Publishers Weekly has confirmed that Virgin Comics has been shut down, with its New York offices closed and its staff laid off. Details here.

Virgin was one of the recent high-profile launches looking to make comics-to-film an official business plan. It had limited success in selling comics — they never set the charts on fire, though some of their books were decent reads — and it's not clear what the company's plans are for the many projects it had begun with Sci Fi Channel and talent like Hugh Jackman, Ed Norton, Guy Richie, John Woo and NIcolas Cage.

What this means for this kind of business plan as a viable way to make money is not completely clear, though it does seem to indicate that even companies with deep-pocketed parents can't survive indefinitely without making some kind of success and money at publishing actual comics.

Fans worried the legal battle between Fox and Warner over the rights to "Watchmen" may somehow affect the film's release or prevent it from being released at all are fighting back.

ComicBookMovie.com has started a petition urging Fox to not interfere with the movie's release, as well as an interview with Wyatt Barlup, a 20-year-old fan who wants to organize pickets of the Fox lot. Fans at sites like Comics2Film.com are even calling for a boycott of Fox that would affect the studio's holiday-set remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and next summer's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Jeff Trexler (him again!) has the court documents posted for perusal over at Uncivil Society, and they make for some interesting (though confusing for us non-lawyers) reading.

Despite the heated rhetoric, it seems unlikely that the film won't come out on schedule. There's still plenty of time for the studios to work out their differences and figure out who's going to pay what to whom and make it all right again.

Bonus 'Watchmen' tidbit: "Hellboy II: the Golden Army" director Guillermo del Toro tells IGN AU that he was offered and turned down the job of directing "Watchmen" prior to Zack Snyder's taking the helm.

Jeff Trexler of Uncivil Society brings to light over at Blog @ Newsarama some fascinating documents regarding the origin of Superman that show Jerry Siegel worked for a time on a version of the character with artist Russell Keaton. This version saw Superman as a visitor from the future who had come back in time rather than as a visitor from an alien planet. Trexler has copies of some of the correspondence between Siegel and Keaton, as well as fuzzy copies of the sample comic strips they produced. This collaboration took place in 1934, after Siegel and Joe Shuster's original "Reign of the Superman" story. Keaton eventually decided against working with an untested writer and Siegel returned to working with Shuster, plugging away at the concept until DC Comics bought it in 1938. Be sure to check out the comments on the blog, as publisher Denis Kitchen talks about a book project on this topic that stalled in the mid-1990s and says there's lots more material to be made public.

This is as good a place as any to link to this 1981 BBC interview with Siegel and Shuster produced for a BBC special on comicbook heroes.

Tom Cruise and Sam Raimi are setting up at WB a film based on "Sleeper," the cult DC/Wildstorm series by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Cruise is reportedly loosely attached to star while Raimi would produce. ... "Julius," the Oni Press  graphic novel by Antony Johnson and Brett Weldele, has been picked up by Mandalay Pictures for F. Gary Gray to direct. ... MGM has optioned the online UK graphic novel "The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore" for development as a TV series. ... Alcon Entertainment has picked up "Cryptozoo Crew," a graphic novel by Jerry Carr and Allan Jones published by NBM.

PIC PROGRESS REPORTS: The Mark Millar-John Romita Jr. comic "Kick-Ass" is heading fast toward movie screens with helmer Matthew Vaughan leading the charge. Comic Foundry confirms that Christopher Mintz-Plasse of "Superbad" fame has been cast in the film, which starts shooting next month in Toronto. ... Amid all kinds of oddball rumors about "Punisher: War Zone" — that director Lexi Alexander had been fired from the project and that the film was being toned down to a PG-13 level — it turns out none of them are true.

PUBLISHING TIDBITS: Proving once again what's great about creator ownership, Erik Larsen's original Image Comics creation The Savage Dragon will endorse Barack Obama for president in issue 137, out in September. ... Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone will collaborate on a Madman story to appear in issue 14 of Mike Allred's Madman Atomic Comics series, out in November from Image. ... The Hero Initiative will publish in November a collection of Stan Lee's Soapbox columns which appeared on the Bullpen Bulletins page of Marvel Comics from 1967 to 1980. ... David Slade, director of "Hard Candy" and comic-based "30 Days of Night," is publishing the illustrations that served as the basis for his short film "Meatdog: What's Fer Dinner?" The book, titled "Fubear Studios," is out this month from IDW.  ... Blake Bell, author of the critical retrospective "Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko," has announced he will donate 10 percent of the royalties from his upcoming book on Sub-Mariner creator Bill Everett to The Hero Initiative. "Bill Everett: Fire and Water" is due out in July from Fantagraphics Books.

