“…makes you feel, he’s a cool exec with a heart of steel.”

By now, I’m sure most, if not all of you, have seen Iron Man. I went opening night.

I rate superhero movies based on how bad I want the title character’s special abilities come credit roll. Needless to say, I now want a flying scarlet-and-gold iron suit more than I want to shoot webs from my wrists, get big and green with anger, or fly faster than a speeding bullet. Though I still think having blades come out of my hands at my leisure would trump all else.

I like comic book movies in earnest. After each Marvel adaptation, I inevitably dump $100 on a renewed interest in comic collecting, which wanes within a week or two. Comic collecting is a hobby I never embraced full tilt, except for in my mind. Like skateboarding. Or drinking scotch.

Over the years, I always ended up spending my money and energy on music. But what’s great about Hip-Hop is it’s full of artists who embrace the comic culture I enjoy but never really consumed, thereby I can live vicariously through them.

ATLiens – Come on now. The liner notes?!? Getthefuckouttahere. Seeing the booklet was the first moment I knew Outkast was on some other stuff I would follow forever and ever, Amen.

Lupe Fiasco – I’m admittedly not the biggest Lupe fan, but I bought Food and Liquor on strength of his comic collection alone. He embodied that skater culture as no one I’d seen before him and made money off of those differences. Now there’s a legion of emcees following his blueprint. Can’t be mad at that.

Ghostface – Period. Which brings me back to Iron Man…

One of the most inspired moments of the movie for me was hearing the 1960s cartoon theme song discretely woven into the background. What followed when I got home was only natural…Supreme Clientele.

That album is as undisputable as a jet-powered metal suit. The infamous intro, into soulful “Nutmeg,” and then the boom bap of “One” should be enough to convince any comic collector to engage full-boar in Hip-Hop instead.

It feels good to revisit this record. Ghostface sounds familial when he spits. And he’s so smart for invoking Tony Stark/Iron Man as his alter ego – they’re inextricably linked. Hopefully the movie will draw a few more fans into his proverbial Gothem.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some comic books to waste money on…