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

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

With San Diego Comic-Con just around the corner (seems like it comes around faster every year!), comic books and graphic novels are now on everyone’s mind. To help gear up for the big event, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of the four-colored medium’s greatest achievements, chronicling ten of the most essential graphic novels and trade paperbacks (in no particular order).

These ten graphic novels are not only ideal gift ideas for any veteran comic book lover, but also equally enticing gateway gifts for those just starting their love affair with comics. As some of the best stories the art form has to offer, they prove that in addition to “BAMS!” and “POWS!”, the so called funny pages can also pack a super-powered literary punch.

1. Watchmen ($15, Amazon)

More than just the source material for that flashy Zach Snyder movie with that tall blue naked guy, Alan Moore’s Watchmen is an endlessly praised, brilliant deconstructionist work that still stands tall (and blue and naked) as one of the medium’s true masterpieces. Even beyond its groundbreaking reinvention of superhero storytelling, like Citizen Kane is to cinema, the book is essentially an encyclopedia of everything comics are capable of. And beneath all that artistic depth, is just a genuinely engaging superhero mystery full of fascinating characters — including some who actually do wear clothes.

2. Marvels ($22, Amazon)

A nostalgic trip through Marvel Comic’s golden and silver ages as seen through the eyes of a Regular Joe, Kurt Busiek’s Marvels is a stirring love letter to superhero wonder. Tracing several classic milestones throughout the company’s history, including the arrival of Galactus and the death of Gwen Stacy, the limited series offers a new perspective on the larger-than-life events — revealing the simultaneous fear, uncertainty, and awe of the everyman, as he is gradually surrounded by giants… in spandex. Featuring beautiful painted artwork by Alex Ross, the book is a perfect introduction to Marvel’s rich universe of characters.

3. Preacher ($14, Amazon)

From writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, this 66 issue series (collected in 9 trade paperbacks) is an irreverent explosion of pure comic book awesomeness. Subversive, controversial, blasphemous, disturbing, sexy, hilarious, and a whole lot of fun, the book is one of the medium’s most provocative works. Through the story of a Texas preacher possessed by a supernatural entity, Ennis creates a contemporary western like no other. While some might not take kindly to the series’ treatment of religious ideas, beneath all the defiant content is a genuinely affecting story about loyalty and friendship. Well, loyalty and friendship and drug addicted vampires, killer saints, absentee deities, and an imaginary apparition of John Wayne. Like I said, pure comic book awesomeness.

4. The Dark Knight Returns ($13, Amazon)

Frank Miller’s dark and violent reinvention of the Batman mythos is a truly defining piece of superhero fiction, tackling similar deconstructionist themes and subject matter as Watchmen, but this time with one of the industry’s most iconic characters. Highly influential, Miller’s decidedly grown up take on the Dark Knight has gone on to inform every subsequent version of the Caped Crusader. Also, the book finally answers that age old geek question: who would win in a fight, Batman or Superman?

5. Blankets ($20, Amazon)

Though this list is more geared toward superheroes and genre work, that’s far from all the medium has to offer. Blankets represents sensitive, honest, deeply personal storytelling at its best. Writer Craig Thompson’s autobiographical illustrated novel recounts the author’s coming of age into adulthood, chronicling family conflicts, religious crisis, first love, and dwindling faith. Delicate, raw, and graceful, the book proves to be universally relatable and emotionally resonant, revealing all the bittersweet pangs of youth. In other words, this is likely to make grown men cry.

6. Saga of the Swamp Thing ($16, Amazon)

Alan Moore’s legendary run on Swamp Thing (now collected in 6 trade paperbacks) brought new life into the fading monster and helped pave the way for DC’s Vertigo line of adult targeted comics. By reinventing a key component of the character’s origin, Moore added new layers of intrigue to the story, creating a gothic horror setting that would grow increasingly ambitious in scope as the series continued. Spine tingling and full of aching pathos for its tormented protagonist, the book features many techniques that Moore would later refine in works like Watchmen. But above all, Swamp Thing deserves a spot on this list for the sheer fact that it somehow turns a walking, talking mass of vegetables into a compelling and intimidating hero. The Jolly Green Giant, this is not.

