AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE!!!

Hey Friends!

So last week, I went to the midnight premiere of Marvel’s newest superhero movie, The Avengers. The midnight crowds are always a blast – fans in costumes, kids bouncing up and down in excitement, me wearing my “What Would Batman Do?” shirt, as did my friend Crissy. (Literally, it says “WW(Bat logo)D?” on the front.) Let me just say that it was awesome. As much as I’d like to rant and rave about how great the action was, the non-action was just as stellar.

As an actor, director and writer, I’ve really grown to despise bad acting and even worse plots; however, it’s also helped me recognize greatness when I see it. Let me tell you, people: the dialogue was incredible. Seriously, the movie should get the Oscar for Best Screenplay. Not a single line was thrown away, every piece of talking meant something and it was refreshing to see character interactions that weren’t completely useless to the plot.

What brought all these great things together? Firstly, it was co-written and directed by famed comic nerd Joss Whedon; you may recognize him for writing and directing Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Firefly, Serenity, and Dollhouse. He also wrote Cabin in the Woods, Toy Story and Roseanne. In a nutshell, he gives the people what they want in a show. Add in fantastic actors like Oscar winners Jeremy Renner and Gwyneth Paltrow, Oscar nominees Robert Downey, Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson, and you’ve got people who can carry the movie from start to finish. Comic fan or not, I’d recommend this movie to anyone.

If you’re unacquainted with the movie or the franchise, have a look at the trailer:

“WOW! This movie looks awesome, Justin. I don’t understand what this has to do with librarians though.”

An excellent point, naysayer! Firstly, I wanted to continue my relentless pursuit of breaking down librarian stereotypes. Yes, library people do midnight shows and go crazy for superheroes. Yes, we even stay up past 8pm. Surely, I’m going to tie this into library science, right? Of course! My good friend (and sidekick at this point) Katy let me know that Marvel comics is currently hiring for an Inventory Specialist Intern! The description reads,

You’ll think you’ve died and gone to comic book heaven as you lovingly pour over Marvel’s stockpile of comics, trades, and hard covers while cataloging them into a magnificent Excel spreadsheet. But, wait! There’s more! You’ll also assist with the delivery of incoming packages, prepare bundles containing new comics hot off the presses, and sort packages of comics to be mailed to our stable of freelancers. Candidates should be detail-oriented and able to work independently. Knowledge of our comics is helpful, but not required.

That’s right, comic fans! They even make comic book libraries! If you’ve read this far and tolerated my comic book yammering, I’ll reward you with a photo of me as Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man.

I actually had the Tony Stark goatee for about half my undergrad. It was awesome.

COMING UP: I’ll discuss my new classes and my grades (which were top notch, BTW). Till next time!

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian