Captain America

The Big Edsel Band is not the best-looking band around. Or the best. Or the most original. Or the most successful. But, wait: Does Bon Jovi have its own comic book? The Big Edsel Band - five local guys who play oldies - has been captured for all time on the pages of a comic book. Now sold only in specialty stores, Big Edsel Band, the comic, will be at newsstands and in convenience stores nationwide come fall. How did this happen? And why? "They're a funny-looking band, they look like a cartoon," says veteran cartoonist Frank McLaughlin, whose idea this was. He has been drawing comic superheroes such as Superman and Captain America for 25 years; this is his first venture, artistically speaking, into the real world of small-time musicians.

When it was first announced that Marvel had asked David Morrell - the man who introduced John Rambo to the world in the novel "First Blood" - to write a Captain America story, there was instant buzz: The man who created what became one of cinema's most popular soldiers would be telling a tale starring the character many believe to be the symbol of the ultimate American soldier. Once it was announced that Morrell would set his story in present-day Afghanistan, many in the overwhelmingly liberal comics community started dismissing the book.

I WENT TO SEE "Thor" with friends at the movies. It is a must-see for any self-respecting comic-book fan from the Lee-Kirby era of Marvel Comics. We were a privileged lot, no doubt about it. My friend John and I would never have dreamed that the super-hero comics that we voraciously read in our youth would ever have received such fabulous treatment. It was beyond the pale. But here we are. And there you have them - Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor and (soon!) Captain America.

"Black Panther" (aka T'Challa) was the first black superhero in mainstream comic-book history and remains one of the most prolific. He has long been one of the more popular members of Marvel's "Mightiest Heroes," the Avengers. But Marvel's various attempts to give the character his own title have ultimately failed - and one of the major reasons is that the character has never seemed integral to the Marvel Universe the way characters like Captain America and Spider-Man are. Until now. Thanks to writer Reggie Hudlin (director and writer of the movie "House Party")

This week's DVD releases are topped by films about people who fight injustice and evil. Captain America: The First Avenger, Grade C-minus: Chris Evans - the guy who put the heat in the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies - steps into the boots of the latest comic-book-inspired film champion. He plays Steve Rogers, a 90-pound weakling who, through the magic of science, becomes the hunky Captain America. The film isn't a major disaster, but it generally could use some work.

WHEN MARVEL first announced "Civil War: The Confession," I was a bit underwhelmed. The idea of the one-shot, a conversation between Captain America and Iron Man - in which we would learn a secret about Civil War - did not seem terribly exciting. Toss in the fact that Brian Michael Bendis - a talented writer who, at his worst, would rather write endless dialogue at the expense of pacing and action - and you had a book that looked to be little more than an attempt by Marvel to take more money from the "Civil War" brand.

WHAT IS with all the Ks? Kim Kardashian , in the middle of kontentious divorce proceeding with Kris Humphries , may be hooking up with Kanye West . The Los Angeles Times reports that longtime pals Kim and Kanye are said to have taken their relationship to the next level. But are they sex-tape worthy? "Kim and Kanye have now just started dating," an anonymous source told People , adding that the duo are "keeping it light" and "seeing where it goes.

Who owns America? In this battle of the states, it's the Germans. In August, water company Philadelphia Suburban Corp. expanded its reach to 13 states and announced it would patriotically rename itself Aqua America Inc. The name, the winning entry in an employee contest, sounded like the fusion of two superheroes - Aquaman and Captain America. A colleague at the company's Bryn Mawr headquarters gave chief executive officer Nick DeBenedictis a Captain America action figure. Bosses were less giddy at bigger rival American Water, the Voorhees water company that, under new German owner RWE Group, also was expanding across the country.

Weeks    Per    Rank/Title/Studio Last Week   Total    Out   Location    1. Planet of the Apes (Fox) $54.8 mil.   $54.8 mil.   1   $15,024    2. The Smurfs (Sony) 20.7 mil.   75.9 mil.   2   6,098    3. Cowboys & Aliens (Univeral) 15.7 mil.   67.3 mil.   2   4,190    4. The Change-Up (Universal) 13.5 mil.   13.5 mil.   1   4,645    5. Captain America (Paramount)