7. Daredevil: Born Again ($15, Amazon)

Much like he did with Batman, Frank Miller also had a large hand in defining Marvel’s famous blind superhero. After a much celebrated stint on the book throughout the early 80s, Miller returned to the character in full force with this storyline, crafting one of the series’ most acclaimed arcs. When the villainous Kingpin discovers Daredevil’s true identity, he systematically attempts to destroy the hero’s life. Taken to new lows, Matt Murdoch is stripped of everything, leaving only a “man without fear.” Though most famous for Sin City and his Dark Knight Tales, this actually remains my favorite work from Miller as a writer — besides his cinematic classics RoboCop 3 and The Spirit, of course. 

8. The Sandman ($14, Amazon)

When people scoff at the notion that comic books can be viable pieces of literature, one of the first works I always point to is Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. First published in 75 issues (now collected in 10 trade paperbacks), the sprawling dark fantasy tale about the trials and tribulations of the lord of dreams features an endlessly rich tapestry of ideas — blending fables, history, and religion into a cohesive, all-encompassing mythology. Filled with lyrical beauty, Gaiman weaves an epic and intimate story about stories, celebrating the art of narrative through wonder, horror, and the most infectiously irresistible personification of death in all of fiction.

9. The Compleat Moonshadow (around $37, Amazon)

Though relatively obscure compared to many of the other titles on this list, J. M. DeMatteis’ bittersweet science fiction coming of age story is an incredible artistic achievement that deserves much more attention than it gets. Featuring beautiful illustrations by Jon J. Muth, Kent Williams, and George Pratt, the series offers a hauntingly affecting examination of adolescence and growth set amidst an appropriately bizarre sci-fi/fantasy backdrop. Tearfully melancholic, potently funny, and utterly heartbreaking, it just might be my favorite comic of all time. While the book sadly appears to be out of print, this is one title that’s definitely worth hunting down.

10. Maus ($13, Amazon)

Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize winning Maus has become the quintessential example of graphic storytelling as art, and for very good reason. A powerful recount of the author’s father’s experiences in the Holocaust, the comic examines unspeakable horrors with powerful insight and deceptively simple allegory, representing Jews as mice and Nazis as cats. A story about hardship and trauma, and fathers and sons, the book continues to be an enlightening and utterly devastating illustrated memoir, revealing the limitless versatility of the comic book medium to tell stories of all kinds, creating a world where Maus can sit comfortably on a shelf right next to a collected edition of Howard the Duck.

10 Essential Graphic Novels Worth Reading This Week

Created by San Francisco graphic artist Khoa Ho, this collection of striking illustrations gives us a glimpse of the origin of various popular superheroes in the DC and Marvel universes. Specifically, the artist has included depictions of the Man of Steel, the Dark Knight, the Web-Slinger, the Scarlet Speedster, the Ol’ Canucklehead and the Armored Avenger.

Beyond his work with superheroes, Ho has also applied a similar minimalistic style to posters that depict characters in the Toy Story universe. You can check out Woody, Buzz and the gang on Ho’s Behance profile as well as some illustrations created with a Wacom tablet.

If you are interested in purchasing prints of these illustrations, head over to Ho’s Society6 page here. But first, be sure to check out his entire collection of superheroes below:

The Evolution of Superheroes: Past and Present

Warning: Minor Man of Steel spoilers follow, but seriously it’s Superman. Go see the movie already.

As the Man of Steel battles at the global box office, the question once again rears its head, “Is there a place for the vintage superhero in this modern world?”  Man of Steel attacked this question directly by ham-fisting some phony baloney thing about how Superman’s super spandex was traditional Kryptonian garb. That, and how any attempt to spy on Supe’s whereabouts with surveillance drones results in very expensive paper weights.

