Greetings all! Though you cannot see it with your eyes, I hope each of you feels with your heart the virtual hug I am extending to each and everyone of you. For those of you who may not be residents of the Marvel universe, my new entry is in honor of the latest Avengers movie, the cinematic behemoth that unites a handful of the biggest names in comics, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr, if you need a personal slave, I’m submitting my application!), the Hulk, and Thor, under one movie roof. However, all superheroes, I have you in mind on this cool California night as I become one with my laptop!

As we are all friends in this virtual space, I have no qualms in admitting that I am a MASSIVE fan of comic book flicks, to the point that I sometimes think I have the soul of a 12-year-old boy. This fact is most certainly an odd phenomenon considering I never read anything other than Archie comics when I was a wee lass (shameless plug for the Riverdale gang!), but in my older age, you name it, I’ve likely stood in line for an overpriced ticket to see the likes of Spiderman fly through the air with the greatest of ease, Batman battle the sinister villians of Gotham, or the Hulk, well, smash. Though these movies contain fantastical elements of people with super powers fighting super beings under super extraordinary circumstances, the stories are as simple as good vs. evil. This is why I believe these movies are powerful: they allow us to believe in good again.

In a world fraught with tragedy, sadness, strife, and struggle, believing in a world where good guys (and gals) prevail and fight for the good of humankind is a wondrous and moving thing. My guess is that we could all afford to believe in good and justice a bit more, and perhaps feeling like there are people fighting for us to be safe, superhuman or not, may help us sleep more peacefully tonight and dream sweeter dreams. I also cherish the fact that children are in love with superhero movies, and when I see a little girl wearing a Wonder Woman costume or a yound lad wearing a Captain America tee, I know that in addition to the undeniable appeal of watching heroes with ethereal powers battle evildoers, they are also seeing that ultimately good can prevail.

With all of this in mind, I encourage those of you who may be comic book neophytes to invite caped crusaders, mutant X-men, and assembling Avengers into your homes and onto your small screen. Life, with all of its amazing moments, can also be difficult and heartbreaking, so why not take a superhero movie break, get in touch with your inner child, and believe that good and heroes can still exist : )