Scottish Web designer Matt Cowan has come up with some brilliant pop culture equations from everything from Marvel and D.C. comic book superheroes to classic movie series like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. He also takes on actors like Johnny Depp, Bruce Willis and Sir Ian McKellan.

You can check out more of his pop culture mash-ups in T-shirt form at MJCTees as well as tons of minimalist superhero posters and other types of prints on his DeviantArt page.

60 Terrific Pop Culture Math Equations

Prepare yourself for a cuteness overload! Artist Darren Rawlings (known as Rawlsy on DeviantArt) has created a fantastic, extremely adorable series of DC & Marvel comic book hero mashups in what he calls the Little Friends series. He’s basically matching up a DC superhero or super-villain with their Marvel counterpart.

For instance, DC’s Flash is matched up with Marvel’s Quicksilver, DC’s Clayface is matched up with Marvel’s Sandman and so on. His entire DeviantArt catalog is definitely worth checking out if you love comic book superheroes. Here’s the Little Friends series in action:

Ant Man and Atom

Aquaman and Namor

Banshee and Silver Banshee

Booster Gold and Longshot

Catwoman and Black Cat

Clayface and Sandman

Darkseid and Thanos

Dr. Fate and Dr. Strange

Quicksilver and Flash

Green Arrow and Hawkeye

Hawkman and Angel

Martian Manhunter and Vision

Moon Knight and the Dark Knight

13 Charming DC & Marvel Comic Mashups

In 1988, one of the greatest comic book writers of all time penned the origin story of one of the most popular villains of all time in a graphic novel vignette from one of the most popular comic titles of all time.

Winner of the 1989 Eisner Award for “Best Graphic Album,” The Killing Joke was a seminal Batman graphic novel that put forth the origin of the world’s favorite villain the Joker, set as the flashback in one of the most haunting and disturbing stories in comic’s history. And the whole thing was written by Alan Moore, the genius writer of Watchmen responsible for bringing the sophistication and maturity of fine literature to “picture books.”

After decades of being lauded as one of the must-read comics of all time, The Killing Joke is now being made into an animated movie… R-rated and faithful to the book.

The straight-to-DVD animated movie brings together many of the voice actors from the Emmy-award winning Batman: the Animated Series, which earned its place on every official “best cartoons of all time” list. Among the returning actors are Kevin Convoy as Batman and the cult favorite Joker, Star Wars‘s Mark Hamill.

I finally caught my favorite villain! Bats nabs Joker pic.twitter.com/CSL4o6JaHi

— Kevin Conroy (@RealKevinConroy) January 10, 2016

The script was written by comic veteran and Eisner-award winner Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets, Batman: Gotham Knight), and directed by Emmy-award-winner and go-to man for animated comic series Sam Liu (Batman: Year One, The Batman). At the helm is the kingpin of the DC animated universe, producer Bruce Timm, co-creator of Batman: the Animated Series.

Warner Home Video already confirmed that it will be the first animated DC film to receive an R rating, and the second Batman movie to be R-rated after the special Batman v Superman extended cut. The adult rating will come as no surprise to those that have read the novel; they already know its grisly content pushes the borders and makes even the most steadfast readers squirm.

“From the start of production, we encouraged producer Bruce Timm and our team at Warner Bros. Animation to remain faithful to the original story — regardless of the eventual MPAA rating,” says Warner Bros. Animation president Sam Register. “We felt it was our responsibility to present our core audience — the comics-loving community — with an animated film that authentically represented the tale they know all too well.”

“Faithful to the origin story.” Could there be any sweeter description for the film adaptation of such a beloved comic? Timm has stated earlier that his team needed to “add a lot more story” to turn the 48-page comic into a full-length film, but considering the level of talent on the project, that’s hardly a bad thing.

The Killing Joke movie will make its world debut to the lucky souls at San Diego Comic Con in late July 2016. A digital copy (Digital HD) will be available to buy on July 23, but collectors will have to wait until August 2 to order the DVD or Blu-Ray.

Extra features on the Blu-Ray include:

• Batman: The Killing Joke – Madness Set To Music featurette, a documentary with behind-the-scenes footage that explains the making of the film’s most powerful (and sadistic) scene.
• Many Shades of Joker: The Tale of The Killing Joke featurette, exploring the distinctive artistic style of The Killing Joke.
• Two separate standalone animated Batman episodes: “Old Wounds” from The New Batman Adventures, and “Christmas with The Joker” from Batman: the Animated Series.
• A limited edition Joker figurine (Deluxe Edition only).

