Category Archives: Punisher
Review: Punisher #7
Greg Rucka throws us a curveball in this issue, writing a darn good character piece while solving none of the problems I’ve had with the series so far. If anything, this issue makes those problems worse. The story doesn’t move ahead at all. We learn nothing new about the villains, their motivation or anything, really. And neither the Punisher nor the Bride even appear! Instead we get the reason why Detective Ozzy Clemons dislikes the Punisher. That’s it.
Punisher #7
Still, it’s a well-written character examination. And the art of guest artist Michael Lark is to die for.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright!
The problems with this series do not weigh down this issue, as they have previous issues. Rucka is clearly still going for style over substance, and with this issue, he does a very good job with it. Of course, I’d give the issue a higher grade if anything actually happened story-wise. As I said, the Punisher doesn’t even appear. It’s the Ozzy and Bolt show, as the two have a long talk about various topics (mostly the Punisher) on their way to the upstate lodge where Punisher and Bride did all that killing last issue. I’m a sucker for a good character exploration.
So hopefully I can explain why I’m cool with this issue, despite it not fixing any of the series problems, moving the story forward or providing much depth. Synopsis and spoilers after the jump.
Review: Punisher #6
A healthy dose of action and murdery excitement kicks the Punisher series up a notch. Writer Greg Rucka finally answered my call to do something with the book, but there are still a lot of holes and problems with the story. The same sorts of problems that have been ongoing, like a shocking reliance on the recap page to tell us important information, an almost characterless version of the Punisher and a story that jumps ahead rather than progress naturally.
Punisher #6
Still, the Punisher actually punishing people is a good read.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
The biggest development in this issue is that The Bride has finally gotten involved in the overall story. The problem with that is it’s an incredible leap from where she was last issue to this issue, and an even larger leap from where she was only two issues ago. It’s easy to understand her motivation, but I don’t think we have been properly shown her mental progression to reach this point. We also haven’t been shown nearly anything about the bad guys in this story, called The Exchange. And that is a very big problem when reading a Punisher story.
I think it’s crucial in a Punisher story that you really want to see the bad guys get punished. Whether it’s movies, comics, TV or any medium, having a fully-realized antagonist is key. Think of all the great villains you love to hate. Or the villains you can really identify with, who think they’re doing the right thing, like Magneto. These are villains you can get behind because they are well-fleshed out. It’s why the hero’s eventual victory over them has such an emotional impact. And it’s moreso with the Punisher, because hated or beloved, that villain is going to die by his hand.
But with the Exchange, I just don’t care about them. Nor do I care that they and their faceless henchmen will die. I stand by my rating that this issue was a good read, but I have a lot to nitpick after the jump.
Review: Punisher #5
Much like last issue, Punisher #5 continues the story at a snail’s pace without any real momentous happenings or interactions between the cast. Couple that with an incredible leap of 100 days in time from the last issue, and I’m starting to get bored. Nothing is happening except for a surface-level exploration of the characters. And nothing at all is happening with the Punisher himself. He remains a nearly-mute specter who may or may not be killing criminals.
Punisher #5
When is something going to happen!?
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
Though again, like last issue, I’ll say that it’s a well-constructed comic. The writing is solid and the art is sufficiently moody. The wintery snow effects are amazing. So it’s a well put-together comic, but that doesn’t guarantee a good comic. Nothing happens in this issue. Nothing of significance at least. None of the characters have any breakthroughs. No one has any particularly memorable lines of dialogue. Nobody does anything that will be remembered next issue. Maybe it’s my fault. Maybe I’m missing some important subtext or something. But I’m pretty sure that writer Greg Rucka is sacrificing momentum for mood-building.
And that just doesn’t make for a good comic. Not that I’m going to stop reading just yet, but I’m starting to consider dropping the Punisher. We’ll see. Spoilers after the jump.
Why Can Nobody Get the Punisher Right?
The big superhero TV news this past weekend was that FOX has ordered a pilot for The Punisher, the grim and gritty vigilante from Marvel Comics. Normally, that would be very cool news because I love comic books, I love the Punisher, and it would just be cool to have a Punisher TV show. But according to Deadline, and every other news source I read about this deal, the people making the show are GOING TO FUCK IT ALL UP!!
What the hell is so hard about making a live action Punisher!?
Three movies have failed at it. And now a TV show is going to fail too?
Here’s the description of the show according to Deadline:
The Punisher is described as an hour-long procedural with a Marvel signature and a new take on one of the comic book giant’s iconic characters, Frank Castle, a rising star detective with the New York Police Department who moonlights as the vigilante Punisher, seeking justice for those the system has failed.
