Marvel’s new Doctor Strange comic gives him an all-new power source

Al Ewing and Javier Rodríguez’s DefendersThe book was beautiful from the beginning. A supernatural adventure in which Doctor Strange, along with some magically selected companions, travels through multiverses on a mission to find a good guy and stop him. But with this issue, Ewing and Rodríguez put a very different kind of power into its characters hands.

In fact, one might say it’s the fundamental underpinning of all of comic book magic.

Yes, I’m talking about the four color printing process.

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. You may not have enough context. However, there will be many great comics. This is the latest edition.

Image: Al Ewing, Javier Rodríguez/Marvel Comics

Strange is the type of metatext that keeps me moving: Strange says the strength of this Avengers team comes from their representation of the Secret Fire and the Tarot houses, and thus form the five elements of a pentagram known as the Sign of Five. They are “all the colors” of magic — which Rodríguez represents throughout the issue as yellow, cyan, magenta, black, and white.

That is, the four colors of the four printing process that combine to make all the colors on a printed page — and white, the color of the page itself. Whatta chef’s kiss.

Image: Dan Watters, Dani/DC Comics

The first issue was a great read. Arkham City: The Order of the WorldThe success of this project is due in part to Dani Stewart and Dave Stewart who brought out some great classics. SandmanThere are some great vibes in the series. Most Arkham Asylum stories are eventually about how everybody who gets put in the Asylum — staff included — slowly goes madder just from being there, but Order of the World seems like it’s pointed somewhere different than that old well, and I’m curious to see where.

Image by Zeb Wells/Patrick Gleason/Marvel Comics

That would be my opinion. Amazing Spider-Man #75 is a great place for new readers to pick up the book but honestly… it really feels like a continuation of Nick Spencer’s just-concluded run, which was spectacularly dense and continuity-heavy. But the quips are fantastic.

Image by Christopher Sebela/Kendall Goode/Oni Press

Dirtbag RaptureIt all starts with one idea: A protagonist that can house the restless spirits inside her mind earns a living reluctantly transporting dead ghosts from their final location to somewhere nicer. As you can see, the story gets more interesting on the last page. Continue readingIt can be complicated.

Image: Kieron Gillen, Kei Zama/Marvel Comics

The Eternals are doing a bunch of one-shots while the rest of their ongoing series gets ready for its second arc, and they’re all really good. The Avengers are using the dead body of one of the Eternals as their headquarters. This is what two Eternals have to face this week. This is quite rude.

Image: James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno/DC Comics

This is just to say that DC’s creator-owned horror comic The Nice House on the LakeThe art is still very difficult to rip.

Image: Vita Ayala, Rod Reis/Marvel Comics

Rod Reis has great art and is a true artist. New Mutants, as the gang gets trapped in the Shadow King’s illusions. Amazing, beautiful work.