Spring Break
Long-lived American comic hero killed off
Jonathan Suarez
Issue date: 3/9/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
As a kid, most of my favorite heroes were from DC Comics. There is a good reason for this, too. The difference between the heroes of DC and the heroes of Marvel (and e-mail me if you disagree so I can put you down and make you feel stupid) is the fact that that DC heroes are more iconic. They are like gods making their place among men.
Marvel heroes, on the other hand, are more human. They aren't overly powerful like DC (not that there is anything wrong with that), and they can be more relatable in the smallest sense of the word. More importantly, the costumes that they wear (with a few exceptions) are mere costumes, while DC heroes wore symbols.
There is one hero, though, that I've always had respect for, being the DC geek that I am. He was the Marvel hero who crossed that iconic boundary, and didn't only wear a symbol - he was the symbol. His symbol and his colors defined him, and in his respective universe, everyone know who he was and looked up to him.
He was Captain America, and he represented everything good from our country. Marvel killed him March 7. In the aftermath of a war that split the heroes into two opposing sides, Marvel took away the one hero that was needed the most. He was the heart of the United States. In my personal opinion, I cannot even think of a reason as to why they would do this. From an editorial standpoint, I am an aggravated fan, but as a reader, my heart is broken. All of that aside, this issue was very well written. Ed Brubaker is one of the top-tier writers in comics today, and possibly the best Marvel has to offer now.
At the end of Civil War No. 7, Cap surrenders, realizing that the war they were fighting wasn't for the people anymore, he turns himself in and goes to prison. He gets mocked by the media in Civil War Frontline No. 11 because he isn't active with current pop culture, and is even asked if he knows what MySpace is. In this issue, he is walking out of court, gets a tomato thrown at him from a protester, sees a laser target from a sniper rifle aimed at the U.S. Marshall escorting him from the front, and dives to take the bullet for that guy. He gets hit in the side of the neck, and he's fine, but as he's on the ground, his girlfriend, being controlled by Red Skull and co., goes up to him and shoots him three more times in the gut.
I know, it's a bit hokey, but come on, this is a comic book; what do you expect? The last page is his dead body in the morgue with a blanket over him, and you can see his completely dead eye staring at you from under the covers. It was a brutal and immoral way to kill off the best hero in that universe, but it fits well. So it goes. Cap is dead. Not only will it impact everything that goes on in the comics, it impacted the real world too, receiving an amazing amount of press. It was reported on television by CNN, Fox News and ABC News, and even Forbes reported on how this impacted the stock market. As upset and angry as I am that they killed Cap, it's not the end of the world. I was able to move on and read the rest of my comics this week with no problems at all. You know why? This is comics, people. Cap will be back within the next two or three years.
Marvel heroes, on the other hand, are more human. They aren't overly powerful like DC (not that there is anything wrong with that), and they can be more relatable in the smallest sense of the word. More importantly, the costumes that they wear (with a few exceptions) are mere costumes, while DC heroes wore symbols.
There is one hero, though, that I've always had respect for, being the DC geek that I am. He was the Marvel hero who crossed that iconic boundary, and didn't only wear a symbol - he was the symbol. His symbol and his colors defined him, and in his respective universe, everyone know who he was and looked up to him.
He was Captain America, and he represented everything good from our country. Marvel killed him March 7. In the aftermath of a war that split the heroes into two opposing sides, Marvel took away the one hero that was needed the most. He was the heart of the United States. In my personal opinion, I cannot even think of a reason as to why they would do this. From an editorial standpoint, I am an aggravated fan, but as a reader, my heart is broken. All of that aside, this issue was very well written. Ed Brubaker is one of the top-tier writers in comics today, and possibly the best Marvel has to offer now.
At the end of Civil War No. 7, Cap surrenders, realizing that the war they were fighting wasn't for the people anymore, he turns himself in and goes to prison. He gets mocked by the media in Civil War Frontline No. 11 because he isn't active with current pop culture, and is even asked if he knows what MySpace is. In this issue, he is walking out of court, gets a tomato thrown at him from a protester, sees a laser target from a sniper rifle aimed at the U.S. Marshall escorting him from the front, and dives to take the bullet for that guy. He gets hit in the side of the neck, and he's fine, but as he's on the ground, his girlfriend, being controlled by Red Skull and co., goes up to him and shoots him three more times in the gut.
I know, it's a bit hokey, but come on, this is a comic book; what do you expect? The last page is his dead body in the morgue with a blanket over him, and you can see his completely dead eye staring at you from under the covers. It was a brutal and immoral way to kill off the best hero in that universe, but it fits well. So it goes. Cap is dead. Not only will it impact everything that goes on in the comics, it impacted the real world too, receiving an amazing amount of press. It was reported on television by CNN, Fox News and ABC News, and even Forbes reported on how this impacted the stock market. As upset and angry as I am that they killed Cap, it's not the end of the world. I was able to move on and read the rest of my comics this week with no problems at all. You know why? This is comics, people. Cap will be back within the next two or three years.
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