Are you kidding me!?
A cop who works on the side as the Punisher? What complete and utter bullshit is that? That’s not the Punisher! That’s TV hero #29473 with the name ‘Punisher’ slapped onto it for merchandising or some such bullshit studio reason. It’s mind-numbing to me that somebody along the way decided to so greatly alter the character and yet still have the gall to call it The Punisher. There have been three distinct live action Punisher movies, none of which have been sequels of each other, and yet every single one gets the Punisher wrong in some way.
Nobody can apparently just tell a straight forward, unaltered live action story of the Punisher.
But why? What’s so difficult to make with the Punisher story? He’s got to be one of the easiest characters to create in live action because he doesn’t have any super powers or fancy costume. He’s just a guy with a skull on his shirt and some guns! Killing gangsters and criminals! It’s super easy!
This look, this is the look. What is so hard about this look?
Let me explain. The Punisher’s origin is very easy. He was a soldier in Vietnam (or it could easily be transferred to Iraq or Afghanistan) who learned combat and firearms training in the heat of battle. Upon his return stateside, Frank Castle tries to settle down with his wife and kids. But then one innocent day in the park, he and his family are caught in the crossfire from two rival gangs or mobsters. They have nothing to do with the criminals, they are just innocently caught in the crossfire.
With his family dead, Castle falls back on his military training to wage a one-man war on ALL crime. Yes, he gets revenge against those specific mobsters. But then he just keeps going after all other criminals. No one is safe.
So the basics: soldier, family innocently gunned down, Punisher goes after all criminals.
He’s not a rising star police detective who moonlights on the side as the Punisher. It defeats the very purpose of the Punisher. He’s a man obsessed or possessed or however you want to say it. The Punisher doesn’t do anything on the side. He is only the Punisher and he world has to deal with it. There have been decades of comic book stories written around this idea. Garth Ennis wrote a 10-volume comic book opus about Punisher which was very creative, very inventive and really got to the heart of the character – all while sticking to the actual character.
What about the movies?
The first one in 1989 starring Dolph Lundgren also had him as a cop, an ex-police officer who had become the Punisher. That movie also didn’t feature the skull emblem on the shirt for some reason.
The second one in 2004 starring Thomas Jane is the worst of them all. They get the name right, and the skull shirt, but everything else just gets thrown out the window. This time he’s an FBI Agent who gets caught in a sting operation gone bad. A mobster’s son gets killed, so as revenge, the mobster specifically targets Castle and Castle’s entire extended family. Not just his wife and two sons. Frank Castle’s family is the target of a specific hit. So when he becomes the Punisher afterwards, he specifically goes out for revenge against that one mobster (played by John Travolta). That’s not ‘punishment’, that’s revenge, just like a million other movie anti-heroes!
The third one in 2008 starring Ray Stevenson was a little bit better. They get the skull and they get the badassery. I don’t recall if they had the soldier origin or cop origin. But he’s the Punisher…then they go and muck it up by having the Punisher kill an undercover cop, filling him with guilt and remorse. Then the bad guys, Jigsaw and Loony Bin Jim, are ridiculous! They are comic relief pushed too far, taking a serious movie down with them. This film got close to the Punisher…then still found ways on the side to mess it up.
What is so hard about making a straight Punisher movie? Somebody tell me!
Review: Punisher #4
The new Punisher series by Greg Rucka continues to be a good read, but we’re four issues in and we don’t know anything about the bad guy, the bride has yet to leave the hospital and the Punisher has barely interacted with the rest of the cast. Heck, this issue doesn’t even feature the bad guys. It’s essentially a recap issue, giving us the origin of the Punisher and sort of catching everyone up to the story so far. We’re only four issues in and we need a breather? I don’t think so.
Punisher #4
Four issues in, I want some Grade A badassery.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
That’s not to say Punisher #4 is a bad comic. It’s still a good read, with the mood, atmosphere and art still top notch for this kind of story. Rucka is still telling a grim and gritty Punisher tale, which is how it should be. It’s just that not enough is happening. He’s created a nice cast of supporting characters, all of whom seem more fleshed out than the Punisher, but he’s not doing enough with them. None of them seem to matter more than their particular role in the story, which is essentially just their job. Norah is a reporter. Clemons and Bolt are police detectives. That’s all these people seem to do, and it has yet to go any deeper.
I think Rucka’s trying to make the Punisher into something of a supernatural force of nature…but it’s not working. One problem is the art. The Punisher looks like a freakin’ cover model!
Henchman-4-Hire 