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DAVID MICHELINIE
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DragynWulf: George Perez and yourself co-created the Taskmaster in the AVENGERS. What inspired you to create a character that could duplicate any skills he sees using "Photographic Reflexes"?
David Michelinie: When I first started writing for Marvel Comics, I viewed that Universe with a virgin eye. And the two questions that immediately leaped to mind were, “Where do super-villains get all those nameless lackeys that work for them?” and “Where do the relatively minor--and rarely successful--villains get the money to buy all of their super-gadgets?” I decided to provide answers for these questions by creating new characters. Justin Hammer (created with Bob Layton in the IRON MAN series) became the man who financed minor villains for a share of their profits. Then, to explain the legions of nameless lackeys, I created The Taskmaster in an AVENGERS story, which was then sent to George Perez to draw. I tried to take a new angle with each of these characters, and Taskmaster’s twist was that he didn’t set out to become a villain himself. Instead, he sought to exploit his unique talents with a minimum of risk; rather than battle bad-guys himself, he’d charge big bucks to train others to fight, and let them take the lumps instead.
DragynWulf: You are the only writer to use the character Taskmaster more than once in different titles (AVENGERS, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, and MARVEL TEAM-UP), how does this make you feel?
David Michelinie: I’m not sure that I understand this question. Perhaps I used the character in multiple situations because I had a particular fondness for him, having been the one to think him up in the first place. Also, since he was conceived as the guy who trains lackeys for the whole Marvel Universe, rather than being an Avengers-specific villain, it just made sense for him to show up in a variety of story locations.
DragynWulf: Are you happy with the way other writers have handled the Taskmaster?
David Michelinie: To be honest, I haven’t read a lot of what other people have done with the character. Once a writer loses control of a character he’s created, that character frequently becomes something else as other writers and artists start molding it into what THEY want it to be. Some writers think they’ve got a better idea, others just don’t “get it”. But the character rarely remains what it started out to be, and seeing that change can be both frustrating and painful. So I tend to avoid reading characters I’ve created once I’m out of the loop. (You’ll find examples of the changes I’m talking about in following questions.)
DragynWulf: The Taskmaster is responsible for training Crossbones, Diamondback, USAgent, Mad-Dog, Blood Spider, Death-Shield, and Jagged Bow, just to name a few; are there any other characters that you would like to see him involved with their training?
David Michelinie: Okay, here’s one of those examples I mentioned in my previous answer.
Taskmaster’s original purpose was to train LACKEYS, the armies of faceless goons that seem to follow powered bad-guys around everywhere. Having him train super-powered, well-known (sort of) characters changes his intent, alters his dynamic in the Marvel Universe, and compromises the low-profile goals that he set for himself in his origin. So, to answer your question: no.
DragynWulf: Do you plan on using the Taskmaster again if you were to work with Marvel Comics again?
David Michelinie: Probably not. Like other characters I created for Marvel (Venom and Carnage in particular), the character has become something other than what he was created to be. If I wrote the character again, I’d want to write the character I created--which I think is a natural desire. But that character doesn’t exist any more.
DragynWulf: I thought you explained the Taskmaster's origin pretty well in AVENGERS (v1) #196 and showed that he was not a mutant or had powers. Does it make you happy or mad that other writers have said or suggested that he is a mutant?
David Michelinie: It makes me sad that some comics creators can’t seem to accept anything a little different. Many of them seem to have a need to pigeonhole stuff, to put labels on things and call that “explanation”. Either that, or they want to bask in the reflected glory of the X-books by calling characters they write “mutants”. Apparently, anyone who can do anything that most people can’t in the Marvel Universe is automatically a mutant. By that definition, I guess people who are double-jointed, or have perfect pitch, are ready to join the X-Men.
DragynWulf: If you had the chance, would you want to explain the reasons behind the Taskmaster's different faces?
David Michelinie: I wouldn’t know how to. This is another of those examples I mentioned earlier. I mean, “different faces”? All those years I was writing Taskmaster, I thought that WAS his face! He wears a mask? Guess ya learn somethin’ new every day...
DragynWulf: Is there any part of the Taskmaster's history that you would explain more of if given the chance to?
David Michelinie: Had I continued writing the Taskmaster, I probably would have hinted at certain things in his past. But my intent was to keep this character mysterious, to keep the reader intrigued and to allow him/her to fill in gaps with their own imagination. Whether or not that would have worked, I guess we’ll never know.
DragynWulf: Do you consider the ability "Photographic Reflexes" a power or skill?
David Michelinie: Neither. I consider it an ABILITY, like the aforementioned perfect pitch. It’s just something he’s able to do, and he’s smart enough to exploit it and build it into a career with minimum risk and maximum profit. At least, that was the original idea.
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