Stan Lee talks science & superheroes

Many media outlets have picked up an Associated Press story with Stan Lee on science and superheroes, a story sparked by the recent Marvel Comics exhibit at the California Science Center in Los Angeles:

AP: Did you study science very much in school?

Lee: Not at all. I wish I had. I mean I find it fascinating. I started working when I was 16 and a half, and even when I was in high school I was working in my spare time. So I never had time to go to college and just spent my time writing. ... I was mentioning to somebody an example of how I try to, in a funny way, make things seem logical. We have a character called the Mighty Thor, the god of thunder. He has this weapon, a big hammer that he holds, and I wanted him to be able to fly like Superman. ... He wants to fly, so he swings the hammer as fast as he can (at this point Lee leans forward to demonstrate) and then he lets it go. Well, it's attached to his wrist, so it pulls him along with it. So he could fly. So everything is very scientific (laughing). And you better say he said that with a laugh.

Apparently the science behind superheroes is a really hot topic, as there is now a college course at the University of California-Irvine on the subject.