So, Iron Man is a god now

Marvel Comics’ current Iron Man series is all about Tony Stark’s god complex, and the great and terrible things that it has wrought on the world. But this week, writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Julius Ohta took that theme to its logical conclusion.

After bathing in the energy of the the Power Cosmic, Tony Stark has become the Iron God. And in Iron Man #16, he returns to New York to make sure his will be done in space as it is on Earth. Amen.

What’s the first thing Tony Stark does to try and create “harmony” among the people of Earth? Oh, just a little experiment. He makes every person in New York City as smart as he is.

As Mister Fantastic says, “I actually think I just became dumber...”

What else is happening in the pages of our favorite comics? We’ll tell you. Welcome to Monday Funnies, Polygon’s weekly list of the books that our comics editor enjoyed this past week. It’s part society pages of superhero lives, part reading recommendations, part “look at this cool art.” There may be some spoilers. There may not be enough context. But there will be great comics. (And if you missed the last edition, read this.)

Iron Man #16

Image: Christopher Cantwell, Julius Ohta/Marvel Comics

The issue shows several vignettes of average people around New York reacting to their new IQ levels, but inarguably the funniest one is these cheerfully existential baseball kids.

Saga #55

Image: Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples/Image Comics

Saga is back on the shelves, and it’s as if Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples never left. If anything, Staples has just continued to level up and level up and level up. It’s rare to find a monthly-producing comics artist who does as much on a book as she does at such a consistent quality: Drawing, coloring, inking, design, covers, and even hand lettering the narration.

Death of Doctor Strange #5

Image: Jed MacKay, Lee Garbett/Marvel Comics

In other Marvel news, what was announced has come to pass: Dr. Stephen Strange is dead. And Earth has a new Sorceress Supreme in his estranged paramour Clea.

X Lives of Wolverine #1

Image: Benjamin Percy, Joshua Cassara/Marvel Comics

Now, to be fair, X Lives of Wolverine #1 came out last week. But I held off from including it in the round up until we could review it together with its sister issue, X Deaths of Wolverine #1 this week. But if you think I was going to pass up a chance to post Professor Xavier’s mom drawing a shotgun on Wolverine before the umbilical cord was even cut, you have another think coming.