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