by Jason Aaron (writer), Steve Dillon (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)
The Story: Locked in a prison infirmary and unable to defend himself as enemies surround him, Frank recalls a chance encounter back in Vietnam.
The Review: That’s two for two. Last month, I ranted and raved about just how awesome this book is and now, 12 issues in, I honestly believe that we are seeing the very best of this series. Since returning from that long hiatus, Aaron is creating an exemplary Punisher comic.
This issue is a massive success because it touches on so much of what makes the Punisher a compelling character (contrary to the belief that many seem to have of his being two-dimensional). On the one hand, there’s the public persona, the Punisher mystique that haunts the streets and is both myth and legend. On the other hand, there’s the beast that lurks within Frank Castle, the incomprehensible drive and relentlessness. I truly believe that using and addressing these two points is critical to making a good Punisher comic. Here, Aaron divides this issue into two stories, each of them addressing one of these two aspects of the Punisher and both succeed massively.
In the present-day portion, the sheer terror and suspicion that the Punisher has clearly ingrained in the collective criminal consciousness is a lot of fun to read. Prisoners prepare to attack a bed-ridden, restrained Frank Castle with his limbs in casts and all, but they’re still too scared to do it. It’s all part of Frank’s plan, he’s just waiting for them to try something. Of course, that’s just paranoia on the part of the prisoners. Frank’s too broken to even move. But this terror and doubt is amazing to read. It’s ridiculous to the point of comedy which only makes it that much more fun to read, to see the legend of the Punisher having such an effect.
The flashback to Vietnam is essentially Jason Aaron analyzing the Punisher/Frank Castle character, and it is a fantastic piece of work. It sees Frank conversing with a physically restrained soldier gone murderously insane. This soldier hits many of the same notes that Bullseye did last month, albeit at greater length and in more detail. But what makes it so special is that, particularly given that the soldier is never named, this almost reads like a surreal, internal dialogue, as though Frank is conversing with and denying a part of himself. That raving, bloodlusting lunatic could just as easily be the frothing animal that lurks behind Frank’s stoic exterior. The result is unsettling, but also absolutely gripping.
The focus this month is entirely on Frank, as you can probably tell, which will no doubt please the many who regretted the lack of focus on Frank thus far in the comic. That also means there’s plenty of that gritty narration, which Aaron handles very well.
Steve Dillon does really great work on the art and it’s become increasingly obvious why Aaron waited all those months instead of getting a fill-in. It’s issues like this that show how underrated Dillon’s work on character facials really is. On the one hand, it’s easy to criticize Dillon’s work, and many do, citing that his facial structures are few and similar. Yet, in spite of that, Dillon has an uncanny ability to convey raw, visceral emotion. The scared prisoners and, in particularly, the insane soldier, are an absolute treat to look at, their facial expressions saying almost as much as Aaron’s word bubbles.
Conclusion: If you’re at all a Punisher fan, you need to be reading what may be the most critically underrated Marvel comic.
Grade: A-
-Alex Evans
Grade
Conclusion