A Piece of America Died

“I remember

When you were down,

And you needed a helping hand;

I came to feed you

But now that I need you;

You won’t give me a second glance.

Now I’m calling on citizens from all over the world

This is Captain America calling…

I bailed you out when you were down on your knees;

So will you catch me now I’m falling?”

--Ray Davies from “Catch Me Now I’m Falling” from the LP Low Budget, 1978

Wow; they did it—they killed CAPTAIN AMERICA!!!!

Well, it’s a comic book; no character ever really dies.

A friend of mine at work and I joked about it. I said “clone” he said “aren’t there usually cyborg’s or something like that?” in a sarcastic manner.

So “Cap is Dead;” well it has happened before. Let me comb through my collection’s past issues to see who has “bit it” before.

From DC:Batman broken back; Robin dies; Green Lantern Hal Jordan; Green Arrow Ollie; Flash Barry Allen; Wonder Woman; Captain Marvel’s Shazam; Superman; Sandman; many “Golden Age” characters—Dr. Midnight, Atom, Johnny Thunder, Black Canary, Blackhawk, Mr. Terrific, Star-Man, and more.

From Marvel:Captain Marvel, Bucky (Cap’s sidekick), The Hulk, Thor, Elektra, some of the X-Men, some Avengers (Swordsman, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Black Goliath, and some minor characters) cast members like Gwen Stacy, Norman Osbourne, and the like.

Somehow in revivals, the character’s offspring take up their cause, or there is a clone, a mutant, a cyborg, a “go back in time” story, or something equally impossible that happens. It is the joy of marketing and comic book merchandising that really decides who bites and it and why.

One must admit, even in comic book logic, Captain America (a soldier from the 1940s) has to be pretty dang old. I mean I understand that he was frozen in “suspended animation” for twenty years—but even though—he was rediscovered in the mid 1960s, and that would put him at 25-ish; he would now be at a minimum 65 years old—a bit elderly to be slinging shields and beating the crap out of people. I know the soldier formula keeps him younger, but come on now. Then again, Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers would be that old as well.

So is this a ploy to strengthen some interest in Captain America’s sluggish sales? Perhaps, but the less “business” side of me wants to note that Marvel wrote a story in their “Civil War” series that takes issue (pun intended) with America’s involvement overseas, the Patriot Act, and the roll of “Civic” responsibility and government control.

Is the “death” of Captain America a not-so-subtle commentary about this current administration—I cannot tell, I would suggest to read the comics—but one cannot not help and note a few parallels.

In a story that made news on Yahoo, Entertainment media, and other outlets, one would note interest in the comic has certainly peaked.

Like the real world, America is down for a bit—will it correct itself? Oh we all know it will.

Rest In Peace Captain America, you worthy "super" soldier—we know you will rise again as someone takes the Shield and defends America once again. We understand if it is not the Steve Rogers we all know and love, but we thank you for serving us so faithfully all of these years.