Punisher v2: Border Crossing TPB

Man, the Punisher is such a clear, simple concept. I usually enjoy Punisher comics; he’s a character that almost every writer can write about for at least one story.

Some of Frank Castle’s most interesting stories are fish-out-of-water tales, and that’s sort of what Nathan Edmondson is doing in this current series. Relocating from New York to L.A., the Punisher is targeting a cartels rather than the mafia, leading to some interesting conflicts. Now, old foes like Electro are still very much a factor, but it is neat seeing Frank mix up his targets.

Putting Frank back in the jungle gets him a bit more in his comfort zone. When the Punisher faces off with a South American drug kingpin, it is mad action and ultra-violence. Most of the conflict is standard Punisher violence fantasy, but Edmondson mixes things up by teaming up the Punisher with some special forces operators. Punisher and the soldiers quickly establish a bond that proves very effective. Showing this connection between military service members is exciting and adds to Castle’s mysterious nobility. When Edmondson shows the lasting impact that the Punisher has on the two operators’ lives, it is even cooler. Punisher’s influence lives on…

Another aspect of the new setting is the ability to play Frank off new and interesting villains. Crossbones is a top-level Captain America villain, but he fits in perfectly to the Punisher’s world of grime and violence. Of course, Crossbones manages to pull out a temporary victory, but the appearance of Punisher’s old buddy Black Widow puts a stop to that.

This current Black Widow feels like a new character compared to the old shorthaired gal in the ‘90s. Unless I’m misremembering, I thought that Castle and the Widow hooked up in the olden days, but there is no chemistry between the two of them during this team up. That said, it could be that these are just two very damaged individuals incapable of showing that level of connection. Thinking about it, that’s a lot cooler of a way to think about it.

Mitchell Gerads' art is fantastic. The art is gritty, dark, and the ink almost drips off the page (like blood). I have no idea if Gerards can work in a “cleaner” style or not, but for this book, I don’t want him to do anything else. Frank’s executioner’s hood is definitely a mask, but in no way does it look like a super-hero mask. Make no mistake, this is an executioner’s hood. Crossbones, Black Widow, and Electro look a tad off-model from their standard Marvel designs, but that’s OK. They are slumming it in Frank’s world, they need to adapt to him.

This is a GOOD comic, and one of my favorite finds on the Marvel Unlimited app. 

Punisher: Franken-Castle TPB

Listen, this is straight-up ridiculous, there is no getting around it. Frank Castle rides a dragon to attack the castle fortress of a cyberpunk monster hunter and his army of samurai killers. Punisher gets chopped to shreds by Wolverine’s son Daken, then goes after him for a rematch after the Legion of Monsters implants a Bloodstone (of the Ulysses and Elsa Bloodstones) in Frank’s chest. Hell, Punisher re-focuses his mission of revenge after seeing a subterranean kid (one of Mole Man’s people) get killed. Guys, a Mole Man kid inspires the Punisher. 

THAT is how crazy this comic is.

And you know what? It is straight up fun. Now, that’s an easy accomplishment when you are strong a writer as Rick Remender. Castle is always in character, even when he’s stomping around and dealing with ridiculous situations. He might be a little quippier than normal, but basically, Frank Castle acts just the way you would expect about all the madness that surrounds him.

Now, that’s a lot easier when the art is provided by talents like Dan Brereton and Tony Moore. Moore’s work in the opening chapters on the City of Monsters instantly populates the Marvel U with a great new location AND establishes the stakes and supporting characters. I even found myself rooting for Manphibian and I don’t even know who he is! Most of all, Moore makes the monsters look like innocents. They are clearly the victims in this story, and that is made clear from panel one. Brereton handle s some flashback art when dealing with the cyberpunk hunter’s origin, and it is, of course, beautiful.

This is not a comic for fans of the gritty street level Frank Castle. Heck, even at the beginning of Remender’s run he’s fighting the Sentry, the Hood, and a host of resurrected Scourge victims. This series does have some nice angst, as Frank does some pretty awful stuff right before his first meeting with Daken. See, the Hood, thinking that if he removes the Punisher’s motivations that Castle might back off, the Hood resurrects Frank’s family. And Frank burns them alive. He makes lots of comments that it wasn’t really them, but man, this is comics. Are you sure, Frank? And wouldn’t you want to give it a minute to maybe make sure?

