Written by: Fred Van Lente
Illustrated by: Jefte PaloGUEST-STARRING NICK FURY AND STEVE ROGERS, SUPER-SOLDIER! Fan-favorite anti-hero Taskmaster and his thoroughly involuntary sidekick/love interest Mercedes Merced are on the precipice of unlocking Tasky’s secret origin, which is so secret even he doesn’t know what it is. The final leg of the journey involves storming a foreboding Bavarian castle … high in the South American Andes? And if that wasn’t bizarre enough, Taskmaster finds goose-stepping Seig-Heiling death in ‘THE TOWN WHERE EVERYONE IS HITLER’. You need to read it to believe it! We guarantee you won’t read a stranger tale this year without the benefit of chemical enhancement!
This book has a headline on it that says “The Town Where Everyone is Hitler.” The idea that we weren’t going to review Taskmaster #3 with a headline like that makes The Don of the Dead want to cut ju.
Click through the jump to read the review…of sorts.
My name is David Harper and I’m a long time reader of your comics. I’ve long been a fan of a lot of your books, particularly the X-Books, and I will be for a long time going forward. As a reader, I’ve never asked for much of you, but I have one really important request of you: please give us a Taskmaster ongoing series with Fred Van Lente writing and Jefte Palo illustrating it. Please!
I hate to beg, but the fact that Van Lente has managed to turn Taskmaster into a character with a very rich and interesting back story from his humble beginnings as a sort of Deathstroke rip-off in just three issues speaks volumes about what he could do with an ongoing. I was blown away in the third issue when it’s revealed that Taskmaster is Tony Masters, a former SHIELD agent, and that he has been unknowingly a plant of sorts for years for Nick Fury. With one issue, Van Lente created an entire web of a back story for Taskmaster that fit logically and offers him a path of redemption – brilliant! Imagine the possibilities my friends at Marvel.
Even besides the simple act of beefing up his back story, Van Lente has excelled. I mean, you all know he’s funny, right? Van Lente is hilarious and fun as all get out, and this book is a perfect fit for him. I’m not kidding when I say this: I get a serious Nextwave vibe from this book. I’m not sure if you’re aware of it, but that is a compliment – a huge one. I feel like something completely unexpected is around every corner, and with this one we get the biggest one yet…a town in the Andes in which everyone is basically Hitler. Marvel, I hope this is not necessary to tell you this, but that is awesome. Incredibly awesome.
Of course, all of this wouldn’t really matter if the visuals didn’t bring out the greatness of the story, and thankfully that is not a problem. Jefte Palo is a shooting star, bringing a lively, kinetic style that stands out both in terms of visual storytelling and sight gags. This guy is a total package of talent, and he needs to be on a major book pronto. Like a Taskmaster ongoing with Van Lente. Getting the picture here?
I know, I know, if you come out with a Taskmaster ongoing series you’d likely have to not release another Thor or Iron Man or Deadpool series. I know you really need to make sure there is a “Return to the Prelude to Deadpool Corps” just around the corner, but I implore you: the people love Taskmaster. Taskmaster is a man of the people. Show your support of the original and the hilarious by making this book a regular series. Like right now.
Or at the very least, make this deadly duo cycle through other B-List Marvel characters, reviving them in the process. If we aren’t going to get a Taskmaster ongoing, we deserve at least.
Thanks for listening Marvel Comics, and remember: Taskmaster for President.
Continued belowMake Mine Marvel!
David Harper
Writer, Multiversity Comics
P.S. If I was going to rate this comic, I would say…
Final Verdict: 9.2 – Buy
