'Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.' gives a fringe villain a weird, very-adult starring role

Marvel dives big head first into the Adult Swim sandbox with "M.O.D.O.K.," a stop-motion animation series that seeks hilarity in exploring the lighter side of one of the more ridiculous denizens of the comics. While the show -- decidedly not for kids -- should amuse those steeped in comic-book trivia, the kick of doing something different is offset by the sheer weirdness of the effort.

Created by Patton Oswalt (who also provides the voice of the title character) and Jordan Blum, "M.O.D.O.K." has been improbably plucked from what Oswalt has called the "C and D-level" of Marvel's heroes and villains, with several equally obscure, third-tier figures (and one more prominent one) making cameos. For comic-book fans who once groused about not having the medium taken seriously on screen, the appetite for all things Marvel is almost too much of a good thing.