Actor Chad Michael Murray writes graphic novel "Everlast"

(CBS) There's more to Chad Michael Murray than playing a teen heartthrob on TV and in the movies - he is also a comic book creator.

The 30-year-old actor's end-of-days graphic novel "Everlast" is being published this month by Archaia Entertainment after eight years of prep work. In "Everlast," Murray tells the story of a man looking to save chosen people before mankind faces the end of the world, according to Reuters.

So what exactly was his inspiration for penning his own graphic novel? Murray told Reuters the idea came to him after a man knocked on his door to evangelize in North Carolina, where Murray was filming the TV show "One Tree Hill." He left the show in 2009, but will return in 2012 for an episode.

"The man said 144,000 people would be left to survive the end of days and it spurred a lot of ideas. What if that was true? How would you choose these people?" Murray said, reports Reuters.

The protagonist in Murray's novel, Derek Everlast, finds and protects the people who are going to survive the apocalypse.

"I've been writing for years but this was the first thing I ever followed through with,'' Murray told Reuters.

Murray, who said he didn't grow up as a huge comic book fan, worked with a team of five artists to create his book's dark style.

The actor will soon appear in the upcoming movies "The Haunting in Georgia'' and "Renee." Murray told Reuters that he is devoted to furthering "Everlast,'' which could one day become a lucrative franchise.