There has apparently been a resurgence of X-Men novels. The one that I am currently reading is fabulous so far. It is both well researched and well written. Granted, I'm not far into it but any book that throws in props to Alysande Stuart and the Warpies gets props from me. It's called X-Men: The Return and it's by Chris Roberson.
In the music world, if you New Found Glory, Stroke 9 or Brand New, I suggest checking out Amber Pacific's album Truth in Sincerity. It has the same sort of up-beat, psuedo-punk feel with lyrics that remind me more of NFG than the other two.