It's not based on any comic book, but there is no denying that the new Heroes TV series set to debut on NBC on September 25th with a two-hour premier episode is riding the wave of interest in superhero fantasies created by the success of the Spider-Man, X-Men, and Superman movies.

Heroes, which will air on Mondays at 9pm (ET, PT), features a diverse cast of characters who suddenly discover that they have superpowers. Lots of science fiction fans will identify with Hiro, the Japanese 'Trekkie' who slowly figures out that he can bend time and space, and comic book readers will not be surprised with the storyline involving a son, who is a brilliant geneticist, searching for the murder of his even more brilliant geneticist father, who was engaged in a super-secret project.  Throw in a half dozen other newly cognizant superheroes and a terrorist-smuggled atomic bomb plot reminiscent of Fox's 24, and NBC hopes it has the recipe for an action filled drama that will make TV viewers forget about ABC's Lost.

Pop culture retailers can only hope that NBC's Heroes will fuel interest in the superhero fantasy and eventually result in increased interest in the genre among younger viewers.