The Killing Joke is available now for pre-order in DVD, Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD Combo Pack, and the Deluxe Edition Combo Pack. It’s the perfect cure the next time you’re having a bad day…

Preorder Batman: The Killing Joke Now

Finally, The Killing Joke Movie We Deserve AND Need

For decades, perhaps even centuries, comic-book fans have gathered around dimly-lit basements to discuss the unanswerable questions. For them, the standard ones like “What is the sound of one-hand clapping,” or “If a tree falls in the forest…” are too easy. They seek only the questions that really matter, the ones that poke at the deep shadowy crevices of the human experience. Questions like the one posed in the new Ben Affleck movie…

Who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman?

(Although the bigger question is, what happened to the S in “vs.”?)

Luckily, this question does have an answer. It’s Batman. Batman would win. Batman has won. They’ve fought each other about a dozen times in the comics, and Batman usually wins. Brains over braun, kids. Hell, even Batman’s feeble, elderly butler Alfred has kicked Superman’s sorry ass.

If you disagree, we can take this to the comments section.

Still, even I’ll admit, there’s enough ambiguity in the question to support an entire movie and possibly birth to a new franchise or two. Hence this year’s big Spring blockbuster, Batman v Superman.

With a release date of March 20*, Batman v Superman is generating a lot of buzz, though not enough to get DC executives to stop biting their nails. Still, in the dry season between Deadpool and Captain America: Civil War, we have to watch something.

So, we present your primer for the 4th-most-anticipated comic book movie of the first half of 2016. Here’s everything you need to know:

Superman

Did you see how many people Superman killed at the end of his last movie, Man of Steel? Yeah, me neither, but according to DC fans, it was a lot. Enough, even, to spark a Man of Steel controversy that fuels the beginning of Batman v Superman.

Man of Steel‘s final epic battle between Superman and General Zod took place in downtown Metropolis. What happened was exactly what you’d expect would happen when two near-omnipotent aliens battle unrestrained in a crowded, collateral-filled metropolis.

So here’s the important thing you gotta understand about Superman in general, but particularly before the new movie: The man of steel has a heart of gold. Superman’s defining characteristic isn’t so much his great powers, it’s his great compassion. Like a boy scout with an AK-47, Superman just wants to help people and uses everything in his power to do so.

This is relevant because, as fan theories suggest, the reason Batman v Superman isn’t a one-punch, 15-second movie is because Superman pulls his punches with Batman. He doesn’t want to hurt him.

So, going into Batman v Superman, we have to consider both the ending of Man of Steel, and Superman’s superhuman power of the feels. We’ll probably see a lot of guilt, and maybe some internal conflict over whether or not to literally punch Batman’s nuts off.

Batman

You don’t know who Batman is?

…

Get out.

Wonder Woman

Even if you haven’t been following the last ten years of DC vs. Marvel movie wars, the subtitle “Dawn of Justice” is condescendingly blunt enough — this movie sets up the Justice League.

The Justice League is DC’s version of Marvel’s Avengers. In the comics, the Justice League came first, and Avengers was Marvel blatantly and shamelessly copying someone else’s idea to make a few extra bucks off stupid children. Ironically, today’s stupid children will grow up thinking the opposite, thanks to the movies.

You can’t have a Justice League with just Superman and Batman, and no one wants Green Lantern to return. So, DC is bringing in their other A-team member, who they wisely waited to pull out until the D-point in the game.

Wonder Woman is a respectable feminist icon, no less a equal to great men like Batman and Superman, but with a vagina. In Wonder Woman comics, the hapless man gets himself into trouble and she bursts in to save the day (or, if it’s a hapless woman, she empowers them to save themselves).

Wonder Woman is an Amazon, which is a race of women warriors the Greek goddesses created from the souls of all women ever murdered by men… so yeah.

Aside from superhuman strength and tactical prowess, Wonder Woman’s also got some super-cute accessories! Her Aegis of Athena (bulletproof bracelets) can shield her from most blows, while her Lasso of Truth forces those ensnared to tell the truth.

It’ll be interesting to see how Batman v Superman introduces her into the DC universe. But it’ll be even more interesting to see whether or not DC turns its back on 50 years of female empowerment to turn her into a one-dimensional “hot, bad-ass chick.”

Aquaman

Aquaman’s in this movie! If you haven’t seen the film pictures, take a moment to laugh at that.

The thing you to understand about Aquaman is that he’s a huge joke. At least to fans. Again, if you disagree, let’s take it up in the comments.

