• Categories

  • Archives

  • Top 10 Most Read

The Punisher #11 – Review

Posted on May 12, 2012 by paladinking

by Greg Rucka (writer), Mirko Colak (art), Dan Brown & Jim Charalampidis (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Detective Warren Bolt comes clean about his relationship with the Punisher after a crazy night with Frank in Times Square killing….zombies?

The Review: There are two ways of reading this comic.  On the one hand, you can look at it as a comic where Warren Bolt talks a lot and kills zombies with Frank in Times Square.  Pretty ho-hum, right?  On the other hand, if you come in with an open mind, this comic rewards the astute reader with a more psychological reading.

Rucka has given us an issue with a real interior focus; all the events are narrated from the perspective of Bolt with no one, as his interviewers later admit, to contradict his story.  As such, it’s all up to him and, given his background as faux-hero, you’re left wondering about the reliability of what he’s relaying.

Now, I’m not saying that this issue is entirely a figment of Bolt’s imagination; it most likely isn’t.  We know SOMETHING went down with zombies in Times Square.  However, I couldn’t help but get a real Tyler Durden/Fight Club vibe off of this issue.  Bolt and Frank’s unique relationship, with Frank doing the dirty work that Bolt is too afraid or too inept to do himself, leads to the two being inextricably linked to one another.   In a way, watching Bolt and Castle run about killing zombies in Times Square (a situation which, in itself, is so ludicrous that it only facilitates the surreality), you’re almost waiting for the Fight Club twist: Frank was never there.
(more…)

Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Punisher #11 – Review

Posted on November 18, 2009 by tonyrak

By Rick Remender (writer), Tony Moore (artist), Dan Brown (colorist)

Hell. Fucking. Yeah!

I’ll tell you what, when it comes to my comics I only ask for the following: I either want to be inspired, surprised, or entertained. Much to my delight, when it comes to Punisher #11, Meatloaf knew what the hell he was talking about when he said that two out of three ain’t bad, because this issue is the beginning of what I think will be one of the most outrageous and entertaining storylines Marvel’s cranked out all year. Before we talk about it though, for those of you who haven’t been following the title I want you to go back and read The List: Punisher one shot  and come back.

Okay, did you read it? Messed up, right? This issue picks up shortly afterwards, with an elite Japanese, monster-hunting squad killing the fauna of Monster Island for unknown reasons. Elsewhere, in the old Morlock Tunnels under New York, an equally elite monster squad consisting of a mummy, a creature possibly from a black lagoon, the Werewolf by Night, and Morbius the Living Vampire implore Frank to use his keen strategic mind to protect Marvel’s monster community from their ruthless assailants. Frankly, that’s all I want to say about the plot. To reveal anymore than that would be to give away some serious entertainment value, and I love you far too much to do something so cruel and spiteful.

This iteration of Punisher has been largely hit or miss for me. I enjoyed the first arc of stories, and then quickly lost interest afterwards. This storyline however hooked me in a big way, mostly because it was so absolutely and delightfully absurd that it left me grinning like a mad bastard; I want my comics to surprise me like this more often. I want them to leave me wanting more. It doesn’t happen nearly as much as I want it to though, and that’s a shame, but this issue, holy crap, this issue was too freaking off the wall not to enjoy. If Remender and Moore can keep up the weirdness, we’re in for some good times.

Grade: B+

-Tony Rakittke

Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 550 other followers