X-Men: First Class (2011)

Prequels always make me nervous. Not because I'm afraid the directors will fudge up the story, because they always do. Not because I don't like having to rewind my cinematic memory of the story, because that's half of the fun. Prequels suck because you have to try and envision the characters at a different state of mind, something that the casual movie fan doesn't actually think about. The prequel in the X-Men movie series, 'First Class' shows how Professor X and Magneto went from best friends to sworn enemies based on their reaction to the world's stance on mutants during the Cold War. I'm really excited to see how each character develops, especially as a young adult, and to see who else is in the movie. From the trailer, you can see Mystique, Beast and maybe Nightcrawler (I'm not sure), but the rest seems up in the air. I hope they blow this one out of the water, because X-Men has been the best comic book movie series since Spiderman went loony on us. Check the trailer...

Marvel Universe x Hip-Hop Album Covers

Snatched from Nappy Afro

It's always refreshing to see two different mediums mashed together in a coherent fashion. In this case, we've got the superheroes of yesterday in their comic form with some classic hip-hop albums from yesteryear. The result is one of the most creative graphic design works I've seen in damn near forever. I won't kill you with words, because the images speak for themselves. Just try to guess what superheroes and what albums these are. 1000 e-points to anyone who can guess all of them. Check the rest out after the jump, and comment below if you can figure any of them out!!

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Peanuts x Lacoste - Peanuts 60th Anniversary Polos

Everyone loves the Peanuts. If you don't, then I'm not sure what planet you're from, or if you have a heart. 60 years ago, Charles Schultz started penning what would become the most popular comic strip in the world (sorry Boondocks), running from October 2, 1950 to February 13, 2000, now in syndication. From Lucy's constant bullying of Charlie Brown, to Linus' love affair with his blanket, to Marcy and Peppermint Patty's questionable relationship, the strip could captivate even the surliest of readers. To commemorate the anniversary, the good folk at Lacoste decided to team their iconic crocodile (not alligator) with Schultz' rag-tag bunch of baseball-playing suburban kids on their classic white polo shirt. The result is a nice set of shirts that have charming written all over them. The only thing is, they're available exclusively at Dover Street Market in London. That means you'll have to get your overseas connects up to get your hands on one of them... Either that or eBay. Whatever the case, the concept is dope. Check out the Peanuts x Lacoste 60th Anniversary Collection...

Consider it copped... maybe.

The Green Hornet (2011)

Let's face it. Seth Rogen is no action star. He doesn't have the Hollywood leading man look, like a Brad Pitt or Leo DiCaprio. That doesn't mean he can't pull it off. In the same way Will Ferrell made ridiculous scenarios and non sequiturs in comedy movies hot, Seth Rogen is going to bring back the unlikely hero in the buddy action movie back. He did it in Pineapple Express with James Franco and, though there were a hell of a lot of plot holes, the chemistry between the two made the movie hilarious. Hopefully that's the case in Rogen's new film, The Green Hornet. The story is an old comic book tale (are we seeing the the comic book to movie genre start to sputter?) about a spoiled brat whose father's death inspires him to fight crime. That plot is tried and true, but from the trailer, it looks like it's going to be pretty entertaining. Add the crazy explosions and the fact that The Green Hornet is going to be in 3D, and you have next year's first blockbuster. Yes, next year. The movie doesn't drop until January 14, 2011; plenty of time for 3D to become twice as incredible (and expensive). Check the trailer...

Dear Spider-Man

I guess even wall-crawlers feel the recession. Spidey, you had the run of all runs at The Daily Bugle. Jonah Jameson treated you like his personal whipping boy for your entire tenure at that newspaper, and you risked your life and secret identity countless times, all for the sanctity of your job. Not many people, or comic book characters for that matter, can say that. I suppose it's a bit of a statement by Marvel about the state of the United States, and the journalism industry. There's definitely an air of the Civil Rights going on in X-Men. I never thought they would explore the recession, or have you fired. Does this mean you're going to be a freelance photographer, or are you going to make Spider-Man your full-time position? Whatever the case, happy job hunting, Peter. Get on Craigslist and start looking for some internships (probably unpaid). If all else fails, start selling those shots of Spider-Man to another paper, man. Lord knows New York is a tough city to navigate with no deniro coming in...

Man Makes Real Iron Man Suit

There are fans, and then there are fanatics. Not necessarily a bad thing, so I have to admit, this is crazy. A man Colorado built the suit to look like War Machine, including wrist rockets, a mini-gun, and all of the lights and lasers. Check the rest of the pictures...

Iron Man 2

Somehow, someway, I WILL see this movie in IMAX. Anything less would be shortchanging the movie. In addition to adding Don Cheadle to the cast to replace Terrence Howard as War Machine (worst decision EVER), the directors put on Mickey Rourke as Whiplash. From the trailer, this looks like it's going to be another maelstrom of special effects, great storyline and, of course, Robert Downey Jr. Downey did a great job portraying the embattled Tony Starks, bringing his own wit to the character, and I expect more of the same. Iron Man 2 comes out in May. My inner 7-year-old is lining up as we speak...