though rumors that the series had already been greenlit for a second season were dashed a couple of months ago, it seems sorta totally likely at this point.

For all of Newsarama coverage on The Walking Dead, both the comic and the TV series (and including a two-part interview with creator Robert Kirkman), amble over here.

Did they already announce the title of the next Superman movie, and some of us missed it?: This dude notices that one of David Goyer’s credits given under his blurb on the back of Superman: Earth One graphic novel mentions a Superman project which seems to be the title of the new movie. IMDb has an entry under David Goyer’s “writer” credits with that name too. Huh.

No, he’s tied with Chris Evans’ Human Torch: “Is Chris Evans’ Captain America The Sexiest Superhero Ever?”

They also make fine All Saint’s Day Reading: Brand X Daily and USA Today recommend comics for Halloween.

So that’s how webcomics are made!: Gabby Schulz’s How Every Single Discussion About Sexism and Woman-Type Stuff on The Internet… strip is really funny. And sad. But funny in it’s capturing of a sad fact of life. Not funny-sad, but maybe sad-funny…? Also, panel three offered a revelation about webcomics…I always assumed a scanner was involved at some point.  (Via Comics Worth Reading)

Sometimes the guys are scantily clad too: At The Comics Journal, Tom Crippen examines some Golden Age comics covers with athletic men wearing very little clothing. You don’t see a whole lot of near-nude dudes in pop comics anymore do you, outside of maybe Doc Savage’s tissue-paper longsleeve shirt, and flashbacks to Namor’s Speedo or swim trunk days. These days, even the boy sidekicks wear pants. Meanwhile, Andrew Wheeler has a smart, well-written post explaining the concept of beefcake as it applies to superhero comics.

If she weren’t such a great cartoonist, Lucy Knisley would make a great sea creature costume co-designer: Check out Knisley and her seamstress pal’s squid and hammerhead Halloween costumes (be sure to follow the Flickr too, for more fun shark and squid photos).  (Via Comics Reporter)