Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Francis Portela
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $2.99
MODOK.
Say it with me.
MODOK.
Yes, MODOK, that wonderful Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing is back. Having recently appeared in an OK storyline in Ms Marvel, a wonderful little story in the Marvel Holiday Special and an absolute masterpiece story in an issue of Marvel Adventures - The Avengers, some genius at Marvel has seen fit to give MODOK his own miniseries.
This, in case you were unsure, is a very good thing.
We start the issue with a flashback to MODOK’s origin, back when he was just plain George Tarleton, a lowly member of Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) with a normal-sized head. We see him volunteer for the fateful experiment that made a MODOK out of him, mainly to prove himself to a girl that rejects him. We also see the experiment go incredibly wrong, and George’s first murder spree as a big-headed genius/killing machine – all the while flashing forward to MODOK working on an equation which suggests that he recruits some minions.
We then get to meet some of MODOK’s minions – starting out with Armadillo, Puma, Mentallo and Rocket Racer, four of Marvel’s (let’s be charitable and say) lesser-known villains .Well, they’re not exactly villains as such, as all bar Mentallo have had heroic careers at one time or another. Shall we settle on lesser-known characters, then? Right. So, four of Marvel’s most unjustly neglected superstars-in-the-making are contacted by a MODOK-sent hallucinatory mentor figure in the course of their daily lives, and offered the chance to make five million dollars. As none of them are exactly waiting on a call to be in Spider-Man 4, they arrive at the pre-arranged meet-up point and meet up with four more equally unlikely leading lights of supervillainy… and then get into a fight, as usually happens. MODOK arrives, tells them why they’re there, and the issue is over.
Fred Van Lente has done a great job here of assembling a group of exactly the right kind of (let’s go for honesty this time and say) complete and utter no-hope losers to fit this kind of story. MODOK’s chosen minions are all suitable to be used in a more serious tale – and have been at various points in their careers – but as Van Lente proves with this issue, it’s entirely possible to treat a character seriously, mock them and tell an entertaining story at the same time. He also gives MODOK and each of our original four a brief yet entertaining introduction – just enough to give you an idea of who these people are and why they’d accept a job like this. Portela’s pencils are also quite impressive, and it’s good to see that he was chosen rather than someone with a more “fun”, cartoonier style. This is a caper, and the straighter they’re played, the funnier the comedy moments are.
At the end of the first issue there are still some unanswered questions - Who are the other two members of the titular team? What exactly does MODOK have planned for them? What is he hiding? Most importantly, when is the next issue out? If it’s anywhere near as good as this one, it had better be soon.
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Russell Hillman was born in London but now lives in Coventry. His hobbies include precious little. He doesn’t get out much, but thinks reading a lot of comics makes up for it. He’s wrong.