Wednesday, May 30, 2012

PC POST #58: The Incredible Hulk #8 Review "Stay Angry"

By @Neil4LOST


The Incredible Hulk #8 (Stay Angry Part 1)

WRITERS: Jason Aaron
ARTIST: Steve Dillon
COLOR ARTIST: Frank Martin
LETTERS: Chris Eliopulos
COVER: Michael Komarck
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Jake Thomas
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Axel Alonso
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Joe Quesada
PUBLISHER: Dan Buckley
EXEC. PRODUCER: Alan Fine

Release Date: May 30th, 2012
Published monthly by Marvel Worldwide, INC.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
Price – $3.99
(23 Pages, single-issue, color)

INTRODUCTION: (From page 1)

For years, Bruce Banner and the Hulk were linked by rage and anger. But when that link was broken and the Hulk split from Banner, the scientist went insane. Hulk hunted Banner to his secret island retreat where the monster and the man battled it out. In the midst of their fight one of Banner’s gamma bombs detonated. Hulk survived, but Banner…well…

The Hulk hoped to finally find peace, but he should know that things are never that simple. After the explosion, it is now Banner who is in Hulk’s head, and the tables have turned: when the Hulk calms down, he turns back into puny, criminally insane Banner. Now the only option for Hulk to keep control and defeat Banner is to…STAY ANGRY

WRITING:

Jason Aaron continues his run on “The Incredible Hulk” by launching the new story arc titled Stay Angry. It appears that the Stay Angry arc will play out somewhat like a Groundhog’s Day type of story in that Hulk goes through a series of events over and over again attempting to stay transformed into the green monster. Aaron’s writing in this issue feels different than the first seven issues of the series. It feels darker and much more like the guest character of the issue…The Punisher. It is no coincidence that Jason Aaron recently wrapped up with acclaimed work on Punisher MAX, telling a grittier and more violent story about Frank Castle.
Frank’s character seems to step into Hulk’s work very well but he disappears just as quickly and silently as he entered it, with very little explanation as to why Punisher was in the story in the first place. I am assuming that this will happen in a similar fashion over the course of the Stay Angry arc.

I personally like this type of story from Aaron. As a monthly reader to his Hulk series, I have felt that it lacked Aaron’s style. This issue definitely brings his style back.

Rating – “B+”

ARTWORK:

Steve Dillon re-teams with Jason Aaron once again to work on this cross-over issue with Punisher. Dillon worked with Aaron on the Punisher Max series and the two collaborated together very well.

Unfortunately for this issue, Dillon’s work doesn’t work out very well. Dillon does a very good job with Punisher and some of the small tertiary characters but he does a horrendous job at drawing super-heroes. It saddens me to think that the first time since of the end of Punisher MAX that Dillon and Aaron have worked together didn’t work out very well. Aaron delivers but Dillon doesn’t.

Rating – “C-“

STORY: (POTENTIAL SPOILERS)

This issue launches a new arc where Hulk wakes up in the middle of Mexico and he has no idea where he is and how he got there. He begins to realize that the only way that he can stop himself from transforming back into Banner is to smash anything he can get his hands on to.

Hulk randomly comes across Frank Castle, who is in Mexico hunting down a gang of men who look like wild dogs. Hulk tells Frank that he wants to come with him on Frank’s mission to be an agent of destruction.

It works out pretty well as the rest of the issue is Frank and Hulk taking out everything in their path until the two of our protagonists meets the leader of the gang. Hulk battles it out with the leader to uncover a puzzling twist about what Banner may be up to. Hulk begins to realize that the Banner inside of him may have more control then he originally thought.