So, here’s a guy who’s superpower is telepathically talking to fish, and he’s hanging out with Greek goddesses, aliens that shoot lasers from their eyes, and the world’s greatest detective who dresses in all black. Let’s put it this way: when divvying up chores at the Hall of Justice, Aquaman somehow always gets “clean the bathroom.”

But… and this is a big but… in Batman v Superman, Aquaman looks f-ing badass! I never thought I’d say that. Played by Khal Drago, the character has finally been given the makeover he’s needed his entire life. My younger self would be ashamed to know that Aquaman the part I’m looking forward to most.

Lex Luthor

Smart. Rich. Evil. He’s often referred to as the smartest human in the DC universe. There’s not much about Lex Luthor that a lifetime of cop dramas hasn’t already taught you. Rich businessmen like to kill for money, but they need to be smart about it. Multiply that by 1000, understand that “killing” means destroying entire cities, and you have Lex Luthor.

As for his involvement in Batman v Superman, you know as much as I do from the previews. He’s probably behind pitting Batman and Superman against each other for his own selfish, money-related motives.

Doomsday

If you don’t know who Doomsday is, it means I’m old. In the 90s, Doomsday was a big deal when he first appeared because he killed Superman!! Everyone was like, “You can’t kill Superman. No one can.” But then this alien with his weird piercings came and was like, “Oh yeah? I bet I could probably kill him.”

In the comics, Doomsday is a Kryptonian monster who was killed, reborn, and killed again over and over for thousands of years, each time becoming stronger. When you were a little kid and you imagined the worst, scariest monster of all time, that monster you imagined would have pooped their pants at the sight of Doomsday.

And he freaking killed Superman. Let that sink in.

The Normals Involved in Batman v Superman

Director – Zack Snyder.  Snyder made one really successful comic book movie, 300, that undermined the critically-acclaimed comic at every turn, and was homoerotic enough to attract the girlfriends of guys who like to punch things. Snyder continued riding that horse for years, and successfully managed to destroy even more critically-acclaimed comics like Watchmen. But, his movies keep the money flowing in, so Warner Bros. hires him every time they need to ruin a critically-acclaimed comic.

Co-writer – David S. Goyer. Goyer astonished comic fans with his artful scripts for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but then pissed us all off by making sexist comments about She-Hulk and calling comic fans all virgins. Way to bite the hand the feeds, Goyer.

Co-writer – Chris Terrio. Not much is known about Terrio, but his resume includes Argo and an adaptation Shakespeare’s Richard II, so there’s hope.

* March 20 to commemorate the 1,343rd anniversary of the day Emperor Tenmu assumed the Chrysanthemum Throne in Japan, obviously.

Everything You Need to Know about Batman v Superman

It’s a cliche now that movie trailers often turn out better than the movie they’re promoting, but in the time between the trailer’s release and the actual movie premiere, there’s always the sweet, sweet hope that, in fact, THIS TIME, this movie will be the GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF MOVIES.

Here are 10 summer movie trailers that will have you feeling like a 12-year-old kid again (sorry, Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles):

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

You say you’ve never heard of them? Doesn’t matter. If this Marvel movie succeeds (and will), expect more ’70s comics to make it to the silver screen (Black Panther).  (August 1)

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

Since Shia LaBeouf is “not famous” anymore, Mark Wahlberg steps in to carry on this incessant franchise (#4 and you know it’s not the last).  (June 27)

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

A stellar cast headlines this sequel to three different movies: The Last Stand, First Class and The Wolverine. Have your CliffsNotes ready.  (May 23)

GODZILLA

Heisenberg himself (Bryan Cranston) faces off against the classic Japanese monster in the latest reboot/remake/sequel.   (May 16)

JUPITER ASCENDING

Sci-fi fans are taking a wait-and-see attitude with the Wachowskis’ first original material since The Matrix Revolutions (gulp).   (July 18)

MALEFICENT

Tongues will be tied at the ticket counter for this live-action retelling of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty story.   (May 30)

SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller return to Basin City nearly 10 years after the original.   (August 22)

THE GIVER

The latest young adult dystopian sci-fi offering to hit the silver screen, but this one has a pretty good pedigree (Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep).   (August 15)

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Taking place 10 years after the well-received 2011 reboot, this simian CGI fest once again follows Andy Serkis as Caesar the chimp.   (July 11)

EDGE OF TOMORROW

Tom Cruise follows up last year’s very solid Oblivion with another sci-fi adventure (plus a dash of Groundhog Day for good measure).   (June 6)

Required Viewing: 2014 Summer Movie Trailers

Everyone familiar with Spider-Man and his lovable, angst-ridden whining, knows crime doesn’t pay. But guess what? Crime-fighting doesn’t pay the bills either. Peter Parker was a photographer. Clark Kent was a journalist. Even Bruce Wayne was a full-time male heiress! (We know the term is “heir,” we’re just being cheeky.)

