The family made it to the theater last weekend to watch the comic-book-based adventure “The Avengers,” and it was a blast. Violent – yes – but in more of that comic book kind of way. Lots of alpha males, special effects galore, and school-yard humor made it a fun family outing for my teens.

I really enjoyed the “new” superheroes I got to meet. Hawkeye and Black Widow were two who were new to me. I loved how Black Widow held her own in a room full of testosterone-driven egomaniacs. And her supe...