I had been looking forward to this book ever since the prologue appeared in Age of Heroes #3. I have been fascinated by this character ever since his first appearance in 1980 (Avengers #195.) I recognize that he is not an "A" list character; heck, he might not even be a "B" list villain, but just about everything about him has intrigued me. So a mini-series is the perfect place to tell his story.
Taskmaster finds himself in limbo with the start of the Heroic Age. The one time Norman Osborn lackey has burned so many bridges that he now has a billion dollar bounty put on his head by the mysterious underground organization know as ORG. Unable to turn to the heroes due to his role in Dark Reign and with few friends, Taskmaster finds himself against hordes of evil organizations and assassins guilds.
Using a balance of inner dialogue and casual conversation with a waitress in a diner, Fred van Lente gives the readers a taste of what it would be like inside the head of Taskmaster. Van Lente does an excellent job of giving the mysterious character some depth. I was instantly able to relate to the world's most deadly assassin.
Artist, Jefté Palo does a remarkable job of creating the diverse collection of assassins created for this issue. His gritty lines and well thought out overlays work wonders for the story.
My guess is that this mini-series will be my favourite read over the next 4 months. Just check out the cover art for issue #2 if you don't believe me!