Just when it seems Thor, son of Odin, isn’t going to make ends meet in time to pay the landlord, Malaysian artist Chow Hon Lam drew this set of Superheroes with Part-Time Jobs.  Finally, all those superpowers don’t have to be wasted on warding off evil and protecting the innocent!

Part-Time Jobs for Superheroes

It is truly the golden age of comic book cinema. Since 2000, nearly 50 major motion pictures have been based on superhero characters, including some very highly praised blockbusters like Spider-Man (2002), The Dark Knight (2008), Iron Man (2008), The Avengers (2012) and some less than well-received adaptations like Catwoman (2004), Punisher: War Zone (2008), The Spirit (2008) and Jonah Hex (2010).

But the pantheon of comic book superheroes is nearly as limitless as the stars, and as comic book movies mature into a second decade of computer-generated dominance at the cineplex, as-yet-untapped characters will need to step in to satisfy the audience’s hunger for more adaptations.

It’s become something of a parlor game in comic book and movie circles to speculate which superhero will get green-lit for their own big-budget treatment on the silver screen.

Here’s our list of 12 comic book superheroes (plus one bonus superhero) that we think deserve to be in the next big comic book movie. While some of these characters are household names and some are known only to comic book fans, they would all make for great movies.

#12 Alpha Flight

A movie version of Alpha Flight would delight the true comic book diehards. Essentially the Canadian version of The Avengers, Alpha Flight features a cool collection of superheroes, particularly the aptly named Puck and Sasquatch.

#11 Concrete

Back in the 1990s, Bill Murray was attached to star as this unusual Dark Horse superhero. Today’s CG effects would certainly do this award-winning character justice.

#10 Doctor Strange

The supernatural Doctor Strange would seem to be a great fit for today’s effects-laden summer blockbusters even if he’s not a well-known name beyond comic fans. Doc Strange is rumored to launch as a standalone movie as early as 2015.

#9 Luke Cage

Also known as Power Man, Luke Cage has frequently been targeted for cinematic adaption for a decade. This product of the 1970s has a raw, everyman quality distinguishing him from other superhero characters, which could give a movie version more depth and human interest.

#8 X-Factor

While the name of the movie may need to be changed to avoid confusion with the TV show, this spin-off of the X-Men seems like a natural extension of the ever-growing X-Men movie universe (seven in all if you include 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past).

#7 Nightwing

Nightwing is sometimes Robin and sometimes not, but he seamlessly inhabits both Superman and Batman’s worlds and could be a vehicle to keep those iconic characters in play. The aesthetic of Nightwing also fits in with Christopher Nolan’s movie world (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, anyone?).

#6 Aquaman (and Namor the Sub-Mariner)

True, DC’s Aquaman (left) is one of the most well-known superheroes to not get a full-fledged movie treatment, but really, that other aquatic superhero dude, Marvel’s Namor the Sub-Mariner (right), is way cooler. Unfortunately, nobody (who doesn’t read comics) knows who the Sub-Mariner is.

#5 Captain Marvel

Part of the problem is there are like 17 different Captain Marvels, which confuses everyone. However, the latest Captain Marvel (formerly Ms. Marvel) sports one of the cooler superhero outfits. That alone deserves some screen time.

#4 The Flash

Since his short-lived series in the 1990s, The Flash hasn’t seen much screen time, but he has a lot of fans, even if all he can do is run really fast. And, yes, he is slightly faster than Superman. So there.

#3 Batman Beyond

Basically Batman in the future. In 2039, an old Bruce Wayne passes on the mantle of Batman to a young kid named Terry McGinnis. A Batman movie with sci-fi elements could be another blockbuster.

#2 Black Panther

Kind of shocking that Black Panther hasn’t gotten his own major motion picture yet, although rumors abound that Marvel is developing it for release as early as 2014.

#1 Wonder Woman

Absolutely, unbelievably shocking that Wonder Woman hasn’t gotten her own major motion picture yet, but then you can probably thank the horrific Catwoman and Elektra for that.

