Superman is dead?

The computers in my lab are all named after superheros (for the most part). We have Superman, Wonderwoman, Cyclops, Hulk, Hawkman, Hammerhead, Casper and Firefly (Casper is arguably a "super" hero at best. Firefly is just cool - just deal...). A couple of days ago several of our machines started crashing so large signs were posted on the computer monitors that read something like:

Superman is DEAD

Which is a great segue for a superhero conversation with my coworkers: every great superhero / comic hero has died in one way shape or form in their respective series. Of course... they get resurrected somehow (good ol' capitalism can't keep them resting in peace...) but that's beside the point. The point is each great superhero of our time has suffered some kind of death at the comic artist's pen.

Take superman - a few years ago he was killed off by DC. Cyclops? Death in the movies. Casper the Friendly Ghost? dead to begin with. I think in the marvel universe they've ended and restarted the entire genre... something about someone in the comic books with wishing powers wishing that there were no more mutants and WHAMMO - 98% of Marvel's mutant superheros were gone. Go figure. Maybe it's some cosmic law. I hate cosmic laws. I also hate that particular someone who wished for all mutants to disappear.

But it's all ok because California is going to break off from the U.S. to go join Hawaii. Alaska can come too.