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M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games

M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games is an American comic book limited series written by Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt and drawn by Scott Hepburn. Published by Marvel Comics,[4] the series is a tie-in with the M.O.D.O.K. Hulu animated series by Blum and Oswalt. Set on Earth-616, the series follows M.O.D.O.K. Superior as he begins having visions of his family from the Hulu series (ultimately revealed as glitched programmes in his head), going up against his nemesis Gwen Poole and the father of the original M.O.D.O.K. George — Alvin Tartleton.[5][6]

The series was published across four issues from December 2, 2020, to April 28, 2021,[7] and collectively as a graphic novel on May 20, 2021.

Premise

From Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum, the showrunners of the Hulu animated series Marvel's M.O.D.O.K., the Earth-616 M.O.D.O.K. Superior reigns as the ruthless and brilliant leader of the terrorist group A.I.M., regularly outsmarting superheroes and his colleagues. However, when he begins to be haunted by memories of a family he never had (from the animated series), left unsure of whether he is losing his mind or therse is something more to it, he begins investigating their origin, while Scientist Supreme Monica Rappaccini hires his nemesis Gwen Poole to kill him.[8][9][10][11]

Characters

  • M.O.D.O.K. Superior – A supervillain cloned cyborg who has an oversized head and a stunted body.
  • Monica Rappaccini – The Scientist Supreme of A.I.M., who hires Gwen Poole to kill M.O.D.O.K. Superior after she previously killed him in The Unbelievable Gwenpool.
  • Gwen Poole – M.O.D.O.K. Superior's semi-omnipotent nemesis, a former employee of his from his 'Agents of M.O.D.O.K.' who is a girl from the real world transported to the Marvel Universe. Originally believing M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games to be a new Gwenpool series of which she is the protagonist, on learning it is actually M.O.D.O.K.'s own series after killing him, she revives him before giving up her position as antagonist to Alvin Tartleton.
  • Alvin Tartleton – The founder of A.I.M. and the father of the original M.O.D.O.K. George Tarleton, from whom M.O.D.O.K. Superior was cloned.[12]
  • JOD1E – M.O.D.O.K. Superior's "wife", a programme in his system created by Alvin to keep his son's systems in-check, who was transferred over to M.O.D.O.K. Superior when George was cured and cloned, and is later given the body of a Super-Adaptoid to exist in the real world, along with their "children" Melissa and Lou.

Development

To promote their Hulu animated series M.O.D.O.K., Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum co-wrote a miniseries for Marvel Comics titled M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games. The comic quickly establishes the existence of M.O.D.O.K.'s family from the Hulu series into the mainstream Marvel Universe, albeit as a trio of Super-Adaptoids that were copied from the hallucinations of M.O.D.O.K. Superior brought upon by a glitched program in his head.[13]

The four-issue miniseries began publication in December 2020, and concluded in April the next year, cover-dated June.[14][15]

Reception

Issue # Publication date Critic rating Critic reviews Ref.
1 December 2020 8.8/10 8 [16]
2 January 2021 8.8/10 4 [17]
3 February 2021 9.2/10 2 [18]
4 April 2021 9.0/10 2 [19]
Overall 8.9/10 16 [20]

References

  1. ^ Frevele, Jamie (September 16, 2020). "Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt Put Their Heads Together for M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #1 This December". Marvel.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  2. ^ Laughing Place Staff (October 30, 2020). "Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum Discuss Their "M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games" Comic Series". Laughing Place. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  3. ^ DeArmitt, Grant (December 3, 2020). "Patton Oswalt & Jordan Blum play Head Games with Marvel villain M.O.D.O.K." GamesRadar+. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  4. ^ White, Cody (December 2, 2020). "M.O.D.O.K. Head Games #1: Getting Out of My Own Head". Comic Watch. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  5. ^ Blum, Jordan; Oswalt, Patton; Hepburn, Scott (May 20, 2021). "M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games". Marvel Comics. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  6. ^ Hassan, Chris (February 1, 2021). "X-Men Monday #94 — M.O.D.O.K. Monday With Jordan Blum & Patton Oswalt". AIPT Comics. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  7. ^ Liggera, Katie (July 2, 2021). "If This Be…A 'M.O.D.O.K. Head Games' Review!". Gate Crashers. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Stone, Sam (December 3, 2020). "MODOK: Head Games #1 Puts the Marvel Villain on Center Stage". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  9. ^ Brooke, David (December 1, 2020). "'M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games' #1 review". AIPT Comics. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  10. ^ Schaidler, John (December 4, 2020). "Review: "M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games" #1". Multiversity Comics. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Brooke, David (January 6, 2021). "'M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games' #2 review". AIPT Comics. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  12. ^ Dodge, John (April 30, 2021). "MODOK Reveals the Horrifying True Origin of Marvel's Next Streaming Star". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  13. ^ Smith, Tessa (May 4, 2021). "MODOK's Hulu Family Are Officially Comics Canon (With Awesome Powers)". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  14. ^ Pleasant, Robbie (November 25, 2020). "Soliciting Multiversity: Marvel's Top 10 for February 2021". AIPT Comics. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  15. ^ Brooke, David (June 30, 2021). "'M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games' unique comedy that's hard to resist". AIPT Comics. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  16. ^ "M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #1 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  17. ^ "M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #2 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  18. ^ "M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #3 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  19. ^ "M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #4 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  20. ^ "M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games (2021) Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved May 20, 2021.