PEOPLE: Argentinian artist Carlos Meglia, a favorite among fellow comics artists and animators, has died at the age of 50. Comics Reporter has more. ... Amy Genkins, formerly senior VP business & legal affairs and general counsel at Lifetime Entertainment Services, has joined DC Comics as senior VP – business and legal affairs.

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST:  The CBC has an archive of stories its done on comics in Canada. ... And Neal Adams, Joe Kubert and Stan Lee are leading an effort to get the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland to return to artist Dina Gottliebova Babbitt a series of watercolors she painted while she was held at the camp. The result is a short comic story

"Watchmen" doesn't come out until March, but the interest the general public has in this comic adaptation is already showing signs of being the kind of crossover phenomenon that hasn't been seen in a comics property in a long time.

Since the trailer for the film came out the week before Comic-Con — and attached to prints of "The Dark Knight," now nearing a $500 million domestic gross — DC has printed 900,000 new copies of the graphic to meet demand. That number dwarfs the normal sales level for top-selling graphic novels. Even graphic novels based on movies do only a fraction of that business in the high-demand window that surrounds the release of such a movie. Add in that "Watchmen" has been a best-selling title ever since it was released as a graphic novel more than 20 years ago, and its' even more amazing.

And there's more to it than just high print runs and sell outs — "Watchmen" is in the zeitgeist. And it's as telling as this: I was at the supermarket a few days ago wearing a Comic-Con T-shirt that didn't mention or feature any characters from "Watchmen." but the kid at the checkout stand still asked me about Watchmen, saying he saw the trailer and wanted to know more about it. Was it like the "X-Men" movies? Or more like "Spider-Man"? I urged him to pick up a copy because there's no substitute for reading the book, when the woman in line behind me asked if she could buy the book at a regular bookstore or if she had to find a comic shop. No trailer (or finished movie for that matter) has interested as many people in actually reading a comicbook since the Batmania of 1989. All of which should have the marketing execs at WB drooling in anticipation.

Adding fuel to the fires of expectation is self-appointed King of the Nerds Kevin Smith has seen a cut of "Watchmen" and raves about it on MySpace, calling it "f---ing astounding."

Meanwhile, the judge in a the lawsuit between Fox and WB over the rights to the film refused a WB request to dismiss. Fox alleges the studio still owns the rights to the project and is seeking an injunction to prevent its release.

My Variety colleagues blew the lid off the ongoing WB-DC movie planning talks this past weekend, with a pair of articles you can read here and here, plus a good lengthy analysis post from David Cohen and a Superman update from Anne Thompson.

Cohen in particular has a good analysis of the situation, but I can't help but throw a few more factors into the mix — mostly lessons that DC and WB can learn from Marvel's movie adventures.

First, Marvel in many ways has to make movies. As a standalone, publicly traded company, movies are the best way to maximize the value of its characters. Publishing comics is a small part of the business — though an important one — and licensing and merchandising are best served by high-profile movies and TV programming. Without movies and TV, the company would be a fraction of its former self and a Wall Street washout.

Herbie Archives Vol. 1 (Dark Horse, $49.95) is one of those hidden gems that just kind of hits you from out of nowhere. Most fans probably know little about Herbie Popnecker, a fat kid with glasses and an affinity for lollipops who most definitely is not what he first appears to be. Appearing first in the American Comics Group's Forbidden Worlds series in 1958, Herbie not only talks to animals, but he can fly, travel through time, and is renowned by important and historic figures throughout the world and the universe. Describing these tales — written by Richard E. Hughes (as Shane O'Shea) and drawn by Ogden Whitney — hardly does them justice — they're bizarre, very funny and the sort of thing that could only have been done in comics at the time. This is a pricey, high-quality volume, though it's worth it for the chance to discover some of these near-forgotten beauties. Grade: A.

Supernatural Law #45 (Exhibit A Press, $3.50) is the kind of cross over comics need more of. In addition to the series' usual wordplay and legal humor, this issue sees Wolff and Byrd defend Troma Films' flagship character The Toxic Avenger from charges of being a monster in a trial presided over by Troma chief Lloyd S. Kaufman himself. As usual, Batton Lash puts out well-written story — With a plot! And interesting characters! And jokes! — that is perfectly matched by the artwork. But the Troma stuff makes for an especially good match, lifting this above the series usual high-water mark. Grade: A.

