Announced recently was the resurrection of Captain America after the proverbial shot around the world that announced that he had been felled not by a villainous arch nemesis or by the dark machinations of Red Skull, but by a sniper’s bullet in a way that could be seen as a commentary on how society treats those we put in the spotlight. But is the miraculous resurrection of a comic book hero something that is newsworthy? And why do so many people bite on what is an obvious cry for attention?

Every major comic book has done it at least once. Superman. Batman. Captain America. X-Men. They’ve all had the death of the main character happen, only to have him or her come back to life in some miraculous way just in time to save the day. Whether it is just at the end of a long saga, or just within a few pages, a few weeks or a few years, it never fails. Nobody ever stays dead in the world of comic books unless you are the villain and have really worn out your welcome, all Rhas Al-Ghul, always coming back to life style.

Yet, this seems to be leading to the same thing. Not to tell a good story, as it might have been in the beginning, to show that the hero is indeed like you and me, that he or she is mortal and putting his or her life in danger when they don the mask and fight evil. No, these days it’s to draw in readers, to tantalize a fan-base that is already there with cheap thrills before leading them down a path of mediocre side stories that lead us to several different Supermans, none of which quite fit the bill of the big blue boy scout. It’s cheap and tawdry, and one has to wonder why we even pay attention any more.

But it seems to be getting even more attention. As many stories as there were about the death of Superman back in the late 90’s, there were even more about the death and subsequent resurrection of Captain America. Pop culture is changing and comic books are no longer the refuge for the geeky and poor at sports. Nor are they simply for boys between the ages of seven and twelve. They have expanded to numberless genres and fan bases, and in that particular case, don’t the fans deserve something better? Something that will respect our intelligence?

Something that will not be the top billing with who won Dancing With The Stars?