Taskmaster #3 - Spoilers & Discussion

[Expletive Deleted]

Taskmaster #3 by Van Lente, Palo, and Beaulieu, out today . . .

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I'm of two minds about this issue. On the one hand, I'm not wild about Taskmaster's new backstory and some of the changes Van Lente's had to make to get it to work. On the other, this comic is a ridiculous amount of fun. An absolutely ludicrous amount of fun.

There are two main threads to this story. The first is Taskmaster and Mercedes infiltrating a Nazi hideaway in South America where everyone thinks their Hitler (it's pretty great), a location which turns out to have tie-ins to Taskmaster's history. The second is Nick Fury giving Steve Rogers a briefing on the same topic.

Tony Masters was a SHIELD agent. As part of the wrap-up of the first Hate Monger attack, he was sent to raid the South American hideout (see above) of a Nazi scientist named Dr. Gorsht who was developing a speed-learning formula, the better to indoctrinate people to Nazi ideology. The mission went south, the place was going up in flames, and Tony decided to inject himself with the formula. It damaged his hippocampus, hindering his ability to network his memories. As Nick tells Steve, Tony has always worked for SHIELD, even while he was actively fighting superheroes. He became a bad guy who couldn't remember he was really a good guy, and was dependent on his handler for everything. His handler . . . Mercedes. Who's also his wife.

The third plot thread lets us know who's behind the current plot on Taskmaster's life. It's a coalition of henchmen who want to find and overthrow The Org. Their leader? Redshirt, the Uber-Henchman! Yes, it's as awesomely ridiculous as it sounds. The page where one of his underlings questions his name choice is just . . . I laughed out loud.

Like I said, it's awesome. The dialogue sparkles, the art's fantastic, and, again, it's a ton of fun. I'm not entirely comfortable with the changes to Taskmaster's backstory (I don't know that he needed an explicit origin and the memory thing seems to void a big chunk of the character's past characterization), but it's a pretty great comic in spite of that.

Anyone else pick this up?

[Godlike13]

I'm of two minds about this issue. On the one hand, I'm not wild about Taskmaster's new backstory and some of the changes Van Lente's had to make to get it to work. On the other, this comic is a ridiculous amount of fun. An absolutely ludicrous amount of fun.

That's exactly how i felt about this issue.

[worstblogever]

Now THAT is some deep cover.

[The Cool Thatguy]

That's exactly how i felt about this issue.

Haven't read the issue yet, but judging from the last two, yeah same.

Part of Taskmaster's appeal was that he was a regular-ish guy with a good deal of common sense and a gimmick. This Jason Bourne background is just way too generic, IMO.

[Monty_Cristo]

i don't know how i feel about Taskmaster not naturally having the reflexes. but the book if entertaining enough. didn't Deadpool have a wife named Mercedes or am i misremembering? the name definately sounds familiar.

ha! red shirt!

[Cthulhudrew]

Taskmaster: Has memory problems and a wife named Mercedes he doesn't know about.

Deadpool: Has memory problems and a wife named Mercedes he doesn't know about. (Possibly.)

T-Ray: Has memory problems (possibly) and a wife named Mercedes he knows about.



(I am pretty much in agreement with ED's assessment. Fun story, but I really don't like the backstory that was given to Taskmaster in order to make it work. I liked the character the way he was. Plus, do we really need another villain trained by the government who went rogue for whatever reason?)

[Monty_Cristo]

so is "Tony" still from brooklyn? what about that infamous flashback of him watching football, using the diving board, or the lasso?

[SuperCooper]

It was a good issue, but I'd say the exposition of the German scientist and Taskmaster getting his abilities seemed a little confusing (though I guess it works for the book). The introduction of Redshirt easily rivals Don of the Dead's appearance, and the acronym of their new organization is too funny.

[Pixie_Solanas]

Frankly, the run can do no wrong after last issue's Don and his Narcocorrientes.

Who cares about whatever changes FVL has made to Taskmaster's background?

[The Cool Thatguy]

Frankly, the run can do no wrong after last issue's Don and his Narcocorrientes.

Who cares about whatever changes FVL has made to Taskmaster's background?

*raises hand*

I was hoping for a series that explored Tasky's background, not Jason Bourne with wacky villains (though they are funny/cool, I'll admit).

[TonyStark1012]

That's exactly how i felt about this issue.

I right there with ya.

[MichaelChen]

Haven't read the issue yet, but judging from the last two, yeah same.

Part of Taskmaster's appeal was that he was a regular-ish guy with a good deal of common sense and a gimmick. This Jason Bourne background is just way too generic, IMO.

Exactly. Taskmaster's appeal was that he was very human. This story robs him of some of his humanity.

[Monty_Cristo]

Exactly. Taskmaster's appeal was that he was very human. This story robs him of some of his humanity.

it's not human to seek out power? because that's what Tony did when he injected himself with the super-cortisol. i don't like the changes to his backstory but i don't think they make him any less human. he's always been a little more than human anyways; while having some pretty unoriginal motives.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Exactly. Taskmaster's appeal was that he was very human. This story robs him of some of his humanity.

Part of Taskmaster's appeal, IMO, is that he's a bad ass Peter Parker who decided to go the easy, evil route with a touch of common sense. Training people for villains fills a nice niche, running from fights with heroes is smart and though he was dangerous, he was far from say, Magneto's class.

I was looking forward to this mini, because it's never really been explained how Taskmaster went from an average kid with an amazing skilll, to a ruthless criminal. I mean, Taskmaster will train anyone for anything. Not just thugs for Owl, but henchmen for Hydra, Red Skull, anyone. Taskmaster may not subscribe to any ideals, but he's perfectly willing to train terrorists.

How a person became that amoral, that jaded, is more interesting, IMO, than yet another kickass badass who can't remember his past. That got old in the 90s

[Monty_Cristo]

Part of Taskmaster's appeal, IMO, is that he's a bad ass Peter Parker who decided to go the easy, evil route with a touch of common sense. Training people for villains fills a nice niche, running from fights with heroes is smart and though he was dangerous, he was far from say, Magneto's class.

I was looking forward to this mini, because it's never really been explained how Taskmaster went from an average kid with an amazing skilll, to a ruthless criminal. I mean, Taskmaster will train anyone for anything. Not just thugs for Owl, but henchmen for Hydra, Red Skull, anyone. Taskmaster may not subscribe to any ideals, but he's perfectly willing to train terrorists.

How a person became that amoral, that jaded, is more interesting, IMO, than yet another kickass badass who can't remember his past. That got old in the 90s

despite agreeing with a lot of what you said, i feel the need to defend this take on Taskmaster. what you're talking about hasn't really changed. because the Taskmaster you know never was an "average kid." he wasn't Peter Parker. he was, in an effect, a child prodigy who decided to use his ability conservatively, selfishly, but not for fame (as one would normally expect). but that element of it hasn't changed. S.H.I.E.L.D agent Tony Masters was apparently one of Fury's best guys. and he took a stab at becoming better but lost his mind in the process. so, now a blank slate, he occassionally chose villainy. maybe this was his default setting. i have no idea how that jives with him being a SHIELD agent though. of course, this does make it easier if they ever decide to do the movie treatment.