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Who Wants To Live Forever?
Mar. 7th, 2007 12:32 pmCaptain America Assassinated
I don't really know what to say. The death of an iconic hero isn't anything new, of course. Marvel is taking many cues from D.C. these days, and telling the same kinds of stories D.C. did a decade or two ago (killing Supes and Bats, rebooting continuities - even the Civil War storyline turns out to be a Watchmen-like storyline, as revealed in the conclusion of the Front Line series). The unfolding Illuminati series is also serving to "darken" the Marvel universe in a lot of ways, much like Frank Miller did years ago with the Dark Knight, and Brad Meltzer did recently with Identity Crisis.
But I guess part of me was hoping that Cap would remain untouched.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bobo_dreams had a similar sentiment, that he was disappointed in Cap's actions and recent characterization. Everyone hopes that the ideal will be preserved, and that our heroes can forever remain just the way they have always been. It's one of the things you hear most often, that comics readers are complaining about bad representations of their heroes or "mistakes" in "continuity". I am not necessarily one of those types; I care more about the quality of the story than the foolish consistency of the details. But it always seemed to me that Captain America should be treated differently, and I can't really say why. Maybe because he's really the only hero who actually represents our country. Maybe because he was more of a hero to my mind than most: a "depowered" man who was simply a peak fighter in perfect physical condition (like Batman without the detective skills), yet he regularly took on any foe, even ones with godlike powers or stature. And he only ever fought with a shield, ever the protector and defender, a true upholder of a great nation's ideals - the truest True Believer.
Is his death a symbolic end to nationalism? Is it a representation of the sacrifice of our ideals just to prolong an unsustainable way of life? Will Steve Rogers be back, or will he be the Barry Allen of the Marvel universe?
I had no idea that Joe Simon was still alive. I can't fathom what it must be like for him - to have lived so long only to see his greatest creation brought low, at a time when his death has so many meanings. I'd also someday like to see Alex Ross's take on Captain America's death and see what he thinks about it.
I don't really know what to say. The death of an iconic hero isn't anything new, of course. Marvel is taking many cues from D.C. these days, and telling the same kinds of stories D.C. did a decade or two ago (killing Supes and Bats, rebooting continuities - even the Civil War storyline turns out to be a Watchmen-like storyline, as revealed in the conclusion of the Front Line series). The unfolding Illuminati series is also serving to "darken" the Marvel universe in a lot of ways, much like Frank Miller did years ago with the Dark Knight, and Brad Meltzer did recently with Identity Crisis.
But I guess part of me was hoping that Cap would remain untouched.
bobo_dreams had a similar sentiment, that he was disappointed in Cap's actions and recent characterization. Everyone hopes that the ideal will be preserved, and that our heroes can forever remain just the way they have always been. It's one of the things you hear most often, that comics readers are complaining about bad representations of their heroes or "mistakes" in "continuity". I am not necessarily one of those types; I care more about the quality of the story than the foolish consistency of the details. But it always seemed to me that Captain America should be treated differently, and I can't really say why. Maybe because he's really the only hero who actually represents our country. Maybe because he was more of a hero to my mind than most: a "depowered" man who was simply a peak fighter in perfect physical condition (like Batman without the detective skills), yet he regularly took on any foe, even ones with godlike powers or stature. And he only ever fought with a shield, ever the protector and defender, a true upholder of a great nation's ideals - the truest True Believer.Is his death a symbolic end to nationalism? Is it a representation of the sacrifice of our ideals just to prolong an unsustainable way of life? Will Steve Rogers be back, or will he be the Barry Allen of the Marvel universe?
I had no idea that Joe Simon was still alive. I can't fathom what it must be like for him - to have lived so long only to see his greatest creation brought low, at a time when his death has so many meanings. I'd also someday like to see Alex Ross's take on Captain America's death and see what he thinks about it.