So yeah, Remender mixes in some pretty deep stuff with the monster-on-monster ultraviolence. The most shocking part will be that you find yourself really rooting for the monster hunters to get what they deserve. They’re pretty bad villains in a pretty GOOD comic. 

Thunderbolts v1: No Quarter TPB

It really bums me out that we lost Jeff Parker’s fantastic take on the Thunderbolts, and all we got was this.

Now admittedly, that’s an unfair comparison; I’ve enjoyed just about everything I’ve read from Parker, while Daniel Way’s hits are far rarer for me. (I’m pretty sure he did a Sabretooth limited series that I enjoyed…)

Anyway, on to this book. The main theme of this book seems to be Marvel characters that wear black or red and enjoy killing. Venom and Punisher even give themselves costume updates to make sure that they are only wearing black and red. That just doesn’t seem like too good of a unifying theme for a team, does it?

The Red Hulk puts the team together to deal with a past sin; General Thunderbolt Ross has more ties to gamma radiation than we ever expected. He gets Punisher on board through a pretty fun coercion angle, and Venom just signs up for a senior officer. Deadpool and Elektra are mercs; I can’t imagine it was too hard for them to get involved.

The plot involves a South Asian island called Kata Jaya. The red Thunderbolts head there to take out the current dictator and his muscle, Hulk villain Madman. I’ve been reading Hulk comics for a long time, and I must admit that the Leader’s brother never really made an impact on me. Sorry!

That brings me to my favorite aspect of this collection: the Leader. Daniel Way clearly has some affection for the Leader, an while the villain doesn’t exactly set the world on fire in this first collection, it is clear that he has set himself up for a return as a big bad. The scene where Punisher finds out he is on the team is laugh-out-loud funny.

Steve Dillon has drawn so many classic, emotionally resonant Punisher story, I kept finding myself being jarred out of this story. Dillon’s Punisher is the “real” Punisher for me now; the character lives and breathes under Dillon’s pencils. It probably isn’t fair to compare Jason Aaron and Garth Ennis’ classic out of continuity tales with a Marvel U-based adventure book, but the book just feels wrong. That bite of satire, the extra gut punch of violence… it is missing.

So a team of killers working on a generic mission in a setting none of them belong in. AND, this is Marvel’s follow-up to one of my favorite runs of all time (Parker’s Thunderbolts). That makes this an EVIL choice for the next chapter of this storied franchise. 

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

Punisher MAX: Frank TPB

It’s going to be tough for other trades to measure up; I’ve been reading some great stuff recently. Jason Aaron keeps the ball rolling with the next chapter of Punisher MAX. I think it is fairly safe to say this is a continuation of Garth Ennis’ magnificent run with the character. The problem is, I don’t see a way for this to end well for Frank. We knew the Punisher lost his happy ending a long time ago, but things are particularly bleak in this collection.


After his climactic battle with Bullseye, the Punisher is broken. He’s been arrested and is now in jail recovering from his wounds. But the inmates want their piece, and it doesn’t take long for them to start making a move on ol’ Frank Castle.

But of course, that’s the easy part. Aaron has a much more challenging narrative in the comparison of Frank’s new prison life and his return from Viet Nam. Both worlds are prisons, of course, one is just a bit more literal. The moments are captured perfectly. If Hollywood wants to try another Punisher movie, I recommend this story right here.

I believe Aaron is adding to the Punisher mythos with these details about Frank’s failed attempt to re-integrate after the war. Its painful watching Castle as a dead man trying to connect with his wife and children. The only emotion he’s got is anger when he finally gets to kill some people. The Punisher is a great revenge fantasy, but Aaron shows how deep the character can be.

Steve Dillon outdoes himself with the time-jumping contrast between the eras of Frank Castle’s life. It’s heavy-handed, but totally effective to see old Frank put in solitary while young Frank walks into his perfect suburban home. Gah, does it make me a sucker that a scene like that just breaks me up.

So sad. Frank never had a chance.

Excellent

Avenging Spider-Man #6

I haven’t been tremendously amped up to read the Omega Effect crossover, even though I love the seeds planted in Mark Waid’s Daredevil. This opening chapter has shared writing credits between Waid and Greg Rucka, and they do a nice job.