Rating – “A-“

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE:

The issue is highly entertaining. It is intriguing the way that Aaron is setting up the Stay Angry series as to just what the readers may discover with Hulk throughout the Arc. There are pieces of the issue that lack believability but it is fun and it has the Punisher! We get a few great moments of dialogue between the two of them and an interrogation scene where Punisher tortures a Hispanic man J

Rating – “A”

OVERAL RATING OF ISSUE:  “B”

PC Post #57: Retro Review: Punisher War Journal # 1


WRITERS: Carl Potts
ARTIST: Carl Potts / Jim Lee
COLOR ARTIST: John Wellington
LETTERS: Jim Novak
COVER: Carl Potts/ Jim Lee
EDITOR: Don Daley
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Tom Defalco
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics

Release Date: November, 1988
Published monthly by Marvel Worldwide, INC.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
Price – $1.50
(32 Pages, single-issue, color)

INTRODUCTION:

This was the first issue of the Punisher’s spin-off series that ran from 1988 to 1995. The series features the Punisher War Journal entry text boxes, with narration by Frank Castle.

WRITING:

Carl Potts opens the series as head writer and also takes early penciling duties. In this issue there are several story arcs that are being set up for the series. The central story suffers slightly due to this and it feels rushed. On the other hand the retelling of Frank Castle’s origin through small panels at the bottom of each page was very well done. It allows new readers to get caught up without making long-time fans sit through a story they already know.

Rating – “B”

ARTWORK:

The pencils for this issue were by Carl Potts with finished art by Jim Lee. You can really see the early style that will become Jim Lee’s trademark. Each panel is detailed and full of color. On the negative it still carries the typical ’90s brightly colored style which takes away from the gritty nature of the content.

Rating – “A”

STORY:

The story opens with Frank Castle setting out on a very personal mission, to visit Central Park on the anniversary of his family’s death, but a Punisher’s job is never done and soon he is rescuing a young woman and her infant son from a group of mobsters. There is also a brief appearance by a mysterious old man and his daughter who own a small grocery store and apartment building. This is clearly setting up characters for future story arcs. The overall story of Castle trying to reach Central Park is well done and the side mission, though short, has plenty of twists and turns.


Rating – “B+”

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE:

The entertainment value of this issue does suffer due to all of the setups but the overall story is still fun and gets to the core of the Punisher and why he has taken on his one man war on crime.

Rating – “B”

OVERAL RATING OF ISSUE:  “B+”

Thursday, May 24, 2012

PC POST #56: Documentary about the Punisher Origins.

Hi Punisher Fans !!

Im here to present this documentary i found on youtube while ago. This is a very interesting documentary about the origins of the Punisher, in my opinion its a good way to all the new Punisher fans to catch up with "source" of this character.

 I hope you like it, see you around.


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

PC POST #55: Retro Review: Amazing Spider-Man 129

Post by @Neil4LOST


Really this issue is about one major event in comic book history...the first appearance of Frank Castle (aka. The Punisher)!

This issue of the Amazing Spider-Man written by Gerry Conway back in February of 1974 is now a classic. The issue debuted to characters, The Jackal and Punisher. Most people however, have completely forgotten that the Jackal was a part of the story as well as the role he played in introducing the Marvel U. to Frank Castle.

Jackal obviously has a mission...to kill Spider-Man. He finds the perfect man for the job, a man who feels that Spider-Man is a killer and should be punished for the recent death of Norman Osborne. Jackal exploits the Punisher's motives and sets up a series of events, or cons, to convince Punisher that Spider-Man is a villain.

During the two main confrontations between Spidey and Punisher it is obvious that Punisher is no match for the abilities of Spider-Man. It is interesting how Frank has evolved over time to be extremely tactical, especially when he has had to deal with super-heroes the likes of Spider-Man, Daredevil and others. Punisher learns the hard way but eventually learns the truth that the Jackal is truly the villain that he should be after.

The book closes with Punisher and Spider-Man together realizing that they have been set up and something must be done about it.

One of the things that I do really love about this story is that it feels true to the Punisher that we have all become to know and love. Sure he is getting his feet wet and nobody knows him much at this point in time but his core as a character and his belief systems are in place from the beginning. It is fantastic to see that those things have not changed after so many years.

Punisher feels that his gifting of "killing" is only to be applied towards those who deserve it; to kill people who have degraded society by their actions. Jackal plays Frank to this extent and that is what sets up the confrontations between Frank and Spider-Man.

