DC’s new Suicide Squad origin comic turns King Shark into Jesus Shark

For a character concept as inexplicable as “nearly indestructible man-shaped shark” King Shark is a character who works absurdly well without any explanation at all. But like all comic book superheroes and villains, he does have an origin story, even if it’s not brought up very often.

Suicide Squad: King Shark, a three-issue digital first miniseries timed to the release of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, is bringing it up. King Shark’s real name is Nanaue, and he is the son of the god of all sharks. And that, the book takes pains to point out, makes him the Jesus of sharks.

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.)

Image: Tim Seeley, Scott Kolins/DC Comics

Image: Tim Seeley, Scott Kolins/DC Comics

Tim Seeley has flexed his “absurd comedy with heart” muscles on titles like Grayson and Shatterstar, so I have every expectation that he and artist Scott Kolins will bring home this story of a very bored King Shark on his yearly trip to the ocean to prove to his demanding relatives that his teeth are still sharp enough to be the Jesus of Sharks.

Image: Al Ewing, Flaviano/Marvel Comics

Guardians of the Galaxy has introduced a new Prince of Power, which used to be Hercules’ (yes, the Marvel superhero Hercules’) sobriquet. The new guy is … a man whose power is magnified by his intelligence to such a fantastic degree that he has to stay stupid to avoid cracking the universe in half. If it’s not clear, I think this is great.

Image: James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas/Boom Studios

This is just to say that James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas’ Wynd is just quietly out there being a really great queer YA dark fantasy series. All the world building you’d expect from a tabletop setting, with the kind of subject matter that would have made middle school me feel like I was reading something very grown up — but without exposing me to something that should really only be processed by a grown up.

Image: J.M. DeMatteis, James Tucker, Ethen Beavers/DC Comics

OK, so I was definitely wrong about the Justice Lords. But we’ve got Superman acknowledging the rise of neo-nazis in his modern America and it’s in the comic based on the Cartoon Network show for kids? Truly an unexpected surprise.

Image: Al Ewing, Joe Bennett/Marvel Comics

Immortal Hulk is almost over, but Al Ewing and Joe Bennett are not resting on their laurels. The series’ penultimate issue absolutely killed it, hanging the entire issue on the reverse parallels between the Hulk’s origin story and that of the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s first family, who inspired the heroic age.