No Hero #0 (Avatar, $1) is a promo intro for another hard-edged, "serialised graphic novel" about superheroes from Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp, who just wrapped up Black Summer. As usual, Ellis tells a tale of tough-as-nails superheroes who have no problem taking the law into their own hands and throwing their weight around to do what they think is right. This time, a killer is after the heroes, allowing for Ryp to bring his insanely detailed style to a scene that outgrosses anything a dozen seasons of "C.S.I." could pull off. Ellis' ideas always elevate the material above what could otherwise be simple exercises in violence and gore, but there's also a feeling that if he pulled back just a bit, one of these Avatar series could cross over to a wider audience the way The Authority did way back in 1999. Grade: B+.

In War Heroes #1 (Image Comics, $2.99), "Wanted" creator Mark Millar injects superheroes into the war on terror by having the U.S. discover a way to give all its soldiers pills that endow them temporarily with superpowers. What's sure to provoke people is the politics of the comic, as the success of superpowered soldiers leads to not just success in Iraq and Afghanistan, but an invasion of Iran and characters inspired enough to espouse the kind of all-out, gee-shucks patriotism not seen since newsreels plugged War Bonds. The approach delivers its share of drama — augmented by Tony Harris' heavily photo-referenced artwork — though the first issue leaves the question up in the air of whether Millar will take this approach to an extreme or pull out the rug from under it. Grade: B.

Time to motor through the giant stack of books that has been piling up throughout the summer and see what we think.

The Alcoholic (Vertigo, $19.99, out in September) is a groovy tale that’s the best so far of Vertigo’s new series of original graphic novels. Novelist Jonathan Ames manages to bring his distinctive voice to comics with a script that’s funny, touching and seemingly tailor made for artist Dean Haspiel. I still think $19.99 for 136 black and white pages is a bit much — even in hardcover — but this is a cool tale that goes down easily enough to be worth it. Grade: A-. ...

Tales of the Starlight Drive-In (Image Comics, $19.99) is a convincingly bittersweet love letter to the passion pits that once dotted the American landscape. Newspaper reporter Michael San Giacomo writes a series of short vignettes that cover the history of the Starlight Drive-In from its glory days to the present, with different artists illustrating each story. The stories have a ring of authenticity and it’s easy to imagine San Giacomo — a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer — might have dug up these stories while rummaging through the paper’s library of old issues. The final comics are by nature a bit uneven, given the number of artists involved, but this still ends up an effective and satisfying taste of nostalgia and Americana. Grade: B. ... 

Janes in Love (DC/Minx, $9.99, out in September), the sequel to last year’s debut Minx title, The Plain Janes, is thankfully more of the same — an appealing story about normal, creative girls trying to fit in. Reuniting writer Cecil Castellucci and artist Jim Rugg, the Janes are more charming, earnest and fun than ever, making up for a plot that falls shorter on the drama. Some of that likely comes from the novelty having worn off a bit, but it seems unlikely to slow down the Janes, who already are set to appear in a third book. Grade: B.

Todd McFarlane’s Spawn is still motoring along quite nicely in issues #178-180 (Image Comics, $2.95 each), proving that it’s still possible that superhero comics can succeed as entertainment all on their own. Writer David Hine has had a good run on this title, playing with the basics of Spawn in fun ways while never forgetting this is essentially a horror comic. The art also is slick and fun. Brian Haberlin serves up some excellent horror work while Mike Mayhew delivers some stunning photorealism in #179’s standalone tale of a WWI veteran who has to choose eternal death to save the life of his bastard son. These comics won’t change anyone’s life, but they were a lot of fun to read. Grade: B+. …

I received a copy of Jonny Gambit 01: The Prodigal Son Preview Edition (Pure Comics) in the mail and it’s like an artifact from the black-and-white boom of the 1980s. That may be appropriate, given that the character previously appeared in a single issue about 20 years ago. The story and the art are a pure throwback to that time — though not in a completely unpleasant way. The story about a futuristic city gone wrong and the racing toughs who may be able to save the man who can fix it is pure 1980s, complete with an elaborate and complete backstory. The art holds this back a bit — it’s flat, angular and simple and would benefit greatly from some quality inking and the addition of color. Grade: C.

Color is no problem for Radical Comics, whose books are all lushly painted and tell stories thick with blood and oil. Hercules: The Thracian War #1-4 ($2.99 each) seems like it wants to tap into the ancient war action of "300" and "Beowulf," but comes off more like "Conan." I’m not sure why Hercules and his coterie of demi-gods aren’t using their “powers” more, but an even stranger note is struck by the extent of the characters’ thirst for blood. The dialog is full of references to eating hearts, scooping out brains and cannibalism, eventually making it hard to see the heroism in the patriotically-motivated Hercules’ and his crew. Grade: B-. …