There are also many supporting characters that make an appearance in this issue. The likes of Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson and Harry Osborne. You can begin to see the conflict arising between Peter Parker and his best friend during this issue. It is amazing just how much happens in this single issue. Comics today often feel like they are over before they have even begun but as I was re-reading this issue it stretched on and on. I really liked that.

For those of you who haven't read Amazing Spider-Man #129...you need to right away. There are basically three main ways you can do so. You can either drop some major cash on a near mint version on Ebay/Amazon to get the original single issue, which may be in a special collectors case, or you can pick up Punisher Essential or Spider-Man Essential.

If you are not familiar with Punisher Essential or Spider-Man Essential basically they are thick volumes of essential comics that Marvel has put out for readers to become familiar with older stories. This is great for readers that cannot drop loads of cash but the downside is that these books are not in color, they are entirely in black and white. If you can get past that issue then they are a steal.

Overall I feel that this introduction to Punisher was rich in character establishment and the set up for many future interactions that Frank Castle would have with Spider-Man.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

PC POST #54: Punisher: the TV Show put on hold!

Post by @DorkJustinSaga



As most Punisher fans were probably well aware, back in October, ABC and Fox were all set to bring Frank Castle to the small screen. However, it now appears that those plans have been shelved. There doesn't appear to be any reason given for this, but The Punisher has now joined AKA Jessica Jones (based on Brian Michael Bendis' Alias) as a Marvel adaptation that fans won't see on the small screen.

For the full article from www.spinoffonline.com, please click on the following link:http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2012/05/16/fox-passes-on-the-punisher/

Personally, I'm not that disappointed as the writers vision of Frank Castle appears to be entirely different to the Frank Castle that the fans know and love from the comics, but it would have been nice to see everyones favourite vigilante grace our television screens, after all; who doesn't love a little bit of punishment?


PC POST #53: Punisher Fan Art by Peteopolis!

Post by @Peteopolis

Check out the following Punisher artworks by our very own Peteopolis!






Wednesday, May 16, 2012

PC POST #52: April Punisher Comic Sales Figures

Post by @Neil4LOST

It is that time again to see where Frank Castle books came in on the monthly sales charts. For the month of April Punisher came in at #61 as seen below highlighted in yellow. No doubt the Omega Effect crossover series helped Punisher rise up over a dozen spots. I hope that this trend can continue and we could eventually see Punisher crack the top 50!, which would be fantastic.


