As we (slowly) return to work this morning from a fun-filled Fourth of July weekend, Comic Afterthoughts looks at four of our favorite patriotic comic book covers. From the 1940s to 2010s, read how comics have payed tribute (and cashed in) on our great country.

First, the most obvious hero on the list ...

Captain America Comics #1
It couldn’t be a patriotic list without the inclusion of Captain America, Marvel’s flagship flag-bearer. The character’s obviously had his fair share of U.S.-centric covers over the years, but perhaps the most shamelessly American one would the one below. It’s Captain America, and he’s punching Hitler.

It’s actually the character’s first appearance, in Captain America Comics #1. The aptly named book set the tone for the 1940s hero, proving a protagonist who fought real-world bad guys. The character is often incorrectly attributed as a creation of Stan Lee, but it was the duo of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who were responsible for Cap.

The character would be revived in the Silver Age of comics, but the purest form of Steve Rogers’ star-spangled hero would be his Nazi-punching, edged shield-donning debut. Cap would go on to battle other real-world characters, even taking on Richard Nixon in a little run from Steve Englehart. If you’re going to make any president an arch-villain, I suppose Nixon would be the one.

Fun fact: In Captain America’s original origin, he was given the super-serum through injections. When he was revived in the ‘60s, they retold his story with an orally ingested serum. By the time the Silver Age had rolled around, the Comic Code Authority was hesitant to allow injected drugs onto comic comic covers, even if they weren’t real, street-purchased drugs.

This year, Daredevil is hitting its 50th anniversary as a Marvel series. The ever-creative minds at the House of Ideas decided to take the concept of real-life comic birthdays to a new level, using their flagship foursome.

100th Anniversary Special: Fantastic Four #1 puts the team in 2061, facing new challenges in the decades to come. Playing with alternate and unexplored timelines is nothing new for the book, but presenting this issue as an “artifact from the future of Marvel Comics” is fun and hokey enough to work. After all, that’s the Four’s bread and butter.

Read the book to see how the group will meet Doom’s granddaughter, and, hey, who are the Richards-Banner twins? We’ll find out in this new one.

As we get closer to the 2015 debut of Netflix's Daredevil show, Marvel continues to release bits about casting and the potential stories tackled in the series. Charlie Cox plays the titular hero (whose real name is Matt Murdock), with Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin and Elden Henson portraying Foggy Nelson. And as excited as we are about that bit of news, Comic Afterthoughts can't help but feel a bit skeptical.

In this post, we're going to look back at all four live-action TV and film appearances of The Man Without Fear, and remember how every single one of them was awful. We'll start with the most obvious of the list: the 2003, Mark Steven Johnson-helmed film.

1) Daredevil (2003)
No matter what anyone says, It wasn't Ben Affleck's fault. Well, this scene may have been his fault.

Choppy direction and a terrible script were the main culprits for this one, along with some silly performances from the film's villains. Even the costuming was troublesome. I actually don't mind our hero's garb, but that awful, bald Bullseye (complete with a target scar on his forehead) haunts my dreams.

And though some will tell you that the later director's cut redeemed the film, I can assure you that this isn't the case. Even a reinstated Coolio subplot couldn't save this film. But if you're really curious about what you were missing in theaters, here's a pretty good representation of what you missed.

OK, you're right. That was incredible. You know it's a bad sign that Stan Lee hated this film, because he loves pretty much everything. Guess he wasn't offered to read the whole script before he did one of his signature cameos in it.

Just because Charlotte nerdy jewel HeroesCon is over, it doesn't mean that the comics have stopped flowing. On the contrary, several books from writers and artists who attended the con are coming out this week. And even though our Title You Can't Miss didn't have any attending creators, it did have a great cosplayer to represent it.

Mike Dickens, of Greensboro, came as Saga villain Prince Robot IV with an impressive costume, complete with a working screen. Saga #20 hits shelves this week, so consider this a visual reminder to check it out. A lot of love went into the making of this one.

Speaking of love, one thing you may have missed from HeroesCon: Attendee Kirk Kiefer proposed to his girlfriend during the Sex Criminal Sunday panel. He even got the comic's creative team, Chip Zdarsky and Matt Fraction, in the action. Read the full story on Kiefer's blog, here.

Typically, the Comics Afterthoughts highlights any one of the books from the week's slew, but today has a theme. Let's take a look at comics from creators appearing at this weekend's HeroesCon, at Charlotte Civic Center. Here are just a few from writers and artists you can meet yourself on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

DAREDEVIL #4
Since 2011, writer Mark Waid has taken Daredevil to new heights. In this issue, see the return of The Owl, a villain who has been around since the title character's third issue. With the recent relaunch, it's a good time to jump on with Ol' Hornhead.

