I’ve never been much of a comic book reader, even when I was a kid, but the news out today that Captain America has been killed off in the latest edition of Marvel Comic’s Captain America hit me hard. Oh, no, I’m not mourning this fictional characters passing as if he were a real person…it’s more like I’m wondering exactly what the message is that Marvel Comics is trying to get across to not only their readers, but the rest of the world who are reading the headlines, “Captain America is Dead!”?

This was a character which represented the good old Red, White, and Blue. Even his costuming screamed, “America!” He fought for truth, justice and the American way. Marvel comics saw fit to have him shot dead by a sniper while on his way to court.

I don’t know the storyline behind this event, but the killing of Captain America speaks volumes in this climate of political unrest. With so many opposed to the war in Iraq, fed up with the politics in Washington D.C., and no obvious savior from our woes in sight, did we really need one of our fictional iconic superheroes gunned down? Is this merely a publicity stunt geared toward avid comic book collectors who will make the price of this one edition skyrocket because they only printed so many copies? Are they going to reincarnate him at a later date? Is there still any hope for America?? Or, have the Dixie Chicks bought Marvel Comics?

I’ve got news for all the nay-sayers who think that America is doomed…we will not go without a fight. The editors of Marvel Comics may have thought it a brilliant commentary to kill off America in such a sleazy manner, but I just think it’s a cheap political shot, and as a proud American I can tell you whose comic books I will not be buying my children - - unless they do the honorable thing and bring Captain America back, bigger and badder than ever!

I guess this isn’t the first time Captain America has been killed, however, according to The Washington Post, which says:

The last time this happened — yes, Captain America has bitten the dust before — it was the Nazis and it was World War II, and he got blown up by a bomb-laden plane. The comic started in 1941, and five years later he fell to earth. He stayed dead, trapped in the North Atlantic ice, for 20 years.

This time he was shot BY AN EX-GIRLFRIEND!

Okay, not only is he dead, but apparently was a candidate for the Jerry Springer Show.

He can’t stay dead for long…according to the same Washington Post article there’s a Captain America movie in the works…

What do you think? Will America live again?