12 Days of X-Mas: Wolverine and Punisher #1-4 (2004)

Issues 1-4. OF FIVE!?!

Oh man. Is there anything more annoying to the OCD comic collector than picking up a limited series to re-read and realizing you are MISSING THE FINAL ISSUE? I don’t think I actually read this when it came out, because I know I would have tried to get the conclusion. What the heck was I thinking???

Peter Milligan is one of my favorite comic writers, but his approach to super-hero comics has always been unique. He often uses satire to play up the ridiculousness of the genre, but he doesn’t really do that here. Instead, he has a pretty basic Punisher plot (guest-starring Wolverine) and just lays it out there. I’m sure he’s still got a smirk on his face, because the dialogue all sounds so stiff. No one talks like this. It is worse with the villains than with the heroes. One criminal is named Napoleon, another is “the Lady,” and the accountant character is another almost-stereotype. The Punisher actually convinces one con to hand over his weapon by asking “who is it you really hate?” I mean, that level of introspection is not normal for a Punisher comic.

Much of the first issue tracks Napoleon as he draws the attention of the Punisher, then flees to Erehwon. Erehwon is a haven for those who have caught the Punisher’s eye and have to flee civilization. After years and years of hiding, the council that rules the jungle town has set up an ambush for the Punisher where he will need to deal with Wolverine and the killer known as the Atheist. … Really. The Atheist. He’s dangerous because he believes in nothing. No way was Milligan being serious.

So the story is a strange mix of the generic and the absurd, but I can’t say that about the art. Lee Weeks is one of my favorite classic pencillers. His Punisher has a receding hairline and Wolverine never gets close to a costume. No character’s face is generic; each “actor” has his own features and tics.

Rest assured, I’m now hunting down the last issue of this series.

Fair

Deathlok #1

Deathlok wasn't in this, right? I didn't miss it? I guess this is a Marvel Knights book, which means it is out of continuity. The concept is pretty sound: what if war was treated like a football game? Charlie Huston has some great stuff in this, the standout being the announcers. They are so callous and obtuse that it is uncomfortable reading their dialogue. The callousness of society in this alternate future is just chilling. This one issue includes kill counts, doctors harvesting body parts from the living, fragging, and a ton of violent dismemberment and murder. So I guess it is a decent fit for the Deathlok concept, but really, I think I prefer the original take from the 80's issues of Captain America. Huston's Luther Manning is a decent guy, so decent I can't figure out how he got to be a part of the Roxxon Corp's band of mercs. It's hard to feel too bad for the guy when it seems he has signed off on the same brutality that eventually gets him put in the body of a cyborg.

I'm assuming Manning and his rival Mike Travers end up as battling cyborgs. Other than that, the real villain of this series may end up being the society as a whole.

Lan Medina does a nice job with the art. It is tough to balance out the running commentary with the art, but Medina makes it work. I will say I had a hard time determining who was who on the battlefield once combat started, but the dialogue kept things clear enough.

Fair

Sub-Mariner: The Depths #1-5

When Peter Milligan is on, he can write the heck out of anything. This series has him doing his best kind of work. A non-continuity story about a scientist who debunks myths, Namor hasn't really been in the series. Sure, there is a "Sub-Mariner" a mythic, almost elemental guardian of lost Atlantis, but he has no dialogue and his main impact is through the reactions of the other characters. The sub of "deep" men set out to follow up on a lost expedition to find Atlantis, but the Sub-Mariner found them. Randolph Stein is the debunker and leader of this sub, but the other crew have the wisdom to fear the deep. Stein is slowly going insane as the series progresses, because each of his carefully constructed scientific beliefs is being destroyed. I was a little shocked at just how far Stein goes in the end, but I shouldn't be, because he's been committing heinous and shady acts the whole series. This was a fascinating series, and it in no way needed to involve a Marvel character called the Sub-Mariner. This could be an excellent movie or novel and it wouldn't have needed to have a comic character in it, so if you approach the book just looking for a well-told horror story, you'll love it.

Esaad Ribic's painting looks haunting and emotional throughout. His most riveting pieces are set in the deep dark, with the weak lights of the subs gleaming out, occasionally shining on something or someone moving in the depths.

Excellent