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TASKMASTER #1
"The Right Price"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Ken Siu-Chong
Artists: Alvin Lee, Omar Dogan, Rob Ross & Shane Law
Letters: Jon Babcock
Editor: Brian Smith
Price: $2.99 US/$4.75 CAN |
Taskmaster
has been sort of a cult favorite villain, with the unusual "photographic
reflexes" powers and a modus operandi that involved training other
super-villains' henchmen. This mini-series takes the powers and throws
everything else out, redefining Taskmaster as a sort of special operator, a
"cleaner" for super-villains. It's not a bad idea, but it suffers a little in
the execution, as Taskmaster's new personality and costume are fairly generic,
and his ability to handle anything with ease sucks a lot of the dramatic tension
out of the story. There's some neat action and a lot of potential in this
super-villain/espionage premise, but we really need to see more of Taskmaster
being challenged, as well as more elaborate action sequences, to really get it
to work on the level it's aiming for.
Writer Ken Siu-Chong has some
nifty ideas for how Taskmaster can better utilize his powers, and the parts of
the story I really enjoyed were those unconventional abilities for someone who
can mimic anyone. Little things like being able to pick up a gambler's moves or
replicate someone's voice inflections are nice, subtle bits of power use that
make me buy into Taskmaster as a highly priced operative instead of a simple
goon. In addition, I appreciated that while the writer and artists clearly
wanted to change Taskmaster quite a bit, they nodded their head in the direction
of the inspiration, noting his former "Brooklyn" speech patterns and old costume
and giving a reasonable explanation as to why the character might change them.
Udon Studios is quickly
becoming known for flashy and beautiful artwork, and while the work here doesn't
stand out as their best, it's certainly decent enough stuff. I was actually more
impressed with the work on the quiet scenes, such as the casino opening or
Taskmaster's meeting with Sunset Bain, than I was with a lot of the action,
which often looks a little too much like animation to take seriously. Iron Man
comes off as far too bright and shiny to seem threatening, and though the new
Taskmaster costume is certainly an improvement over the garish previous outfit,
it's still a bit generic.
In this first issue, we get a
great idea of Taskmaster's capabilities, and I have no trouble believing he
could make a living as a highly-paid operative. The problems presented to him,
whether it's busting a cheater or slipping into Stark Enterprises and stealing
something, are handled with ease and style. However, the result of this
uber-capability is that I didn't ever feel like Taskmaster was having any
challenges placed before him. The finale of the issue has no dramatic tension to
it, because I have no doubt that Taskmaster can handle the job with ease. The
writer is going to need to challenge Taskmaster a great deal more, or else the
series becomes an exercise in watching Taskmaster go through the motions.
There's a lot to like about
this new interpretation of Taskmaster, as the creators have taken a one-note
villain and turned him into a believable protagonist for stories with a
villainous bent. However, the one-note that the character has always struck, his
ability to duplicate any ability, is making him appear too powerful to be
challenged, and though this doesn't seem to bore the character himself, it does
seem likely to bore the reader.
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