This is clearly a Spider-Man story; he’s the star. I sort of forgot when I picked it up that this isn’t a Daredevil comic, but the writers do a good job bringing the focus back right away. While Punisher and Daredevil are more organically involved in the quest for the Omega Drive, Spider-Man gets shoe-horned in a bit more artificially. It seems Mr. Fantastic needs someone to try and retrieve the unique drive from Daredevil, and Mr. F knows that Spidey is one of the Devil’s only friends. Poof! Now Spider-Man is in the story!

The high points are definitely the interactions between the title characters. Punisher (and his new partner Cole), DD, and Spidey have a long history, and its amusing seeing them fall right back into those patterns (with some added commentary from DD about Cole’s shampoo). Heck, I won’t be surprised if DD is hitting on Punisher’s partner by the end of the arc.

Marco Chechetto does a nice job with the heroes, but he gets screwed on the villains. Is there any group that gets set up as patsies more than the Hand? Readers of this blog know my ninja-rule: One ninja is powerful; but the more ninjas that show up, the weaker they become. This issue is yet another example of that. These guys are barely a distraction, more a source for Spidey banter than anything else.

Fair

Shadowland TPB

Wow, I’d heard that this was a below-average story, but this was brutal. I’m glad I waited for the big discount, but this probably should have been a library rental.

Daredevil is the ostensible villain here, but he’s never believable. I usually like Andy Diggle’s writing, but this had a ton of posturing and debate that never made it believable that DD would turn evil. This book tries to have the street-level heroes face down against the DD-controlled Hand, but it just doesn’t work.

I was actually interested while the story focused on DD dealing with Bullseye once and for all, but that was only for an issue. After that, we are supposed to accept the hordes of Hand ninjas as a legitimate threat to the street-Avengers who show up. But let me remind everyone of the ninja rule (also works as a robot or zombie rule): The more there are, the weaker they look. With a ton of ninjas bouncing around off light poles, I never worried for a moment that Luke Cage or Iron Fist would be hurt. Heck, the heroes agree to team-up with the Punisher! I don’t buy that either!

And it is not like there weren’t bad guys around! Kingpin and Lady Bullseye spent the whole series chatting! How about they bust some heads; this is the climax, right?

As a longtime DD reader, I was anxious to see the resolution to the Black Tarantula and White Tiger mind-control story arc, but that’s not here either. Maybe it is resolved in the DD trade?

I’m not a huge Billy Tan fan. His art is clear, but the Marc Silvestri influence just doesn’t do it for me. I did like the expanding horns on DD’s head as he loses control, but at that point I was so disappointed in Shadowland’s true villain (who appears out of nowhere) that I couldn’t make myself care.

Average

Heroes for Hire: Control TPB

"Hello hero. This is Control. Are you for hire tonight?" I love that opening scene, mostly because artist Brad Walker does a great job flashing back to The Warriors, that sweet gang movie from the '70s. I never would have thought to put Misty Knight in this sort of role, but she does really well with it.

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are well-known for their cosmic stories these days, but their street-level kung-fu is strong too. Rather than put together an odd crew of street level heroes and making them into a regular team, this title actually only has two characters appear every issue. Misty Knight is Control, drafting heroes in the Marvel U, using money or the mission to inspire action. The cast is pretty varied, and they never actually show up and work together as a unit. Paladin is a bit more heroic in his portrayal here, but he's still got that mercenary streak. Moon Knight, Elektra, and Silver Sable show up for some money too, but Ghost Rider, Falcon, and Black Widow are all inspired by the mission rather than a pay-off. Iron Fist and Punisher show up too, but they don't get recruited quite the same way...

As we expect from DnA, the book is filled with off-the-wall ideas (like soul-powered rifles) and old characters we haven't seen in awhile. I particularly enjoyed seeing Silver Sable again, she's a neat character who doesn't get much time in the sun.

And who could complain about the secret villain pulling everyone's strings? I half-thought this guy was dead, I thought he bought it in Ms. Marvel's book a few years ago, but I'm not going to complain. He's a great villain and he's creepy and effective in this title.

Brad Walker doesn't get to do the whole book, but the chapters he handles look fantastic. If you like the idea of Moon Knight versus a raptor, this is the book for you, cause it looks every bit as good as you'd hope. Robert Atkins handles some art too, and he's fine, but after Walker's brilliant pages, it's a rough comparison.

Good

Punisher: Tiny Ugly World #1

David Lapham is a sick man, but he gets the Punisher. This is a great little one-shot in the vein of Garth Ennis' classic work with the character. The Punisher works best as a force of nature eliminating sick criminals. Lapham creates a stunner in this one. The lead is a total psycho, so far gone both physically and mentally that I don't want to spoil it.

