Taskmaster takes an unlucky waitress along for his runnin' and gunnin' escape from the allied forces of all the criminal organizations he's ever trained foot soldiers for.
The Good
Van Lente's got a good handle on the both the coolness and ridiculousness of these characters, firing both at full throttle in a way I've rarely seen outside of Frank Miller's best work. I just love the concept of all these absurd organizations coming out of the woodwork to collect the price on Taskmaster's head. The Marvel Handbox appendix was much appreciate; I definitely needed some filling in on all these organizations, as well as details for all the new ones that're introduced. My favorite of the new breed was the Inquisition, unequivocally. And Palo's art has such velocity, it's liable to tear ass right off the page.
The Bad
I really wish they'd used the redesign Udon gave "Taskey" in the last solo mini-series he had, however many years ago. It kept enough of the signature elements of his outfit (hood and skull) while omitting the outdated parts like the cape, trunks and pirate boots. I think it would've made the conceit even more pronounced by pitting this army of ludicrious-looking goons against a credible-looking killer.
The Verdict - 4/5
This is another case of a Marvel comic (along with Matt Fraction's Iron Man and Jonathan Hickman's SHIELD series) with a premise that's strong enough to allow it to stand proudly on its own, outside the MU - - though it's that much more entertaining for building on this wealth of continuity. I'm stoked to see what criminal cabals Taskey will be trouncing next.
The redesign was okay, but the classic costume is the best. The hooded cape doesn't totally make sense for someone who imitates physical moves, but it does when you consider that some of those moves are probably Moon Knight's. MK uses his cape for feats of misdirection at times (concealing weapons or holding his body to one side when the cape makes it look like he's standing straight - that type of thing). Taskmaster has probably seen and copied a few of those along the way. Also, I think the fact that the costume doesn't make him look credible gives him an extra edge of being underestimated - fatal to his enemies.
It was enjoyable. My only gripe though, really? They had to use that REALLY dated Monty Python line? I mean, that's REALLY dated! That's like springing up "Luke I am your father!"
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