Taskmaster takes center stage in his own comic book miniseries, mixing murder and mayhem with a self-aware sense of humor.
While Black Widow’s solo Marvel Studios film may have been delayed for a full year by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film’s major antagonist Taskmaster is still ready to jump into the spotlight. The skull-masked mercenary stars in his own five-issue comic book miniseries, by Jed MacKay and Alessandro Vitti, as he finds himself as the most wanted man in the Marvel Universe for a crime he seemingly did not commit. And while MacKay and Vitti bring all the requisite murder and mayhem to the debut issue, a surprisingly robust sense of humor makes this title a rousing good read.
After Taskmaster is implicated in the apparent murder of longtime S.H.I.E.L.D. operative Maria Hill, the mercenary is forced to go on the run while being hunted by plenty of familiar faces and rival contract killers throughout the Marvel Universe. With pressure mounting from all sides, Taskmaster makes a desperate alliance to clear his name and discover what really happened to Maria before his relentless pursuers, including a certain MCU character he’s poised to share the big screen with soon, catch up to him and make him pay for a murder he was evidently framed for.
MacKay wisely stages this opening issue with an on-the-run sense of urgency and pacing as what turns into an idyllic afternoon for the eponymous antihero very quickly turns topsy-turvy. There is a wise-cracking charm to Taskmaster in this story and it’s easy to see why the character makes such a strong foil for Deadpool given their comedic potential. Still, MacKay knows he’s crafting a story with a decidedly lethal protagonist and the opening issue certainly showcases Taskmaster’s signature ability to mimic superheroes and villain’s he’s observed in action before as he makes his getaway during a running gunfight that draws readers in from the jump.