This is one of those comics that is SO crazy and gross that I actually worry the writer might be crazy. I mean, it is entertaining as hell, but it actually scares me that someone thought of this stuff!

The Punisher comes in just when he needs to, and the story wraps up like the good Ennis yarns did back in the day.

This might be the right format for me and the Punisher these days, let demented, creative writers have a shot at creating the weirdest villains they can think of, then have the Punisher kill them. I know it makes me happy!

Dalibor Talajic is new to me, but his work is gritty and realistic while still being cartoony enough to keep me from getting sick at all the twisted stuff in this book. I'll keep an eye out for more of his work.

Good

Punisher MAX: Happy Endings #1

I rarely pick up Punisher comics in anything but trade these days, but since I don't buy the collections of one-shots, I grabbed this one since Peter Milligan worked on it. It's got some neat ideas sprinkled through, but it didn't blow my mind.

The issue follows the path of an unhappily married accountant as he get wrapped up into the Punisher's dangerous world. After befriending (sort of) a femme fatale masseuse, he ends up taking to the world of gunplay and death better than he expected. The Punisher exists in this comic only as a force of nature to occasionally point different pieces of the story to different locations. The Punisher isn't the star here, he's just an executioner brought in to punch people's tickets. I liked how Milligan wrapped up the story, because it is the opposite of how most of these stories go. I suppose it is realistic, but I don't think we'll see a spin-off for Gun-Fighting Accountant any time soon.

Avatar's Juan Jose Ryp brings his ultraviolence to Marvel, and it works fine for a MAX book. His violence, gore, and mayhem are almost on a level with Geoff Darrow. I don't care for his faces as much, but I can deal with it to get these complicated set pieces.

Overall, 4.99 is a bit much for a book like this...

Fair

Punisher #51 (1991)

This was today's winner of "grab a random comic out of my 75 longboxes" method of reviewing comics.

I never was able to find the creative team listed for this issue, so I had to go to the grand comics database to figure out who worked on this fairly generic, if entertaining, Punisher story. It's not surprising that Mike Baron, the regular writer, comes up with another entertaining Punisher story. The narrative isn't tremendously original, Punisher lends a hand to a local restaurant owner only to find out everyone involved is dirty. What marks this story for me is that Punisher is a fairly reasonable guy. He's still pasting criminals, but the single-minded determination that I identify with the character these days isn't quite as strong. It seems Punisher is actually willing to compromise a bit to go after bigger fish. I also love the way Punisher always takes the time to mention what type of gun he's carrying.

Back in the days of Punisher Amory specials coming out, I loved seeing what the Punisher was blowing folks away with in each issue (this issue he mentions a glock, but only uses a mini-Uzi and a Mac-10).

In the end, Punisher has kills some Chinese exiles and has to cross a restaurant of his "safe locations" list, but nothing else really happens. The story is done-in-one and it does hold up as a solid, simple Punisher story.

Tom Morgan's art is vaguely reminiscent of Whilce Portacio or Erik Larsen. The guns and equipment look good and the Punisher looks ripped but realistic. It looks a fair bit different than his later Iron Man work.

Fair

Punisher: Welcome to the Bayou TPB

This is definitely my favorite of Victor Gischler's Marvel work. He's been bouncing around on Moon Knight and Punisher projects, but I think this is the best use of his skills. As I wrote when I read the first part of this story, the Punisher works best as a force of nature, I want to see him punish those that deserve it. There is PLENTY of that here.

The setup is like a teen slasher film as a group of college students are abducted by a huge family of inbred cannibals. Fortunately, the Punisher had an inkling something was wrong and he seeks out the unfortunate students. And of course, a lot of blood follows. There is gator wrestling, hot girls, gigantic mutants, and a pater familius worthy of any slasher movie. Gischler spices things up with a tag-along minor league criminal. I really liked seeing this poor guy swept along in the Punisher's wake.

Goran Parlov is one of my favorite Punisher artists. He can keep elements of the story totally straight while letting humor shine through where appropriate. He's perfect for this type of book.

Good

PunisherMAX #3

Geez, Dave Johnson really does the best covers in the business, doesn't he?

