Who was the man on the grassy knoll?

Captain America (Steve Rogers) is dead. The one superhero created very specifically to embody the spirit and virtues of America is no more. I honestly have no particular feeling for this. Perhaps it is because this hero represented a country that is not my own. Perhaps it is that I never really gave him a chance; he always seemed a little too clean-cut to me. What cannot be denied though, is that this is big news in America and especially among comic fans.

I have no time for disgruntled fanboys that are calling for Marvel’s EIC’s head. The same ones that are saying they are done with Marvel comics for good. Let’s face it, anyone with any sense of comic literacy knows Steve Rogers will face the inevitable resurrection. If for no other reason than there is a movie being planned.

But the question that has come to my mind, as an outsider that has little to no interest in the character of Captain America, is whether this is indeed a good move or just cheap exploitation to boost sales and gain some mainstream media publicity? Comics are notorious for proclaiming “Giant sized funeral issue of Powerblast Lad!” on the front cover of the comic. This stems back to when comics were sold on newsstands and company loyalty was perhaps a bit fiercer than it is today. The promise of death inside could tempt the casual or lapsed reader into picking up that particular issue. I remember the issue of Amazing Spider-man in which Aunt May dies (never fear, gentle readers, she was resurrected, although now appears to be in mortal danger once more…) having an embossed grey tombstone on the cover! The simple answer is that death sells comics. DC were the first to really find out how powerful a marketing tool death could be by gaining national press coverage for their dial-in hotline to kill the 2^nd Robin (don’t worry, dear readers, he was resurrected too). This was followed up by world coverage of the Death of Superman in the early 90’s (no worries, intrepid readers, he too was resurrected). So it’s natural that this kind of event will cause a short-term sales spike on the issue in question and the couple of issues following. Three cheers for death! Hip, hip…!

Coming at it from a writing standpoint, I have to consider that perhaps this is a rather canny move. Captain America is dead. The comic literate know he’ll come back eventually. They expect it. The first and most shocking thing you could do, and this will NOT happen, is to actually leave him dead. It would take nuclear-powered editorial balls that no comic company has, so it’s pretty useless to think about it. The other thing you can do, knowing that he will be back and knowing that the readers know he will be back is to set up a sense of intrigue surrounding his apparently compelling supporting cast. I wouldn’t necessarily put someone in the suit to replace him. That’s predictable and hackneyed and indeed the very thing that will probably happen. But it’s been done before and even done in his own comic. I’d set up a spy/political intrigue aspect to the storyline, delving into the conspiracy surrounding his death. Is everything indeed as it appears? Is he even actually dead? Obviously everyone thinks he is dead, but it would be possible to feature stories about Steve Rogers operating underground against the government (this is possible given the current Marvel universe political landscape where the civil liberties of super-powered denizens have been infringed upon by being forced to register with the government).

I’m not suggesting the above would be good or even vaguely desirable ways to lead the storyline following Captain America’s death. These are quite literally just ideas off the top of my head for example’s sake. The point being, that me… ME… that could not be less interested in Captain America is actually interested. I’m actually sitting here wondering… what next? From this point of view, I’d have to say that there is definitely story-telling potential in the death of Captain America. Rather than being an ill-thought out death stunt, the kind that comics are famous for, this actually has the potential to drive the character and title in a direction that has endless possibilities. The bonus being that it also gets mainstream media attention and the sales spike that is inevitable with an ill-thought out death stunt.

Ultimately : death of Captain America? Good move.