Hello friends and readers! While the swords are a-plenty, we take a smaller look into the exciting debut of Taskmaster #1, written up by the Marvel Files debut of Dan McMahon. Also, Matthew Lazorwitz is in it till the bitter, and gives us his thoughts on Magnificient Ms. Marvel #16!
Taskmaster #1
Written by: Jed MacKAY
Art by: Alessandro Vitti
Colors by: GURU-eFX
Letters by: VCâs Joe Caramgna
Taskmaster #1 is an absolutely hilarious and action packed first issue. The long wait for this book because of delays were 100% worth it. From the jump, itâs clear that Taskmaster isnât exactly the upper brass of Marvelâs cavalcade of villainy. The skull masked villain at one point answers his phone with his own personal tagline âNeed A Bastard? Call Taskmasterâ which really gives you a taste of what youâre in for in Issue #1.
If you donât know, Taskmasters biggest selling point as a villain is his âphotographic reflexesâ so essentially âMonkey see, monkey doâ with all sorts of powers. While working a gig at a charity golf tournament, the lead starts flying which makes Taskmaster run for the hills. Tasky is really going to need all his abilities though as he has been framed for the murder of Maria Hill. Nick Fury shows up to give him a quick lift before we learn more about what Taskmaster will need to to in order to save himself from the murder charges.
Taskmasterâs gimmick has never really been on that has clicked with me as a reader until this issue. MacKayâs use of the characterâs powerset is abnormal which drew me in immensely. We learn that Taskmaster had been up all night just watching golf legends play so he could beat Bullseye. While that in itself is hilarious, itâs a brilliant use of a powerset outside of the normal violence we see. Thinking outside the box of the normal copied abilities that we see Taskmaster uses made this comic the stand out for me in the Marvel lineup this week.
Magnificent Ms. Marvel #16
Written by: Saladin Ahmed
Art by: Minkyu Jung
Colors by: Ian Herring
Letters by: VCâs Joe Caramagna
The first two issues of Magnificent Ms. Marvel since itâs return from hiatus felt like issues getting the seriesâ feet back under it and establishing a new status quo. Iâm happy to say all that work has paid off, because this is a very solid issue. The story deftly balances the different aspects of Ms. Marvelâs life: Kamala Khan the daughter, Kamala Khan the friend and Ms. Marvel the superhero.
What this issue does, that the previous one didnât, is take the events that are going on in this overarching âOutlawedâ event, and not let them take the focus away from everything else. Kamalaâs problems with the return of her once again off-again love interest Bruno has nothing to do with Ms. Marvel or Kamalaâs Law. When she teams up with Amulet, the new young hero on the block, it isnât to fight or avoid C.R.A.D.L.E: itâs to fight a Ghul, a demon of Arabic folklore, the kind of fight that could happen at any point in the series.
The book by no means ignores âOutlawedâ or the ramifications of what is going on there. The opening scene, where Kamalaâs parents argue over whether or not Ms. Marvel is dangerous, is pitch perfect, and artist Minkyu Jung draws Kamalaâs exhaustion and anger, emotions I think weâre all very familiar with at this juncture in the world, perfectly. The ending cliffhanger is intriguing, and has me wondering if itâs a red herring if Saladin Ahmed has totally pulled the rug out from under me. Canât wait for the next issue to find out.
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of 5. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the podcasts BatChat with Matt & Will and The ComicsXF Interview Podcast.