College Humor, on the other hand, has postulated some other answers.  Just how does Kal-El deal with being scooped by Twitter? Or being clowned by a Superman parody Twitter account?  Naturally, Lex Luthor is a bit more clever when it comes to search engines, but just how can Clark Kent evade the supper sleuths of the interwebz?  Spoiler alert: The best part is the art, especially with Darkseid and Gorilla Grodd cracking up at Supe’s gadget-holding fanny pack.

[By the way, if you did a word count on the above word/thought bubbles from these covers and compared that figure to Supe’s dialog in Man of Steel, I am pretty sure this doubles all of Henry Cavill’s lines.]

Superman Versus Social Media: More Powers, More Problems

With summer’s superhero blockbusters upon us, I find myself daydreaming about superpowers (and muscular men in tight suits). While I can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound or create an iron suit that gives me superhuman abilities, I can type pretty fast. 100 words a minute may not save any lives, but it’s super, right? I’m celebrating my mediocre superpower by putting this Macbook Keyboard Super Hero Skin, from Killer Duck Decals, on my computer.

For a mere $12, spend your time in front of the computer with representations of everyone from Apocalypse to Joker to Punisher to Zorro.

Superhero Skin Makes Your Macbook Keyboard… Super!

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

Rolling Stone just came out with their list of the 10 worst superhero movies of the last 10 years. Because there have been some incredibly great superhero movies recently (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Iron Man, The Avengers, to name a few), I had forgotten how many incredibly awful superhero films have also somehow made it to the big screen. Here are my picks for the 10 most unsuper superhero movies to come out in in recent years (in no particular order).

1. Hulk (2003)/The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Hulk came out in 2003 and just kind of sucked. Then The Incredible Hulk came out 5 years later and sucked a little bit less, but still wasn’t good. In both films the title character was way too CGI-y and hard to take seriously. For a guy who’s supposed to be incredible, these two adaptations make him seem totally “meh.”

2. Batman & Robin (1997)

It pains me to include this one, because I really love George Clooney (and Arnold of course), but man, it was just bad. Rotten Tomatoes agrees, giving it a measly 12% “fresh” rating (8% less than even the lowest rated of all the Transformers movies. Ouch).

3. Catwoman (2004)

2004’s Catwoman was frequently compared to cat litter by critics. Even the so-gorgeous-she-can’t possibly-be-human Halle Berry couldn’t save this one from going down in history as one of the worst superhero movies of all time.

4. Superman Returns (2006)

I know I saw this movie, but I couldn’t tell you anything about it other than I think Kevin Spacey was in it. It was that boring.

5. Fantastic Four (2005)

One reviewer simply stated, “Fantastic it most certainly ain’t.” I think that about sums it up.

6. Ghost Rider (2006)

Oh Nicolas Cage… At least while this one failed as a serious superhero movie, it definitely succeeded as a comedy. The sequel, however, miserably failed on both counts.

7. Jonah Hex (2010)

In case you missed it (it was in theaters for all of about five minutes), Jonah Hex stars Josh Brolin and Megan Fox and is some sort of revenge story about an ex-civil war soldier who can talk to dead people (I think). It only grossed around 10 million at the box office (whomp whomp).

8. Daredevil (2003)

Remember when Ben Affleck wasn’t making Academy Award-winning movies but was instead showing up in J.Lo music videos, acting like a tool, and starring in horrible films like Reindeer Games, Pearl Harbor, Jersey Girl and Gigli? Daredevil reminds us of that period of time.

9. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

OK, so The Amazing Spider-Man was actually a pretty well-made movie. But so was the last Spider-Man origins movie (Tobey Maguire), and didn’t that one just come out like, not that long ago? I don’t know, it just seemed unnecessary to go through the whole Peter Parker getting bit by a radioactive spider rigamarole so soon after the last time.

10. Judge Dredd (1995)

Just kidding. I’ll always love Judge Dredd, no matter what anyone else may say.

10 Not So Super Superhero Movies