Figment #1 is Marvel's second comic under the Disney Kingdoms banner, and diehard fans of a certain theme park will want to pick up this book. The book's main characters, Figment and The Dreamfinder, come from Epcot's Journey into Imagination ride. Translated into comic form, the original narrative is a steampunk adventure.

The team behind the book (a collaboration between Marvel and Walt Disney Imagineering) includes scribe Jim Zub and artist Filipe Andrade. Zub is best known for his work with Image, with Skullkickers and Wayward his primary contributions to the company. Andrade's experience mostly centers on Marvel, even filling in on an issue of Seekers of the Weird, the first Disney Kingdoms comics.

This miniseries is currently set for five issues. Will more Disney park fixtures make it into the comics? Our vote would be a Space Mountain series. That, or Thunder Mountain. Any of the mountains, really.

As Kevin Smith's Batman 66' Meets Green Hornet #1 hits shelves this week, it's a reminder that sometimes the switch from Hollywood to the comic panel can go quite well. After all, Smith built a second career for himself in his foray into the medium, with Daredevil, Green Arrow and Batman among the characters he's tackled. He's been able to capture his penchant for both comedy and drama with the books.

Over the years, celebrities like Rosario Dawson, Tyrese Gibson, Richard Donner and Samuel L. Jackson have taken a stab. Actors, comedians, screenwriters, directors and producers - several entertainers have attempted comic book creation. In this column, we're going to take a look at those within the field of stand-up comedy.

Ted McKeever is the man behind Image's newest miniseries, The Superannuated Man. You've probably seen McKeever's work in several Vertigo series for DC Comics. He also debuted a new Image comic, titled Miniature Jesus, which saw the writer-artist offer a mix of theology and insanity.

With The Superannuated Man (part of the new Shadowline imprint), we see the small town of Blackwater taken over by mutated animals. Only one man remains, doing what he can to stay alive and avoid the creatures.

Otherwise, look out for Batman 66 Meets Green Hornet, with the fantastic retro DC comic adding more nostalgia to the mix by adding another vigilante to the equation. Let's hope it fares better than the Hornet's 2011 big-screen effort.

I'll usually pick up any new comic from writer Warren Ellis, even when the preview blurbs are vague. Case in point: Trees, a series that debuts today. No promotional art or preview pages have provided clarity to exactly what we can expect from the book, but as usual, just a broad stroke of a concept puts an Ellis book at the top of anticipated releases. Here's what Image is offering us:

"Ten years after they landed. All over the world. And they did nothing, standing on the surface of the Earth like trees, exerting their silent pressure on the world, as if there were no-one here and nothing under foot. Ten years since we learned that there is intelligent life in the universe, but that they did not recognize us as intelligent or alive."

Good enough for me. Also: Look out for the second issue of Southern Bastards, which features the art of Charlottean Jason Latour. Latour was recently featured in an issue of Creative Loafing. You can find that cover story here.

Warning: Spoilers ahead. I mean it, fellow nerd. If you haven't seen X-Men: Days of Future Past, you may not want to continue. But if you're like me, that wouldn't matter too much, anyway.

So, you've heard a lot about this Apocalypse guy, huh? Before the latest installment in the X-Men franchise hit theaters, X-Men: Apocalypse was announced as the next film in line. And in the post-credits scene from Days of Future Past, you saw a funny-looking gray man with blue lips, willing the formation of the pyramids. You may have even noticed four horsemen in the background. So what's up with all of that? Creative Loafing is about to tell you, using the oldest Internet template in the world: the FAQ.

So, first things first.

Who was that guy?

That was Apocalypse.

But wait, weren't those people chanting something else? I know it wasn't the word "Apocalypse."

They were chanting "En Sabah Nur." That's the "real name" of Apocalypse.

OK. So who is Apocalypse/En Sabah Nur/the gray guy?

He was introduced in 1986's X-Factor #5, as the new big baddie for the X-Men. Depending on which X-writer you ask, Apocalypse was the first mutant, born 5,000 years ago in Egypt. He's a huge proponent of "survival of the fittest." Sure, mutants are the next step in evolution, but even they must prove their genetic worthiness.

The character would go on to become a primary villain for the X-Men. And in the event known as Age of Apocalypse (which will somewhat influence the upcoming sequel), an alternate timeline was introduced, in which the villain reigned and both humans and kindhearted mutants were afraid.