Marvel just solved the MCU’s Eternals sequel problem in the comics

When Marvel Studios announced that it would bring the Eternals to the screen, not as secondary characters but in their own solo franchise, most people said, “Who?” But true Marvel Comics nerds said, “Why?”

It has never been a success for the Eternals. Jack Kirby was their creator and they were not published on the page when the Fourth World’s more famous Fourth World appeared. Not even when Neil Gaiman (preeminent myth-maker) teamed with John Romita Jr. for an updated version. And they didn’t really work in Marvel Studios’ EternalsThis movie is fascinating more for its ambitions that its achievements.

So expectations for Kieron Gillen’s Eternals were low, even though his gods-walk-among-us-as-pop-stars magnum opus The Wicked +The DivineIt gave him the right resume to make it happen. Although I looked forward to it immensely, I was even more surprised that it led to an event with natural flow that would be open to all Marvel Comics readers.

And it’s not too late — not too late at all — for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to rip the whole concept out of the funnybook pages and slap it up on the screen.

Were there other things happening within the pages of comics we love? 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. It may not provide enough context. However, there will be many great comics. This is the latest edition.

Irakis of the Eternals — disguised in a hoodie and jeans — helps a family replace their flat tire in the rain. Only when they are driving away does the father of the family realize that Ikaris didn’t have a carjack in AXE: Judgment Day: Omega (2022).

I’m using the finale of AXE: Judgment DateAs an excuse for saying that Eternals-to-Judgment Day saga has surpassed “if you like superhero comics, read this” and reached “if you want to read a good comic, read Gillen and artist Esad Ribić’s EternalsFollowed by AXE: Judgment Date.” The idea that the story has finished with a whole cadre of Eternals out there doing minor acts of superheroing Robin Hood-style around the globe and then leaving town as the Sad Hulk music plays — that’s good stuff. That’s good setup for anyone else who wants to use these characters, either for continuation or as guest stars in other books!

I’m normally the last person to advocate for a movie franchise to directly adapt anything that JustThose events took place in comics. But the MCU EternalsJust enough bones were left to support the entire body. Judgment Day that it wouldn’t take much more to veer the franchise in the right direction. The MCU could take a risk on the Eternals if they were not yet good enough, but it may be better to do so when they are.

The two leads stand unnerved on a levitating platform as the necromancer wrestling promoter says “You’re going to wrestle god [...] they’re a huge wrestling fan. So much so that they do it professionally.” in Do a Powerbomb #6 (2022).

Speaking of “welp, you gotta fight god now” plot lines, every month I read another issue of Do a Powerbomb and every month I’m mad that I have to do other things with my time than telling people they need to read Do a Powerbomb.

“Any chance you can drop b—” Robin says into his earpiece and Wally West/the Flash arrives instantly, saying “What do you need?” Batman turns to him and says, smirking, “Want to help us build a Batmobile?” in Batman: Urban Legends #21 (2022).

Anthologies are always hit or miss — that’s the whole business plan of them, after all. A story with a real banger is one that makes the most of everything else, while giving novice creators and niche characters time to shine. Batman: Urban Legends However, #21 is the issue in which I enjoyed every single story. “The Wheelman of Gotham” (depicted above) takes first billing, with its crack writing and its Darwyn Cooke by way of Jiro Kuwata art. But then the issue continues with one of the only many recent attempts at a story about police brutality through the eyes of the Gotham police department that has actually worked for me, a neat enough mystery about Batman’s parents coming back to life, and part one of a story about Arkham Asylum’s new juvenile detention program for supervillain sidekicks, which I can’t wait to read more of.

Kaya drags a lizard steed out of a rushing river with great effort. “By your own lizard law,” she growls at a pissed off lizard man, “she’s mine now,” in Kaya #2 (2022).

No thoughts in the head, just the idea of lizard law.

Beast and Wolverine trade barbs before Beast slits Wolverine’s throat in Wolverine #27 (2022).

Both have been run by Benjamin Percy since he became the writer. WolverineWhat it actually says on the tin X-Force (Krakoa’s CIA program, wrapped up in all the bad things the comparison suggests), the two books have been on a slow-burn collision course. With this week’s issue, it looks like he might be ready to finally slam Beast and Wolverine into each other like two semitrucks going in opposite directions. It probably won’t have ripple effects much further than these two books, and probably nobody cares except people who’ve been reading both series this whole time. But I’ll still say it: It’s exciting.

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