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

M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #1-4

by Jordan Blum

From Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum, showrunners of the upcoming animated MARVEL’S M.O.D.O.K. show on Hulu, comes a journey into the mind of one of the biggest heads in the Marvel Universe! M.O.D.O.K. is the ruthless and brilliant leader of the terrorist organization A.I.M., outsmarting heroes and outmaneuvering all the cutthroat colleagues gunning for his position. But when he begins to be haunted by memories of a family he never had, it leaves him unsure if he is losing his freakishly large mind, or if there is something more sinister behind these visions. M.O.D.O.K.’s quest to uncover the truth will find him teaming up with the most unlikely of allies… none other than Iron Man himself! But can M.O.D.O.K. untangle the mystery within himself before his many foes take advantage of his weakness — for good?

COLLECTING: M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games (2020) 1-4, M.O.D.O.K: Reign Delay One-Shot (2009), Fall of the Hulks: MODOK Digital (2010)
 

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fiction

120 pages, Paperback

Published June 29, 2021

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty funny book, even if it was essentially an advertisement for the MODOK television show when you boil it right down.

The artwork was pretty good (although it got slightly sloppy in the villain auction action scenes), especially the gorgeous covers by Cully Hamner (I’ll admit that I got excited when I saw his name attached to this book and was disappointed when I actually cracked it open and found he was only doing covers).

There were some genuine laugh aloud moments in this one but it does bug me when writers go for cheap laughs by portraying characters as morons who definitely aren’t in any other book; it makes the book feel like an ‘Elseworlds’-type story when it isn’t supposed to be. It’s entirely possible I’m overthinking this due to being extremely overtired and should just put my iPad down and go to bed now…

My next book: Mr. Funny

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as funny as I imagined it would be given that Patton Oswalt was involved. The funniest part was the Gwenpool appearance. That scene with Skids killed me. The rest actually played it pretty straight. This attempted to bridge the gap between the Kirby MODOK and the goofy MODOK.

There's some filler as well, M.O.D.O.K: Reign Delay and Fall of the Hulks: MODOK, both by Ryan Dunlavey. They are terrible with crude artwork.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Head Games is a moderately amusing restructuring of the M.O.D.O.K. TV series on Hulu. I watched that series - it grew funnier and deeper as the season progressed. Head Games, unfortunately, doesn't get the room to stretch its legs, so the depth and humor are basically surface level.

In Head Games, M.O.D.O.K. is suffering from intermittent flashbacks to a time when he had a family (including a giant-head daughter). Are these flashbacks real? Or planted by his creators? In any case, they keep getting in the way of M.O.D.O.K. being a murderous, hyper-intelligent criminal mastermind, so he strikes a deal with Tony Stark to excise the distracting memories. Humorous scenarios flow from there, leading to an abrupt conclusion. I guess you have to go watch the TV series for more?

This storyline is followed by two shorts in which M.O.D.O.K. is 100% played for very underwhelming humor. The art style for these shorts is barely "Sunday morning comics pages" level - extremely skippable.

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars.
(OK, this review is CLEARLY biased because of my unnatural love of this ridiculous character!)

That said.. I LOVED THIS TITLE! Marvel, for all their many flaws of late (Hellfire Gala, anyone?) has been knocking it out of the park with these mini-series focusing on lesser characters. (I've loved the Maestro, Shang Chi, Juggernaut, Werewolf by Night, Power Pack and Iron First mini-series over the last few years.)

But MODOK.. He is just a force of chaos, and you never know what will transpire when he appears! (Clearly this is tie-in/lead-in to the forthcoming MODOK animated series, as Patton Oswalt is attached to this mini-series.)

While assuredly not for everyone, this will have definite appeal for a sub-set of the comic-reading audience. (Just don't ask me for a Venn Diagram of this...)

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and trifling, the Dunlavey shorts are more enjoyable than the miniseries. MODOK is a villain and not great as a protagonist. It was odd as a tie in to the claymation series.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games (2020) #1-4, M.O.D.O.K: Reign Delay One-Shot (2009), Fall of the Hulks: MODOK (2010)

This collection has the recent 4-issue miniseries, but also includes two random M.O.D.O.K. one-shots (one from 2009 and one from 2010). I seem to remember possibly reading the "Fall of the Hulks: M.O.D.O.K." one-shot, but this review/rating is reflecting my feelings on the recent miniseries.

