I like superhero comics and movies because it’s fun imagining a superpower, seeing the kinds of appropriate challenges that could oppose it, and watching how the heroes creatively deal with the situation. Teams of superheroes are even more interesting, because the combinations of powers lead to interesting possibilities, such as Colossus and Wolverine’s Fastball Special.

Comics are also cool because they portray all sorts of dynamic situations you’re unlikely to find in real life. Like the way I’m beginning to appreciate the startling colours and juxtapositions of abstract art, I like the way comic books play with reality. I may never see someone flying through the air, but isn’t it amazing that the brain can recognize and make sense of these images?

So yes, I’m definitely looking forward to watching The Avengers.

The AMC movie chain is organizing a marathon viewing of Marvel movies for $40:

• Iron Man
• The Incredible Hulk
• Iron Man 2
• Thor in 3D
• Captain America in 3D
• The Avengers in 3D

Tempting, but that’s a long time to sit in a movie theatre. From my experience with movie marathons of Lord of the Rings or Star Wars at friends’ places, I know I need to get up and move. Besides, I rather like being able to watch with subtitles and do something else at the same time, such as fold laundry or draw or write.

So, W- and I have been putting together our own Avengers movie lead-up. He requested the movies from the library. We watched the Hulk last weekend, and this weekend we’ll watch the Iron Man movies. I’d recently watched Thor and Captain America in the theatres, which is fortunate as there are hundreds of holds for those videos. For my part, I’ve been requesting and reading Avengers-related comic books. Hooray, Toronto Public Library!