Taskmaster is a villain extraordinaire, he can mimic any physical act he sees. Play Rachmaninoff on the piano, no problem. Shoot arrows in the bullseye like Hawkeye, piece of cake. Defeat Natasha Romananova in hand to hand combat with Captain America's fighting skill, easy peasy. You name the skill and this guy can mimic it to a genius level of ability. The Taskmaster first appeared in a cameo in Avengers #195 then later in full appearance in Avengers #196. This is one of those little known characters that have yet to reach the Disney MCU audience.

If done right, Taskmaster could become the most popular villain since Thanos. He checks all the boxes with a skull mask, apocalyptic hoody, Cap's shield, Hawkeye's bow, Punisher's pistol and an arsenal of hand to hand combat memorized; this supervillain will light up the big screen. Further, once the public gets ahold of him they will well want to see more of the man with all the skills of the Avengers. Can the first appearance of Taskmaster deflect some profit toward speculators with an amazing shield throw like Cap?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avengers #196

The Taskmaster was created in June of 1980. The team of David Michelinie, Kurt Busiek (script) with George Perez, Sal Buscema, and possibly Dick Giordano (pencils/ink). The concept of a villain that could match every Avengers skill pound for pound was a fun take on the villain genre at the time. They chose at the time to turn him into a background character rather than one of the main villains. That was clearly a mistake as seeing him take on the Avengers would have been trey-cool!  Can Taskmaster's "photographic reflexes" create the ultimate speculation, one capable of putting Benjamins in our bank accounts?

 

 

Avengers #196 

Short-Term (60-days)

  • Grade 9.8 $1150 FMV returns positive +7.3%
  • Grade 9.6 $400 FMV returns negative -12%
  • Grade 9.2 $210 FMV returns negative -8.9%
  • Grade 9.0 $200 FMV returns positive +9.6%
  • Grade 7.5 $130 FMV returns positive +2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Short-Term (6-months) 
  • Grade 9.8 $1150 FMV returns positive +18.5%
  • Grade 9.6 $400 FMV returns negative -26.9%
  • Grade 9.2 $210 FMV returns negative -24.4%
  • Grade 9.0 $200 FMV returns negative -1.5%
  • Grade 7.5 $130 FMV returns positive +16.4%

 

 

Long-Term

  • Grade 9.8 $1150 FMV returns positive +104%
  • Grade 9.6 $400 FMV returns positive +18.9%
  • Grade 9.2 $210 FMV returns positive +33.3%
  • Grade 9.0 $200 FMV returns positive +65.7%
  • Grade 7.5 $130 FMV returns positive +119.4%

 

The Taskmaster is a force to be reckoned with in Marvel. However, as a speculative play, Avengers #196 has seen a great weakening of returns. In the 60-day segment broken out above both grades 9.6 and 9.2 have returned between negative -8% and -12%. But that segment of time does show small returns around grades 9.6 and 9.0. These returns are meager at positive +7.3% and +9.6% but they are still gains and positive for this book going forward. Ultimately the 60-day returns are small but satisfactory in the highest grade and mid-grade range.

Over the 6-month time period, the Taskmaster has scored some bullseyes but mostly has been overwhelmed by Hulk-like negatives. The following grades: 9.6, 9.2, 9.0 all have returned between negative -1.5% and -26.9%. With outliers again being the highest grade and mid-grade starting at 7.5. This is probably the worst time period to review. Over the last 6-months confirmed movie news came out about the Black Widow; then there is a huge build-up of price. Everyone piles in, that did not already own a copy. Afterward, the heat on Avengers #196 dissipates and people sell. Then other media comic book news comes out and Black Widow is largely forgotten.

 

Conclusion:

Once the hype hits, it usually hits in waves. The next wave should be the first trailer of the movie Black Widow. Either buy Avengers #196 now for that time or sell at that point. It doesn't take the reflexes of Taskmaster aping Hawkeye's skill to hit a bullseye here. Only the fortitude to stand tough in the downtime between movie announcement and the very first trailer for Black Widow.

 

GoCollect is the #1 comic book price guide for tracking sales data of all graded comic books in real-time. Fair market values are now at your fingertips. Check out all the features at www.gocollect.com