According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC Family has ordered a one-hour pilot based on The Middleman graphic novels written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, illustrated by Les McClaine, and published by Viper Comics.  Matt Keeslar and Natalie Morales are starring in the lighthearted story of a struggling artist (Morales) who is recruited by a secret agent to do battle against an array of comic book-type monsters and villains.  Keeslar plays the artist's mentor, a square-jawed superhero with a big gun and an even bigger smile.  Mary Pat Gleeson also stars as a robotic assistant to the good guys.

Viper Comics has published two trade paperback collections of The Middleman and the first volume in the series was selected by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) division of the American Library Association as one of its 'Great Graphic Novels for Teens for 2007' (see 'YALSA 2007 Great Graphic Novels').