So did anybody other than me not now what “Blue Monday” was? I always thought it was a song by Orgy and yes, I do know it was a cover of a New Order song, but my introduction to it was in the Korn/Limp Bizkit era of musical domination (#3dollarbillyall). In any rate, a quick search informed me that some scientists have somehow proven that today is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year, or some such nonsense. On days or times when I’m feeling down, which is not uncommon I’m sure for a lot of people in the cold month of January, I like to think about the things that I’m looking forward to the coming months, and it so happens that there’s a LOT of things I’m looking forward to in 2016 so let’s get to it.

VIDEO GAMES

This one is a bit of a no-brainer as I did a preview in another feature where I talked in depth about all of the games I’m looking forward to playing in this young year, so I won’t get into that much detail again. I find it impossible to be sad today as I can’t wait to get my hands on Lego Marvel’s The Avengers in just one short week, and then in February there’s the Telltale The Walking Dead spin-off to look forward to. Each leak also brings us one step closer to getting an actual reveal of Activision’s not at all secret Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan. The new Turtles game is just one of the many titles I can’t wait to get more information on: I’m eager to see Telltale’s take on Batman; I want to see what WB Games Montreal is working on and any surprises developers and publishers have up their collective sleeves as the year progresses on.

TOYS

As a person who grew up collecting toys and action figures and also playing video games, I’m glad I get to live in an era where now I can combine those two into one mega-hobby thanks to games like Lego Dimensions and Disney Infinity and the offerings start as early as tomorrow. Tuesday, January 19th will see the release of the Joker and Harley Team-Up pack for Lego Dimensions and we’ll see more DC figures and vehicles drop throughout the spring with characters like Aquaman, Superman, and Bane coming. Disney has us covered in the Marvel toys-to-life department with a great looking new Captain America figure and many figures I’m sure they’re not talking about. Like the hype I have for some video games I can’t wait to find out more information about, I’m dying to see what the makers of these games and toys have in store for us around E3. What will be the focus of Disney Infinity this year? What new franchises are coming to Lego Dimensions? Will both games see sequels or just post new content in the form of playsets, figures and level packs? Whatever the case, I for can’t want to find out.

MOVIES

Not only am I a huge fan of comic book and super hero movies, but movies as well and 2016 is looking to be one of the best yet for people into films of that genre, and spread out pretty evenly too I might add. Normally we have to wait until the spring or early summer months to see a comic book film, but this year things kick off early in February with Deadpool, followed in March by Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The summer movie season will kick off in a big way in May with Captain America: Civil War that will not only see the fallout of Avengers: Age of Ultron, but also the debut of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Sony struck a deal with Disney and Marvel early last year to share ownership of the character. Several weeks after Civil War the follow-up to the excellent X-Men: Days of Future Past arrives in X-Men: Apocalypse that will see the titular villain arrive on the big-screen and in live-action for the first time. Breaking away from the big two, the sequel to 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles drops in June, and I’ll admit from someone who thought that the reboot was okay at best, the sequel looks like a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see villains like Bebop and Rocksteady in a movie for the first time. The summer will close out with the third film in the DC Cinematic Universe, Suicide Squad and as summer turns to fall, we get to see a character only named drop in a Marvel movie arrive with the release of Doctor Strange, with the title character played by the phenomenal Benedict Cumberbatch.

TV

Super heroes are hitting the big-screen like never before this year, but they’re also invading the small screen and streaming services as well. Not only do shows like Arrow and Flash return to the airwaves this week after a post-Christmas break, but Marvel’s Agent Carter is coming back alongside a brand new DC team-up show, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, that will see characters like the Atom join forces with villains such as Captain Cold to travel through time and space to fight the immortal Vandal Savage. It’s about as weird and awesome as it sounds.

Marvel’s critical darling on the Netflix streaming service, Daredevil, will also see a second season on now under two months that will not only continue the Man Without Fear’s story, but will see the MCU arrival of characters like Elektra and the Punisher. Jessica Jones supporting character, Luke Cage, will also get his own series to binge watch later in the year and if both of his Netflix partners are any indication, this will be one that fans won’t want to miss out on.

These are just some of the things I’m excited for and I’m sure everyone has their own list of personal “can’t wait for’s” . What things get you excited and pull you up from your saddest moments? Sound off in the comments.