Lights, camera, action! A Hollywood set revives an old comic favorite while breathing new life into an age-old market.

"Mystery Men," the new movie from Universal Pictures, is based on Bon Burden's 1980s comic, "The Flaming Carrot." The original Mysterymen comic (which is spelled as one word) told the story of a gang of misfit superheroes who sometimes palled around with the Flaming Carrot. This band of blue-collar workers in search of some greatness included The Shoveler, Mr. Furious, and Screwball.

"There are about 30 different characters [in the comic books] and they have the highest casualty rate," Burden said from his Georgia home. Life has certainly been busy these days for the comic book creator, and with the release of the new film, there seems to be no slowing down in sight.

The collected volumes of the Flaming Carrot have been released as well as a book of Mysterymen stories taken from the old series. This Interntet Mysterymen exclusive is a limited edition, like all of Burden's works.

"I've always done it my way and the way I'd like to see it," he said.

Now the Mysterymen will be in the limelight with their own comic book adventures. Each book will be a self-contained story, not an ongoing saga like most series. "The Mysterymen will stretch out in every different direction," said Burden.

From humorous escapades to more serious subjects in the books, these wanna-be superheroes are ready to take the world by storm. With the release of the action figures this month, these new stars will no longer be ignored. Many collectors say they already have their old Flaming Carrot comics in hand, knowing these collectibles will soon be in high demand.

"It's a fun business," admits Burden. "This has been a tremendous opportunity for this whole thing." Rubbing elbows with the likes of Ben Stiller, one of the stars of the film, and Mike Richardson, the producer, isn't bad company when heading into a propserous future. Burden said his fun isn't stopping at his gang of mismatched avengers. His other comic book characters will also start to see the light of day once again. Burden wouldn't give too much detail but he did drop a few names. Superheroes such as Invincible Man and Nifty Boy will soon have some limelight of their own, he suggested.