I'm a big fan of the relatively new character called Gwenpool, and when I saw her on the cover of Issue #3, I went back and bought the first two issues, and then started collecting this whole (short) series. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a big M.O.D.O.K. fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by this story. I hope there is a follow-up story, because while it has a satisfying conclusion, there is more story to be told here.

[Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main feature was pretty funny, but the Ryan Dunlavey back-ups stole the show.

[Bryce Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MODOK comic? Written by Patton Oswalt With special appearance by Gwenpool? It must be my birthday because this is quite possibly the greatest comic book ever.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clever until it isn't. Fun until it isn't. Dramatic until it isn't. M.O.D.O.K.: HEAD GAMES is precisely the comic one doesn't want to find, about precisely the villain one does. That is to say, entertaining the corruption and depravity of an underrepresented baddie until the creative team takes things sideways and sadly prefers a more obtuse narrative than a more practical and effective one. At a mere four issues, this run of M.O.D.O.K. could have served as a collegial stand-out, but instead, thanks to the awkward an entangled sidestepping of character drama at its grittiest, readers are left with the urge to skip whole pages with the lossless hope things haven't gone entirely to crap.

The massively domed M.O.D.O.K. and his super-duper computer brain is glitchy. Phantom memories of a family he never had. Ghosts of emotions for children he never nurtured. Visions of filial piety he always believed were for sad saps elsewhere. And yet, strange images keep rendering within M.O.D.O.K.'s line of sight as if they were indeed part of a past life. Memories are blurring together. Are these holograms the result of someone tampering with the guy's computer brain? Is he defective? Or worse?

M.O.D.O.K.: HEAD GAMES sports an interesting premise, not because it toes the line of humanizing a psychopath, but because it gives the protagonist the agency he needs to seek resolution (or reconciliation) to his own satisfaction. The only limitation on whether M.O.D.O.K. discovers if his imagined wife, son, and daughter are real is M.O.D.O.K. himself. The comic follows this train of logic quite dutifully for two solid issues, but hits an enormous roadblock in the form a garish and annoying, joke-turned-cash-cow (i.e., Gwenpool).

Alas, such is the fate of a miniseries focused on a criminal shunted to B-level or C-level villainy and in eager need to justify its awkward attempt at relevance. M.O.D.O.K. may be delightfully annoying in an old school way (e.g., speaking in third-person, split-second rationalizing of failure), but the opportunity to render him anew for contemporary audiences deserves more critical care than mere shtick. And regrettably, M.O.D.O.K.: HEAD GAMES, after a good start, collapses exceptionally under the weight of its own shtick.

[Devowasright · Rating 4 out of 5]

More patton oswalt writing comics please.

[Alex Sarll]

Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt's scabrous animated MODOK series is undoubtedly the most underappreciated of the Disney+ Marvel shows, but here they have a go at taking on the 616 version of the classic "murderous Funko Pop" villain. Though there are nods to the screen version, MODOK's implausible suburban family cropping up in what may be suppressed memories or just corroded files, and obviously whenever Tony Stark pops up I hear him as voiced by Jon Hamm. The sensibility here is perhaps a little less claymation wacky, but not by much, with MODOK in disguise (How, when he looks like that? Well, they find quite a clever workaround) to crash a criminal technology expo and get his own back on AIM, who have still screwed him over, albeit not with the TV iteration's tech-bro buyout. It's on less sure ground once it gets into the more usual business of origin reworks, hidden players and so forth, but when it's taking the piss it's great fun. And I really hope this isn't the last we've seen of SLOTHDOK. The collection is filled out with Ryan Dunlavey's pure spoof MODOK stuff from a decade back, which remains thoroughly entertaining.

[Dubzor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than I was expecting. It's actually an interesting character piece with a very dark sense of humor. The dialogue is witty without being too witty and knows when to drop the act for dramatic moments. Worth a read.

[Rob Schamberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

MODOK gets hit on the head (I mean, where else can you hit him?) and starts having visions of the family from his TV show. Heists, homicides and hijinks ensue. Crazy fun with gorgeous art!

[JJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite being a huge Marvel fan, I don't cross paths with M.O.D.O.K. very often. I've seen him in a few videogames, but he was never a big feature of the comics I've spent so much time reading. I started watching the show on Hulu out of curiosity, saw this comic being advertised after the end credits, and figured it was time to finally read a comic about M.O.D.O.K.

M.O.D.O.K: Head Games tries to reconcile the universe of the TV show and the comics universe -- although since I'm not super familiar with M.O.D.O.K in comics, I don't know if it's supposed to take place in mainstream continuity or not. It does a pretty good job coming up with an excuse for M.O.D.O.K to suddenly have his TV family, and M.O.D.O.K has some solid run-ins with various heroes and villains as he tries to figure out what's real and what's not. Visually, these four issues are nice and colorful, although they didn't leave a long-lasting impression. I felt like M.O.D.O.K's dialogue was easy enough to read in Patton Oswalt's voice from the show, so that was a plus.

Unfortunately, the Head Games trade paperback suffers from the inclusion of two more stories: M.O.D.O.K: Reign Delay and Fall of the Hulks: M.O.D.O.K. They're written and drawn in a more kid-friendly style and seem like they're supposed to be humorous. There was exactly one joke that was even the tiniest bit amusing between the two of them, and the stories they told weren't worth anything outside of that.

It's my understanding that M.O.D.O.K fans don't have a lot of M.O.D.O.K-dedicated comics to read, so I imagine this series is worth picking up if M.O.D.O.K is one of your favorite characters. And if you liked the TV show, Head Games might be up your alley as well. Just don't expect anything from the additional included comics and you'll probably have a fine time.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting much from this book, but I do love how bonkers a character MODOK is, especially in more recent depictions. What I wasn't expecting was a book that would somehow tie into the MODOK Hulu series, if only by borrowing some characters but radically changing the circumstances around them.

It's a quirky side adventure but still a solid reading experience.

[Luke Muench · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really rough, too short, and ends in an abrupt and nonsensical way. I enjoy Patton Oswalt's humor, but this did not land for me. I do enjoy the creative ways that MODOK lives up to his moniker, and there are some cute moments, but most of the story feels incredibly rushed and not particularly interesting.

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This MODOK as much like the one in the TV show (no surprise given a Patton Oswalt credit) but it's unclear to me what the status of his family is and puts into question my understanding of the show.

I like this incarnation of MODOK and AIM.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely does not take the ridiculous MODOK seriously, which is a huge plus. Also, Gwenpool shows up in the third issue and she makes for a great guest star. Overall, fun and kind of silly, in the best possible way.

[Bekka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another bonkers read, focusing on M.O.D.O.K. and his possible family. And, let's not forget Tony and Gwenpool's cameos!
TW for human experimentation, violence, death, blood, death threats, mental manipulation, child abuse.

[Jason Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to tie M.O.D.O.K. to the awful Hulu show is what was good and what was bad about this. Gwenpool shows up for a cameo, but it's pretty dumb.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most fun you’ll ever have with MODOK! Not as silly as I was expecting, a pretty solid and emotional run.

[Bart Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

¿Una versión gamberra de "La Vision" de King & Walta? No es su intención pero se le acerca en ciertos parámetros generales.
Bien escrito, mejor dibujado, cortito y a otra cosa mariposa.

[Devin Araujo · Rating 5 out of 5]

MODOK LIVES

[Chris Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of marvel or specifically MODOK, then this is must read. I l have the background of reading this after having watched the animated series but I don’t think it’s necessary

[Jorge Schumacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 estrelas

[boofykins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so dumb and fun. I loved it!

[Malcolm Fraser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got a verified lol out of this. Goofy MODOK is the best MODOK.

[The_J · Rating 2 out of 5]

This piece is from the creators of the animated MODOK series. Not terrible, which I suppose has to count as a win in the items being produced in 2012 by Marvel.

[MarvelousNick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's funny but does not forget to add a human element to the characters. Always been a fan of MODOK but this is something else.

[Drake Zappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was so much better than I expected it to be. This book is fun and action packed with some unexpectedly twisty moments that add depth to both the story but also modok as a character. Wouldn't mind seeing more modok books in the future, cos this was ridiculously fun!