While I was reading my TIMES, ASIA Edition magazine. I came across these startling facts:
- Chinese Legislator, Jiang HongBin, wants STARBUCKS out of China's Imperial Palace [Zi Jing Cheng] immediately. Fearing that its American Democracy, will soon taint China's National Culture.
- 850 million Indians in India, are currently surviving on US$2 or less every single day. US$2!? What the heck!!! That's like equivalent to one plate of fried noodles + one cup of decaf-ed coffee. EEK!!!
- Thailand's Revered King Bhumibol, has ruled the country for 60 years. MY gosh!!! That's like the longest King or Queen in regiment, in modern history. Go Figures!!
And the most shocking news I've just read... Captain America is rumored to be
DEAD!!!
Captain America assasinated on his way to the Court in the "CIVIL WAR" storyline
He fought and triumphed over Hitler, Tojo, international Communism and a host of supervillains, but he could not dodge a sniper's bullet.
Comic book hero Captain America is dead.
After close to 60 years in print, Marvel Comics has killed off Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, one of its most famous and beloved superheroes amid an already controversial story line, "Civil War," which is pitting the heroes of Marvel's universe against one another.
In the comic series, Rogers was to stand trial for defying a superhero registration law passed after a hero's tragic mistake causes a 9/11-like event.
Steve Rogers eventually surrenders to police. He is later mortally wounded as he climbs the courthouse steps. (
Watch the story of an American hero 
)
Marvel says the comic story line was intentionally written as an allegory to current real-life issues like the Patriot Act, the War on Terror and the September 11 attacks.
"Every child knew about 9/11," says Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Comics. "If [he] could see a TV he knew what 9/11 was. The other similarities [to] things going on are just part of storytelling."
It was a violent and strange end for an American hero.
Captain America first appeared in 1941, just as the United States entered World War II. He was a symbol of American strength and resolve in fighting the Axis powers, and later Communism.
As originally conceived by creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Rogers was a man born before the Great Depression in a very different America. He disappeared after the war and reappeared only recently in the Marvel timeline. For a superhero many thought perfect, it was perhaps a fatal flaw for "Cap," as he became known.
"He hasn't been living in the modern world and the world does move," says Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada.
Quesada said he wanted to readers find their own meaning in Cap's end.
"There is a lot to be read in there. But I'm not one who is going to tell people, this is what you should read into it, because I could look into it and read several different types of messages," He said.
The character's death came as a blow to co-creator Simon, the Associated Press reported.
"We really need him now," Simon, 93, told The AP.
Still, one has to wonder: Is Captain America really dead? Comic book characters have routinely died, only to be resurrected when necessary to storylines.
Joe Quesada agrees -- but said times are different now.
"There was period in comics where characters would just die and then be resurrected. And the death had very little meaning and the resurrection had very little meaning," he said. "All I ask of my writers is if you're going to kill a character off, please let that death have some meaning in the overall scope of things."
Events Leading Up to the Death of Captain America
The Civil WarFirst there was the beginning of the Civil War between the entire Marvel Universe of Superheroes. The Civil War begins when the New Warriors are battling a group of villains while filming a reality TV show of all things. One of the bad guys named Nitro explodes killing hundreds of people including school children.
The public becomes furious and in response a Superhero Registration Act is formed requiring all super powered individuals to register with the government. The heroes split down the middle on whether or not to register with Iron Man taking the side of registration, and Captain America opposing.
The Act becomes law and Captain America forms a team to resist the law and the incarceration of super powered individuals refusing to obey the law.
Fierce battles take place between Iron Man's registration forces, and Captain America's forces of freedom, until the final battle to release the super powered prisoners from Tony Stark's Negative Zone Prison.
For some strange reason which is beyond me, Captain America has Cloak teleport both teams of combatants to New York City. My question is why not to some place isolated where heroes can battle without destroying property or risking lives. Doesn't sound like something Captain America would do.
Suddenly when Captain America is almost ready to slam Iron Man for the winning blow a bunch of citizens start whining, and Cap sees the destruction the battle has caused (Duh! of course there is destruction!) and orders his team to stand down.
Everyone else gets amnesty, but Captain America is sent to jail. While going up Federal Court House steps Cap is shot by a sniper. In the chaos Sharon Carter fires a pistol into Cap's stomach. Apparently she was hypnotized by Dr. Faustus to finish the job of the sniper who turns out to be Crossbones.
The whole thing was orchestrated by Captain America's ultimate enemy the
Red Skull. If you'll recall, some years back the Red Skull died in Captain America #300, and here he is now orchestrating Cap's death. Of course the Skull's death didn't last that long.
While Cap rides in the ambulance news reports come in stating that Captain America is now dead, but we didn't actually see Cap's last breath.
We all know in comic books that a character can die right before our eyes and still find a way to come back to life. I'm still trying to understand how Superman came back to life.
A major clue to Cap still being alive comes from the
Civil War: The Initiative, Ms. Marvel claims that Captain America is not dead but "...tucked away safe on the Raft... They're trying to save his life even as we speak."
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Gosh! I really hope that Captain America is not REALLY dead. Else, it'll be the biggest misery, since the DEATH OF SUPERMAN.
