Comic Info
Comic Name: M.O.D.O.K. Assassin
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Christopher Yost
Artist: Amilcar Pinna
# of Issues: 5
Release Date: 2015
M.O.D.O.K. Assassin #1 Variant
Reprints M.O.D.OK. Assassin #1-5 (July 2015-November 2015). M.O.D.O.K. aka the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing finds himself as Baron Mordo’s enforcer in Killville…home to assassins and murderers. When a Thor named Angela crashes into Killville, M.O.D.OK. finds the love of his life…even if she doesn’t know it. Now Angela is in an unlikely team-up with M.O.D.OK. and out to find who is plotting against Lord God Doom and his agents.
Written by Christopher Yost, Warzones!: M.O.D.OK. Assassin is a five issue limited series spinoff of the Marvel Comics’ series Secret Wars. The collection features art by Amilcar Pinna.
Secret Wars didn’t really interest me that much, but some of the spin-off limited series did. There were cliché titles that you expected surrounding X-Men, Spider-Man, and the Avengers, and then there were odd titles like M.O.D.OK. Assassin with very little preconceived notion…and M.O.D.OK. Assassin turned into a fun comic as a result.
The joy of M.O.D.OK. Assassin is M.O.D.OK. himself. The character has always been an odd mix of science, technology, and just weirdness due to his strange physical appearance. Here, we get to hear a lot of M.O.D.OK. internal (or often external) monologue which provides both humor and rounds the character which always struggled to be more than a big headed little man to me.
M.O.D.O.K. Assassin #2 Variant
Each spinoff title be it Warzones! or Battleworld were kind of extended versions of Marvel’s What If? which I enjoyed. It didn’t have the limits of What If? in that a specific event was the touchstone for each world and instead, the writers had a bit more freedom to expand their portion of Battleworld. M.O.D.OK. Assassin utilizes this and has a great supporting cast of killers…even if they get whacked by M.O.D.OK. unceremoniously (which is part of the reason it is fun…like Taskmaster).
The art for the series is a lot of fun as well. M.O.D.OK. is such a goofy character and artists have to have fun with this. With a giant, expressive face, M.O.D.OK. is like a nice blank slate for Pinna to play with and the art works for the absurdity of the series.
You don’t have to necessarily read Secret Wars to enjoy M.O.D.OK. Assassin and that is why it works better than some of the other series. The inane humor and fun of the comic carries it a long way and a short five issue run helps keep it from getting longwinded. M.O.D.O.K. Assassin almost is a standalone in some aspects, but it is unfortunate that comics like this got buried in the avalanche of Secret Wars…it is worth visiting Killville.
Related Links:
Battleworld: Master of Kung Fu
Warzones!: Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars
