Didja Read This Yet?

Avengers The Initiative #31
As a kid, I was always fan of Taskmaster. To me, he was my horrible attempts at sketching superhero characters brought to 22-page life. Gloves with fins, cool weapons (shield, sword, and sometimes axe), pirate boots, and a cape with a hood! His powers to mimic any fighting style presented to him and retain through his photographic reflexes were what I aspired to be growing up. Well, that and a professional Jai-A-Lai player, but that's another story. Sure, he looks like Deathstroke crapped into a spare Captain America suit, but you can't deny that he has a certain coolness factor. With that type of power and a strategic mind, he can go toe-to-toe with most lower powered heroes. It also keeps him in demand and out of prison. Hell, he was paid by the government to train one of Steve Rogers' replacements as Captain America.

A merc and trainer for pay throughout his career, he is now the supervisor/trainer at Camp H.A.M.M.E.R., the basic training grounds for the 50-state hero initiative that has supplanted lower-rung villains in place of lower-rung heroes for nation-wide protection; with further sinister implications, being run under Norman Osborn.
And from the looks of it, Taskmaster has been doing a great job. So well, in fact, that Osborn hand picks him for a seat at the new Cabal table for the next phase to maintain Osborn's reign. Tasky joins not only Osborn, but the revitalized Hood, Orlando-gender-bending Loki (read LXG: The Black Dossier), and Dr. Doom.

Finally, A call-up to the pros! And not done by Bendis. (no disrespect, he is the Grant Morrison of Marvel, but give someone else a chance to bring back their favorite childhood heroes. Challenge, bendis: make Rocket Racer cool.) But stepping into that spotlight brings about questions of a philosophical nature that could make you question yourself and your place at the table. The answers for Tasky, and yourself, might surprise you.

Really strong issue, great character building, nice tie-in to the upcoming Siege, and oh yeah, lots of hooking up.


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