He might be dead, replaced, and forgotten, but we will always remember the original Captain America.  Steve Rogers punched his way into our Nazi-hating, flag-loving hearts with his ironically Arian blond hair and blue eyes and rugged good looks.  Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created the super-hero icon in 1940, a year before Pearl Harbor, to amazing popularity (and some controversy).  Captain America proved to be an inspiring figure during World War II both in the comics and out, outselling major magazines like Time during the 1940s until his comic was canceled in 1954.  Marvel Comics revived the character in 1964, proving Captain America had an appeal that could cross generations.  Captain America has been a staple of the Marvel Universe, acting as the de facto leader and moral compass.  Marvel has Captain America assassinated in 2007 with his former sidekick Bucky taking over the mantle.  I’m sure this will last.

Huh? So it seems a new Captain America will be defending liberty and justice for all at Marvel Comics this winter. And he’s going to be carrying a gun. And he’s going to be shiny.

Painter Alex Ross designed a new costume for the new Captain America. The original legendary hero, a.k.a Steve Rogers was assassinated this past March.

Now as much as I have enjoyed Ross’ art work over the years, this costume, I must say, is, uh, misguided. A gun? An arrow pointing to his Blue Side of the Moon…and Sun? We’ve dealt with bad Captain America costumes before. Remember Cap Armor? I hope you don’t.

It’s not so much this costume is so bad. Rather, the Captain America costume is iconic - easily one of the best costumes around. And he never carries a gun. Why the gun?

Now we don’t know who this Captain America is. It might be Steve Rogers, the original, but very doubtful. Maybe it’s Ultimate Captain America from the Ultimate Universe, complete with his gruff, war-torn attitude. Or, more likely, it’s Winter Solider, the aged, long-thought-dead, former-sidekick of Captain America. Yeah, he’s probably gonna be Cap for a bit. And he carries a gun. And a metal arm. Maybe that’s why he’s so shiny. He wants to match sure he matches.

Well, you can’t get mad at a man for good taste.