greenrage36
pimpin' it Gamma-Style...
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d*mn this sounds like a good pickup...I'll be adding this to my pull-list asap!
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TASKMASTER #1: I may be alone on this, but I seriously, majorly enjoyed this. It was my BOOK OF THE WEEK over at Examiner and is the second Fred Van Lente book out this week. I enjoyed the "trailer" for it in AGE OF HEROES, but this exceeded all my expectations. Much like INCREDIBLE HERCULES, it handles a serious story without being too serious, and has a lot of comedy without being pure slapstick. In many ways, it is similar to the last four issue TASKMASTER mini series from 2002This issue was what I wish more $4 mini's were; it stood on it's end, beat it's chest and proclaimed it's awesomeness. It wasn't good enough to be good, but great, and beyond. It blew away all expectations. It utilized continuity well, and is telling a character story without any angst and a huge scoop of action packed fun. Even Mercedes the hapless waitress can hold her own in banter than many innocent civilians along for the ride of an adventure. While it's easy to dismiss the Org retcon as yet another mysterious crime boss, it's really just a plot device to get the story moving, and something I can easily roll with. This issue was so good, I already hate that this isn't an ongoing series, and I've only read 25% of this. Maybe I have terrible taste, or maybe I leaped at a book many are too cash strapped to try. I'll be beating down the doors for this for the next three months.; Taskmaster has a hit put out on him by another criminal network, and an unlucky civilian woman gets caught up in the action. This, however, is vastly superior even in one issue. It works as both a new mini for someone who hasn't read the character in a while or as a companion series to the end of AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE, the last major series where Taskmaster was a major player (especially during Christos Gage's solo run). After all, several villains tried to kill Taskmaster in issue #13 of that series due to a bounty being placed on his head due to working for the feds. This mini simply elaborates on that angle, and magnifies it.
The series' major retcon is that an underworld figure called "the Org", who outfits a lot of evil organizations with supplies or whatnot (much as the Tinkerer, or the Power Broker, or Dr. Malus, or Lucia Von Bardas used to so), although their main customers in their network aren't solo villains, but many of the organizations that create or hire them, such as HYDRA, AIM, the Secret Empire, Lords of the Living Lightening, and Ultimatum (and other new ones that crop up this issue). The Org has put a one billion dollar bounty on Taskmaster's head, fearing he's now a federal hero working undercover for Steve Rogers. That's actually far from the truth; Taskmaster ditched Oklahoma after SIEGE ended and Osborn's regime ended, and wants to get back into his old line of business. Unfortunately, the truth doesn't tend to matter with a pay out that big. Given that Taskmaster was working at Camp Hammond through two administrations and for about two years of real time, it's not an accusation that doesn't make sense.
There's more to the caper than the caper itself; Fred Van Lente is using the long held mystery angle to Taskmaster to his advantage, much as Brubaker & Fraction did with Iron Fist. Apparently, all of those absorbed skills and fighting styles in Taskmaster's head have clogged his brain, and unlike Wolverine, his brain doesn't literally regenerate. Thus, he's forgotten virtually all of his life since before he became Taskmaster, and may struggle with long term memory in general. He's eating at a diner when a jukebox song and a meal spark some memories, which helps connect him to the unluckiest waitress around.
That's not the real selling point of the issue, despite all that. The selling point is the sheer volume of evil organizations, both new and old, who show up all at once to try to kill Taskmaster. One group exist just to rip off a line from Mel Brooks' "HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PART ONE", and do so excellently. AIM has now adopted the motto, "DEATH BY SCIENCE" so much that agents scream it before battles. And the main battle sequence is hilarious. It doesn't stop there, though. The end of the story offers a recap of all the baddies, both old and new, for those with short memories of their own. The artwork by Jefte Palo is appropriate; a bit gritty, but not so much so that it weighs the story down. I actually really like how he draws Taskmaster's skull mask - makes it look more like a Scourge mask under a hood, but at least that's unique.
I wonder if the Don of the Dead is one of the guys that trained a young Taskie. It would be cool if he were the inspiration for Taskie's skull mask, which I've always found rather puzzling. It's in no way related to anything about his powers or name.
From the previews, I LOVE the way they depict his abilities, it's just awesome/![]()
I liked the art. I mean, it's no UDON Studios, but still appropriate. But art taste is subjective.