I love how much time Jason Aaron spends giving the bad guys a chance to shine. This book may be titled "The Punisher" but he's really sharing it with the Kingpin. This is a series about two driven, angry men and what they'll do to achieve their goals. Really, the two guys aren't that different. Violence solves everything. One shocking difference from the norm is that in this, the family man is the villain. And if I'm right about the odd cutaways to an Amish family, then we might be getting another Marvel villain who is a family man too. There are some great sequences in this, but the shootout at the old mafia widow's mansion takes the cake. There's nudity, shotguns, and lots of folks getting whacked. This is a tad lighter than Ennis' Punisher, but this is clearly a continuation to that series. There isn't a ton of forward plot movement here, but Aaron does such a great job populating the pages with a variety of scum that I don't mind at all.

Steve Dillon's art is perfect for this. He's able to balance gore with strong storytelling, this feels like a worthy heir to Preacher. The malevolence in the Kingpin's eyes is so creepy; I don't like looking at him. I hope I'm never involved in one of the Kingpin's good days.

Good

Best of the 2000's #1: The Punisher (MAX)

#1: The Punisher by Garth Ennis and various

When Garth Ennis isn't making fun of super-heroes, he's the best in the business. After spending a few years being silly with Steve Dillon on a Marvel Universe title, Ennis got serious and essentially put the Punisher in the real world. Taking real-world type villains, Ennis put the focus on the depravity and evil of the villains, making them so vile that the reader can't help but squeal with glee when Frank finally gets his hands on them. The Punisher hands out some awful punishments throughout this run, but I always believed the bad guys deserved it. In fact, when Ennis would give us people like slavers or gleeful killers, I couldn't wait to see them get what they had coming. Ennis was able to switch tones too, keeping fun elements like the Barracuda. Barracuda was such an over the top villain that I loved reading about him, but we all know that no one survives meeting Frank more than twice (even his friends, it seemed). After reading this series, I was left with two thoughts: What a sad, lonely guy Frank Castle must be. It must be awful to be him. The second? Why doesn't the real world have a Punisher?

Ennis worked with quite a few artists as the series progressed. While they all handled the violence well, I'd say Leandro Fernandez really captured NYC the best. Fernandez's characters oozed evil, especially in the Slavers, my favorite arc of the series. Goran Parlov handled the Barracuda stories, and his bright, European style made him one of my favorite artists. He drew hot (and slutty) ladies, tough guys, and great wimps. I'd say those were the strongest artists of the run, although the others weren't bad at all.

Overall, the sheer creativity in villains, deaths, twists, and turns made this my favorite series of the 2000's.

Excellent

Punisher #11

This comic doesn't really work, but not because of the story. Rick Remender has created a new sub-world of the Marvel U, a world of monsters. I love the opening scene on Monster Island; it is a testament to the skills of both Rememder and artist Tony Moore that I immediately sympathized with the fleeing monsters. Of course, seeing a bunch of samurai kill a mom-monster (momster?) and her kids will quickly set your allegiance on the side of the monsters. So the greater plot is that there is this horrifically dedicated crew of monster hunters out to destroy all monsters.

In an attempt to save the monster population, the Legion of Monsters (Werewolf-by-Night, Swamp Thing, Morbius, N'Kantu the Living Mummy, and more) have created a refuge for monsters in the morlock tunnels under NYC. The legion can fight, but they need a soldier to lead them against the monster hunters. And here's where things go wrong. Immediately after the Punisher was chopped up by Daken, his remains were snatched up by some mole men and brought to Morbius, who assembled the parts into Frankencastle. That's right, a Frankenstein version of the Punisher. Things go poorly when he goes berserk during the procedure and runs amok amongst the refugees. I loved seeing a few famous Marvel monsters mixed into the crowd. I don't remember all their names, but I'm certain I've seen some of these guys in old 60s monster books. This is a really neat idea for a story. But the Punisher doesn't fit. I understand Remender is going to try and contrast the Punisher's single-minded crusade for vengeance against a similarly motivated leader of the monster squad, but the use of monsters makes this a bad fit. There are two good ideas here, the monster story, and the dangers of single-minded goals, but they do not fit together well. I'll read through this story, because I really want to see what happens to the monsters, but I'll be pretending that this isn't the Punisher. If this comic featured the real Frankenstein in the same story, I'd probably give it an Excellent.