12 Comic Book Superheroes That Should Get Their Own Movie

This year’s Comic-Con is underway, and it’s become a bigger and better event each year. The influence of comic books is felt everywhere in pop culture from summer blockbusters to toys to popular music.

While the styles and cover prices have certainly changed over the years,  the impact of comic books is as strong as ever. Here at The CheckOut, we’ve collected a small sampling of 10 classic superhero comic book covers from the past century, spanning over 60 years. This list could go on and on, so we’ll have to return to this subject again.

Some of the artists featured on these covers below read like a who’s who of comic icons, including Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, John Byrne, Michael Golden and others. Enjoy!

1938: Action Comics #1 (Joe Shuster)

1986: Watchmen #1 (Dave Gibbons)

1962: Amazing Fantasy #15 (Jack Kirby/Steve Ditko)

1986: The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller)

1993: Wonder Woman #72 (Brian Bolland)

1991: Detective Comics #626 (Michael Golden)

1983: Alpha Flight #3 (John Byrne)

1961: Fantastic Four #1 (Jack Kirby)

1999: The Amazing Spider-Man #633 (Chris Bachalo)

1985: The Spectacular Spider-Man #101 (John Byrne)

10 Spectacular Superhero Comic Book Covers Over The Years

As would-be blockbuster after would-be blockbuster continues to try to tackle the summer, we once again must turn a wry eye upon the only decent Superman made since, well, CDs were invented, Man of Steel.

Warning: There will be (super) spoilers.

Although it may come as shock to some, How It Should of Ended has been around since before we were subjected to Superman Returns.  And one of their earliest reimagined the original Superman to near perfection.  Well it is all come full circle now with How Man of Steel Should Have Ended.

Unsurprisingly, the somewhat controversial ending for Superman Reboots Man of Steel is reimagined a little more in line with Superman conventions, or at least How It Should Have Ended Superman conventions.

Superman Outthinks Zod in How Man of Steel Should Have Ended

With the release of Man of Steel next month, comic fans will be treated to the newest celluloid depiction of Superman’s famously titled lair, The Fortress of Solitude. In the preview trailers, we’ve gotten glimpses of the Last Son of Krypton’s arctic hideout. It’s the ultimate fantasy location where you can get away from the world and plot your battles against pesky super villains—which for some reason we can all relate to, but perhaps not with the same stakes involved.

Note to Spider-Man: a house in the suburbs is not a proper superhero lair. Please get back to us when you’ve created some kind of space-time warping cocoon that’s orbiting the solar system.

Here are our top 10 favorite superhero bases, secret lairs or hideouts:

10. Justice League Satellite

Looking like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Satellite actually has had two incarnations, but in both, the Justice League members can teleport into and out of their base. Awww, yeah…

9. Titans Tower

This home to DC’s Titans has undergone various incarnations through the years, but the fact that it is always literally shaped like a “T” is pure awesome.

8. Oa

Not just a headquarters, but an entire planet, Oa serves as the headquarters of the Green Lanterns. Actually it’s the headquarters of the Guardians of the Universe who are blue people who lead the Green Lanterns. Yes, that is confusing.

7. The Tower of Fate

In the grand tradition of heroic doctors with cool hideouts, The Tower of Fate is magical, has no doors or windows, and is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Dr. Fate’s lair gets it right.

6. X-Mansion

This is where the X-Men and superhero mutants train and hang out with Professor X in New York state. Continues the grand tradition of cool mansions that double as cool hideouts in comic books.

5. Hall of Justice

Where the Super Friends got together, including the most incredible of superheroes, The Wonder Twins, aka Zan and Jayna. Don’t forget Gleek the monkey. Shudder.

4. S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier

Built by Stark Industries and co-designed by Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, this flying fortress serves as a base of operations for S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. It has undergone many incarnations because it tends to get blown up a lot.

3. Sanctum Sanctorum

Located in New York’s Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange’s magical secret lair has the best name hands-down. When is a movie version going to do it justice? Plus, Spider-Man, please take notes because this is what you need.

2. The Batcave

Located under Bruce Wayne’s gigantic mansion, it’s where Batman keeps all his cool stuff.  It’s the ultimate man cave, except a billionaire’s version. The Batcave also has Alfred the Butler to keep things from getting really messy.

1. Fortress of Solitude

The grandaddy of all superhero lairs is hidden somewhere in the Arctic and for someone like Superman, it might as well be right next door. The Fortress is comforting since it’s basically his original home Krypton ported to Earth environs.

All Your Superhero Base Are Belong To Us