Fans of Hulu series Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. were dealt a blow last week when it was announced that the animated series was officially canceled after one season. Though the the cartoon has come to an end, perhaps fans can take some solace in the news that the M.O.D.O.K. showrunners Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum are teaming up again for Minor Threats, their first creator-owned series from Dark Horse.

Along for the ride is artist Scott Hepburn who previously worked with Oswalt and Blum on their M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games miniseries from last year. The creative team also includes Ian Herring as colorist and Nake Piekos as letterer. Much like M.O.D.O.K., it appears the creative team is once again giving the spotlight on supervillains in this “genre-bending crime drama” comic miniseries.

Here’s how Dark Horse describes Minor Threats:

It’s hard out there for a supervillain. Not the world conquerors, chaos engines, or arch-nemeses… but the little guys, the career criminals. The ones who put on uniforms, knock over jewelry stores, and get tied to telephone poles before the hero swings off to face the actual big bad. Times are tough for costumed crooks… and they’re about to get much worse. The psychotic Stickman has done the unthinkable and murdered Kid Dusk, sidekick to Twilight City’s premier crime-fighter, The Insomniac. The Insomniac’s teammates, The Continuum, are tearing Twilight apart, turning it into a terrifying police state–desperate to capture the Stickman and stop the Insomniac from “crossing that final line” in which he may never come back from. Caught in the middle are the small-time c-list villains, finding it impossible to pull jobs or even walk down the street without being harassed by these heroes. With a bounty on the Stickman’s head, former villain Playtime decides to put together a ragtag team of equally disgruntled supervillains to take down the Stickman and kill him themselves. Leading her on a dark journey into the criminal underbelly she’s tried so hard to escape.

After various comic projects for both Marvel and DC, comedian and unabashed comic fan Patton Oswalt expressed great excitement to work on an original creation.

“Every comic book fan dreams of creating their own universe. This one is mine and Jordan’s. There is fun and danger and violence and sadness just like in real life, but with WAY brighter colors. I can’t wait to see you guys experience it.”

Co-writer Jordan Blum teased what’s to come

“This is our love letter to superhero comics and crime fiction. An underdog story of inept costumed criminals in over their heads, trying to survive an unforgiving city filled with caped gods, fallen kaiju, and traffic causing time vortexes. Everyday crooks in a fantastical world trying to get theirs.”

Artist Scott Hepburn added

“Work like this is why I’ve always wanted to be a comic book artist. Patton, Jordan, and myself are in a three-way battle of one-ups-manship to prove who loves this book more.”

Some early praise for Minor Threats:

“I was hooked from the first page! Minor Threat is delicious, villainous dark pop that churns up the world of the marginalized and serves up a decadent and dangerous feast, all presented in glorious bombastic visual eye-fuckery that has reignited my love of comics. At last, something cool in a world were nothing is cool.”–Taika Waititi (Director—What We Do in the Shadows, Thor: Love and Thunder)

“Minor Threats is a hardcore blast from the bad brain of Patton Oswalt. I love the full-on collision of his grimy, superhero underworld; with eye-poppingly gorgeous splash pages of art by Scott Hepburn. A naughty peek under the cape that you’ll devour like contraband.” –Edgar Wright (Director—Last Night in Soho, Shaun of the Dead)

“Minor Threats is exactly what one would expect from Patton Oswalt—it’s intelligent, funny, and twisted. I’m also worried about him.”–Judd Apatow (Director—The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The King of Staten Island)

The first issue of Minor Threats will sport a standard cover by Hepburn, special foil variant of the standard cover, and a variant by Hellboy’s Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart.

Check out the variant below and look for Minor Threats #1 to arrive in stores on Wednesday August 24, 2022.

 

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