Tony Moore's work is wonderful, as always. He actually makes me worried about a family that resembles giant crayfish. Of course, the mom and dad crayfish are holding a little baby crayfish, so how could that not pull on your heartstrings. Moore's Morbius is quite cool looking, he seems fairly harmless and altruistic. I was getting more of a Beast-vibe off him than I usually do. I do wonder how does this fit in with ARMOR as seen in Marvel Zombies 3.

Good

Punisher MAX #1

Garth Ennis picks up right where he left off, with... wait a second. Jason Aaron picks up right where Garth Ennis left off, with the Punisher as a force of nature. Aaron successfully copies Ennis' formula; that is, the villains are the real story. We read the Punisher (especially the MAX version) for revenge-fulfillment, so populating the pages with evil scum is part of the job, and watching Frank destroy them is the fun part. Aaron starts down that path here, with a bunch of bosses creating a fictional "kingpin" of crime to distract Frank from their normal operations. The interesting part is that the whole kingpin idea came from a leg-breaker named Wilson Fisk. Now, we know that Fisk ends up as the Kingpin in the mainstream Marvel U, and I can't wait to see how he comes to power in this MAX universe. Aaron makes the interesting choice to give Fisk a wife and son, immediately humanizing him. It's going to be harder to totally hate the guy if he is really as kind to his loved ones as he seems to be.

Steve Dillon captures the mix of ultra-violence and humor that is essential for a successful Punisher comic. There's a scene with a mobster's eyeballs popping out that is just classic. Slapping the MAX label on this title makes everything fair game. I'd never want to see the normal Marvel U Punisher pouring salt on the wounds of his torture subjects, but the MAX Punisher? He's a force of nature, not a person.

Good

Moon Knight: Down South TPB

I'm just not that big a fan of Mike Benson's writing. This trade has multiple storylines that are perfect for the Moon Knight character, yet I'm just not that into them. Hell, this trade introduces one of the best high-concepts ever, luchadore brothers who are also hit men, but most of the execution leaves me cold.

With Moon Knight's alter ego "killed" by the Thunderbolts, Jake Lockley (another secret ID) has fled south to Mexico. While making ends meet in a fighting ring, Jake is approached by a local landowner who wants to hire Jake to get his daughter out of police custody. Jake takes the job, and busts the girl loose, but of course things aren't what they seem. The father is a drug-runner and his daughter was turning over evidence on him. Complicating matters is the Punisher, enjoying his time down South killing folks as he always does. There's also some sort of Aztec vigilante targeting this same mob. I love that the criminals botched the take-out of Moon Knight too, now there are three angry vigilantes after them. In an attempt to reclaim the daughter, the mob hires the Zapata Brothers, the aforementioned luchadores. Their debut is great; when fighting Moon Knight, they only fight him one-on-one, tagging each other in as if it were a match. That's classic! I actually dug most of the banter between the brothers, talking about Facebook and old high school friends. The repeated use of "bro" though, uch, so annoying by the end of the trade. I'm really glad Benson seemed to realize what he had with the Zapatas; they end up as allies by the end of the book.

Of course the good guys win (although the Aztec vigilante does most of the work). The legacy of this trade will be the Zapata Brothers, so in that regard, Benson did well. But as a Moon Knight story, this was fairly generic. I would have liked a little more interaction between MK and the Punisher, they always interact in neat ways, almost as acquaintances in the same profession, but there isn't much of that in this collection.

Jefte Palo's artwork is ok, but man, he draws hair very strangely. Jake Lockley has some sort of spikey thing on the front of his head that distracted me quite a bit. The crime lord's daughter is supposed to be stunning, but I'm not sure that came through in the art. Finally, the Zapata brothers looked ok, but compared to how dynamic they seemed on the covers, they could have been cooler.

Average

Punisher #10

Obviously, I read this and the Dark Reign special in the wrong order. This issue wraps up the Hood-themed arc from the last few months. Punisher succeeds in killing off a couple more Hood-resurrected villains (I think Cyclone is one of them, I'm not sure about the other). I do like that Rick Remender has actually brought back a few of these villains to stay. At least Basilisk, Death Adder, and a few others seem to be back for good now. I won't complain about more costumed villains.

I will say I really don't like what Frank does this issue. The Hood uses his resurrecting trick on Frank's family. This is a great way to neutralize the Punisher, with his family back, what is there to be angry about? I was honestly shocked at Frank's reaction though. When he sees his family rise, he immediately has them set on fire and kills them again. How, how, how can he do this? Either he didn't want them used against him or he's ashamed of what he's become, I just can't rationalize that a man as pained as he is would dispatch his family so quickly. Even if Frank believed their return was tainted by the Hood and that their personalities were different, I can't believe anyone could do this so fast. The resurrected villains seemed to be themselves, so why would the Castles be any different? How are we supposed to view Frank after this? He's damaged beyond repair for me. I don't like what this story says about Frank, but it is pretty dramatic.

Tan Eng Huat has a fun style, but I'm not sure he's a great fit for the more "classic" elements of the story. His takes on Basilisk and Death Adder are just ugly. But the Hood and the supernatural stuff does look nice and spooky.

Fair

Dark Reign: The List: Punisher #1

Wow. I certainly wasn't expecting that. I knew Rick Remender had an arc coming up with the Legion of Monsters, and the Punisher somehow filling in as Frankencastle, but I never, ever expected this was how we'd get there.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
The whole relaunch of the current Punisher title has been based around the Punisher making life miserable for Norman Osborn and his cabal. After siccing the Hood on the Punisher for a few months, to little benefit, Osborn decides to cut bait and bring in a more dangerous hunter. Enter Wolverine's son, Daken. After HAMMER troops soften up the Punisher, in comes Daken for the kill. Punisher does a decent job, and actually holds out for awhile against Wolverine Jr. but really, the fight is almost never in doubt. Daken is too powerful and too well matched against Castle's skill set, and so the fight ends with a Daken win. A definitive win. Daken calmly chops the Punisher to pieces, first slicing his head off, then his arms, then chunking him up from there. I mean, there is no legit way for the Punisher to ever come back as the same character. If he's a stictched up Frankenstein, he needs to stay that forever now. Remender has commented that we've got a "normal" Punisher in the MAX title, so I guess it makes sense to diversify, but wow. I was not expecting this.

So if you are a Punisher fan and want to see how the Marvel U version meets his violent end, pick this up. I honestly don't see how a pile of body parts can even come back as a character, but I guess we'll find out.

John Romita Jr., a classic Punisher artist, lends gravitas to the proceedings. This is an important chapter for Castle, and we get an important artist to draw it for us. I'm honestly in shock over this. It was well done, but man, how did this not get more hype?

Good

Spider-Man: Crime and Punisher TPB

Hmm. I'm enjoying these Brand New Day Spidey stories ok, but I don't know if I can say anything more than that. I certainly don't think there has been any benefit to removing Mary Jane from the spider-mythos. Spider-Man is one of those characters that I like well enough to read about just based on his own merits, but I always dug the drama he had with MJ. There is a new possible love interest (or at least flirt-interest) in this trade, but I don't really hold out much hope that this confident new reporter for the Frontline paper will stick around.

The trade opens with a nice war story starring Flash Thompson. I guess Marc Guggenheim researched military terms and tactics with an actual soldier before writing this and it shows. Barry Kitson handles the realistic combat in as confident a fashion as he does his other work, and this was a quite moving story. I'm not sure about the spider-moments interjected into Flash's more realistic problems though. Isn't comparing a soldier's life-threatening work to Spider-Man fighting some bum sort of insulting?

The next story has Joe Kelly revamping Hammerhead as a flunky for Mr. Negative. I'm not sure I like Hammerhead dropping his mobster motif in an attempt to get serious. I really liked Spidey's comments during their fights; his dialogue was mirroring my thoughts. Kelly always does a nice job of balancing humor and drama and he keeps up that trend here. The childhood trauma and origin of Hammerhead is quite sad, but that is contrasted against the excellent quips coming from Spidey. This is an absolutely brutal encounter and it really pushes the boundaries of believability that Peter Parker's co-workers would be so accepting of his mangled face, but the story is well put together.

The final story has the Punisher and Spidey taking on Moses Magnum. It was decent enough, but at this point I need something special from my Punisher stories. I don't think he works as well in straight up super-hero comics anymore, not after seeing him used so well in a movie-type format in Punisher MAX. I was pleased to see Moses Magnum survive the encounter though.

The art is solid throughout the trade. Barry Kitson's work is wonderful as always. Chris Bachalo's Spidey is a tad big-headed and kid-like, but contrasted against the brutality of the fights the style actually worked. Paulo Rivera has a distinctive style that worked ok, but the Punisher was a tad lumpy. I prefer the bulking bruiser we've seen in most recent appearances.

Fair