Caliber: First Canon of Justice #1-4 ($2.99 each) has a little more depth to it, but suffers from the lack of clarity that has often plagued comics that are fully painted by anyone save perhaps Alex Ross. Characters are so fully integrated into their realistic surroundings that it’s often hard to tell who’s who from panel to panel. That’s made even tougher by a script that revels in taut dialog over any kind of direct exposition that could clear up the plot and perhaps inject some deeper personalities into this Western take on the legend of King Arthur that John Woo is attached to direct. Grade: C. … Radical’s third series, Freedom Formula #1 ($2.99), is a sci-fi tale that evokes anime in general and “Akira” in particular. The story — optioned by Bryan Singer as a film for him to produce — is standard fare about futuristic couriers who take their duties to clients and their families very seriously, but what this is really all about is the cool Transformers-style tech and a futuristic setting artists Chester Ocampo and Kai depict with scope and imagination. Grade: B-.

DC/Vertigo continues to roll new ongoing series with a pair that go back to the imprint’s roots in fantasy. Madame Xanadu #1 ($2.99) has been out for a while, revamping an old DCU character with a new origin from writer Matt Wagner and artist Amy Reeder Hadley. This features lots of the fairies, magicians and medieval-style witchcraft in a style that evokes at least a little bit the classic “Midsummer Night’s Dream” issue of Sandman. The book looks lovely and reads well, though it’s underwhelming enough to raise questions about why this character would be revived using the approach the least likely to win over the superhero fans who are most likely to know her. Grade: C. …

Also out for a while now is House of Mystery #1 ($2.99), a more traditional Vertigo book, featuring oddball fantasy tales from strange characters. The stories are quirky and creepy in a fun way — no surprise, given that this is written by Jack of Fables collaborators Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham — and there’s enough variety here to lure the curious back for more. Grade: B.

The Damned: Prodigal Sons #1 (Oni Press, $3.50) is a solid comic that improves greatly on the first book in this demons-as-the-mob series. Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Brian Hurtt draw their characters and the boundaries of their fictional world well. Hurtt in particular brings care and craft to the art, which all by itself lifts this above the vast majority of today’s indie comics. Grade: B+ ...

Resurrection #1-4 (Oni Press, $3.50) has an interesting concept, a top-notch writer in Marc Guggenheim of ABC-TV’s “Brothers and Sisters,” and plenty of rave reviews. I agree that the basic idea is a good one — What happens after the aliens who invaded in “War of the Worlds” or “V” head home? But four issues into the series, not much has happened save long conversations that appear borrowed from other movies. In some ways, this is too much like a TV show and not enough like a comic. It doesn’t help that the art by David Dumeer, while decent, at times doesn’t well match the dramatic content of the writing. More action and less talk would help this a lot. Grade: C.

Next week, I hope to post reviews, reviews, reviews. Until then, this should clear out the inbox:

> Par and Brad Pitt's Plan B shingle have optioned "Miki Falls," a manga-style comic from "Akiko" creator Mark Crilley.

> If you missed Comic-Con, or just can't get enough, Spike TV's "Gametrailers TV with Geoff Keighley" airs Saturday at 1 a.m. (a.k.a., an hour after midnight tonight) a behind the scenes look at the con featuring exclusive interviews with Zack Snyder, Hugh Jackman, Samuel L. Jackson and Stan Lee.

> Virgin Comics is running a contest for five folks to get drawn into the debut issue of "Nowhere Man," an upcoming new series co-created by Hugh Jackman and TV scribe Marc Guggenheim. Such stunts have become more common, with "Deal or No Deal" contestant Josh Akuna appearing similarly in Marvel's The Uncanny X-Men #500, released last month.

> Flixter ranks the seven coolest superheroines and asks, "Which one would you date?" Not sure I want to read those responses ...

> Time writes about the success of "The 99," a group of Islamic superheroes that are such a hit in the Persian Gulf region that amusement parks and animated series are in the works.

> "Heroes" star Milo Ventimiglia and his producing partner Russ Cundiff of DiVide Pictures are teaming up with Top Cow to publish Rick Loverd's comicbook series "Berserker."

> The all-new, all-different Mid-Ohio Con welcomes longtime "X-Men" writer Chris Claremont as the guest of honor at this year's event, which runs Oct. 4-5 in Columbus.

> "X-Men: The Last Stand" director Brett Ratner is taking his plans to produce a film version of Valiant Comics title "Harbinger" with him as he moves from New Line to Paramount.

> Par has released details on the Iron Man Ultimate Edition DVD and Blu-Ray, due out Sept. 30. Details on the various features are in the jump.

"Wanted" co-creator Mark Millar is going on a signing tour with artist Tony Harris in support of their new Image series "War Heroes." Org The Hero Initiative plans to auction off on eBay special access to Millar and Harris at each stop of the tour. A special edition of the first issue of "War Heroes" will be sold at each event.