Thursday is Bring Even More Patriotic Heroes to Work Day

Since the 4th of July falls on a Saturday this year, we get to have Friday off. And since we have Friday off, Bring Your Action Figure to Work Day moves up one.

As this is America's most patriotic holiday--celebrating, as it does, the signing of the Declaration of Independence--it seemed appropriate to bring in a collection of patriotic heroes, including:

The Shield, previously seen a few weeks ago, but not seen here because he's being blocked out in the photo above by...

The current Captain America, who took over after the original Cap was shot to death a couple of years ago (although Marvel Comics is, quite predictably, bringing the original back from the dead--as I told a coworker earlier today, "he's dead, but he's getting better"). This new Cap is actually Bucky Barnes, the original's sidekick who was long thought to be dead, but was actually a Russian assassin called the Winter Soldier who...OK, it's pretty damn complicated, but the current Captain America comic is one of the best-written on the market today, so go buy it or the series of trade paperback reprints of it. It's really good. Trust me.

There is also Steel, who also fought in World War II, but was created by DC Comics in the late '70s as a sort-of Captain America ripoff

The original Captain America stands in the middle, holding his old-school shield (as it appeared in Captain America Comics #1, but not thereafter--the comic book company that published the adventures of The Shield threatened to sue, so Cap's shield was changed to a round one with the second issue and has been round ever since).

Also carrying a shield (and a honkin' battleaxe) is Wonder Woman--technically not an American, but she wears the colors of our nation and also kicked Nazi ass in WW II, so she fits in perfectly.

Even Iron Man has been swept up in the patriotic fervor and is wearing red, white & blue armor (with coordinating shield).

On the end, we have American Maid from Fox's Tick cartoon. She cleans everything--including your clock!

And last, but far from least, we have, presiding over all, Uncle Sam himself, the living embodiment of the American spirit.

Happy Independence Day, everybody.