The new Spider Man and Fantastic 4 movies will hit the screen this summer. These movies will also feature Venom and the Silver Surfer respectively, characters who have huge followings among comic enthusiasts. And, even though these movies have already lifted the sales of Spider Man and Fantastic 4 comic books....they are NOT the most popular comics in America right now.

Brace yourself.

The hottest comic book in America right now is The Death of Captain America.

This comic book, even without a movie, has sent shock waves through the entire Marvel Universe.

Nobody ever thought Marvel Comics would ever pull the trigger and kill off one of it's most popular characters of all time. Captain America was introduced in the 1940s and was brought back to life in the 1960's and since that time, he has been an American icon. His popularity has almost been on par with Superman, Batman and Spider-Man.

The Death of Captain America is an oversized comic and literally leaped from the final pages of Marvel's popular Civil War series. This comic has been widely acclaimed by comic fans everywhere. Since its original release in March, 2007, the death issue, Captain America Vol. 5, No. 25, has become hard to find at its $3.99 cover price. It has sold for as high as $50 online and it can be very difficult to find even though it's a recent comic.

"Literally every Marvel comic title will be affected in some way, shape or form by Cap's death," says Marvel Editor-in Chief Joe Qesada. "It will open the door for some characters, good guys and bad guys to start making power plays."

It will be interesting to see where the Marvel Universe goes in the wake of the death of this American icon. Some say that like the death of Superman a few years ago, Marvel will find some way to bring Cap back to life. I don't know. Meanwhile, this comic is hot and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.