The New York Daily News yesterday had the exclusive story, since picked up by every media organization on earth (except this one, until now), that Captain America, the original sentinel of liberty, was shot dead by a sniper in Captain America #25 (which, by purest coincidence, also went on sale yesterday). The shooting follows Cap's arrest at the end of the Civil War storyline, in which Iron Man and the forces of law'n'order defeated Cap's rag-tag band of freedom fighters -- probably the first time in comics such a thing happened.

It's been hinted very strongly that the Punisher will become the new Captain America (at least for a little while), but considering that a Captain America movie is in the works for 2009, there's an obvious deadline for the original Cap (Steve Rogers) to return.

But, for now, all foes who chose to oppose his shield will not yield...