
"when Captain America throws his Mighty Shield... all those who chose to oppose his shield must yield..." - Marvel Superheroes Cartoon Captain America jingle.
out of nowhere... a death in the SuperHero world. unannounced even to close Marvel comic staff. marketed by media. met with consumerist glee. quick!, to the comic book store/nearest newsstand (now I have to drive 10 miles to the next town to buy 2 copies), hurry now!
a makeover of Uncle Sam in case he gets the steroid shots and wardrobe change; fighting through World War II, MIA at war's end, resurrected for the Cold War, got replaced by a nobody wearing almost the same costume, fought many battles alongside Superhero allies be it Earth or somewhere in the galaxy, erstwhile leader of the mighty Avengers, led an unsuccessful rebellion against the SuperHero registration act in the current Marvel Universe.
in a scene recalling some famous presidential assasinations, Cap got felled by more than one bullet from more than one sniper (as story development goes) making a recent rebel a guaranteed American martyr. expect sales to go up and the buzz to continue as weeks fly by in the comic book world.
like everybody's observation, the death must be made in order to prop up sales for the struggling comic line. in the advent of technology and its minions (video, imagery, internet, etc.) less and less attention are being paid to comic books. remember Superman? well after he died, some 6 dudes replaced him before he came up to rise from his grave, got a new costume, broke up with Lois and years later got a movie which unfortunately earned yawns from skeptics like me who still like the great C.R.'s efforts to fly up, up and away in the age of low tech cinema.
what now for Cap? in the comic book world, resurrection is a permanent thing. but now i personally think they might choose to take time before reviving Captain America. i sincerely hope though that they better not wait for another 9/11 or world war before having him in the print again. it will be sincerely in bad taste. Cash should not be made out of conflicts.
take a break Cap... can't wait to see you again. thank God i am 30, i sincerely would have been depressed if i was still 12.