QTY
RANK
DOLLAR
RANK
INDEXITEM CODEDESCRIPTIONPRICEVENDOR
11121.48FEB120534-MAVENGERS VS X-MEN #2$3.99MAR
22100.00FEB120186-MBATMAN #8$3.99DC
3398.77FEB120160-MJUSTICE LEAGUE #8$3.99DC
4479.20FEB120531-MAVX VS #1$3.99MAR
5767.64FEB120204-MGREEN LANTERN #8$2.99DC
6567.36FEB120178-MACTION COMICS #8$3.99DC
7667.13FEB120190-MDETECTIVE COMICS #8$3.99DC
81656.88FEB120193-MBATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #8$2.99DC
9853.50FEB120545-MUNCANNY X-MEN #11$3.99MAR
101050.28FEB120541-MAVENGERS #25$3.99MAR
111149.76FEB120547-MWOLVERINE AND X-MEN #9$3.99MAR
121249.41FEB120538-MNEW AVENGERS #24$3.99MAR
132349.38FEB120182-MSUPERMAN #8$2.99DC
142448.78FEB120169-MFLASH #8$2.99DC
15947.43FEB120540NEW AVENGERS #25$3.99MAR
162647.21FEB120165-MAQUAMAN #8$2.99DC
172145.94FEB120196BATMAN AND ROBIN #8 [*]$2.99DC
181345.29FEB120566-MAMAZING SPIDER-MAN #683$3.99MAR
191443.99FEB120569-MAMAZING SPIDER-MAN #684$3.99MAR
201543.57FEB120618UNCANNY X-MEN #10$3.99MAR
211741.16FEB120622WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #8$3.99MAR
221840.60FEB120554-MAVENGERS ASSEMBLE #2$3.99MAR
233238.91FEB120230-MTEEN TITANS #8$2.99DC
242038.79FEB120625-MUNCANNY X-FORCE #24$3.99MAR
253438.63FEB120167-MWONDER WOMAN #8$2.99DC
262238.16FEB120543-MSECRET AVENGERS #26$3.99MAR
272536.32FEB120575-MAVENGING SPIDER-MAN #6$3.99MAR
283936.23FEB120209-MGREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #8$2.99DC
293035.88FEB120203NIGHTWING #8 [*]$2.99DC
304235.31FEB120580-MDAREDEVIL #11$2.99MAR
311934.88FEB120897-MSHADOW #1$3.99DE
324334.72FEB120198-MBATWOMAN #8$2.99DC
333733.68FEB120200BATGIRL #8 [*]$2.99DC
342733.48FEB120557ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #9$3.99MAR
353832.79FEB120208GREEN LANTERN CORPS #8 [*]$2.99DC
364532.44FEB120592-MFANTASTIC FOUR #605$2.99MAR
372832.26FEB120596-MINCREDIBLE HULK #7$3.99MAR
382931.76FEB120584-MCAPTAIN AMERICA #10$3.99MAR
395430.25FEB120640-MSECRET SERVICE #1 (MR)$2.99MAR
405230.19FEB120212-MSWAMP THING #8$2.99DC
415330.06FEB120633-MAGE OF APOCALYPSE #2$2.99MAR
423129.45FEB120556SECRET AVENGERS #25$3.99MAR
435729.45FEB120608DAREDEVIL #10.1$2.99MAR
443328.97FEB120627-MWOLVERINE #304$3.99MAR
453528.67FEB120629-MWOLVERINE #305$3.99MAR
466028.58FEB120594-MFF #17$2.99MAR
475928.28FEB120527WALKING DEAD #96 (MR)$2.99IMA
484828.24FEB120519SAGA #2 (MR) [*]$2.99IMA
493628.21FEB120623-MX-MEN #27$3.99MAR
504927.69FEB120211RED LANTERNS #8 [*]$2.99DC
516427.34FEB120621X-MEN LEGACY #265$2.99MAR
525526.68FEB120202CATWOMAN #8 [*]$2.99DC
534126.42FEB120589-MMIGHTY THOR #13$3.99MAR
544026.37FEB120598-MHULK #50$3.99MAR
555826.17FEB120201RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #8 [*]$2.99DC
566925.68FEB120588MIGHTY THOR #12.1$2.99MAR
577025.66FEB120586-MWINTER SOLDIER #4$2.99MAR
587125.34FEB120564-MSCARLET SPIDER #4$2.99MAR
596225.06FEB120217ANIMAL MAN #8 [*]$2.99DC
606324.84FEB120185SUPERGIRL #8 [*]$2.99DC
617424.82FEB120578-MPUNISHER #10$2.99MAR
624424.82FEB120612-MINVINCIBLE IRON MAN #515$3.99MAR
636624.13FEB120214JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #8 [*]$2.99DC
644723.99FEB120558ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #9$3.99MAR
654623.96FEB120619ASTONISHING X-MEN #49$3.99MAR
667623.87FEB120238BATMAN ARKHAM UNHINGED #1$2.99DC
676723.27FEB120164JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #8 [*]$2.99DC
685023.02FEB120620WOLVERINE AND X-MEN ALPHA AND OMEGA #4$3.99MAR
695122.77FEB120559ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #10$3.99MAR
707222.60FEB120225SUICIDE SQUAD #8 [*]$2.99DC
718122.51FEB120638-MSUPERCROOKS #2 (MR)$2.99MAR
727922.46FEB120637DEADPOOL #53$2.99MAR
738222.10FEB120573VENOM #15$2.99MAR
748022.07FEB120033-MBTVS SEASON 9 FREEFALL #8$2.99DAR
757521.98FEB120184SUPERBOY #8 [*]$2.99DC
765621.94FEB120571CARNAGE USA #5$3.99MAR
778421.78FEB120574VENOM #16$2.99MAR
786121.36FEB120609-MDEFENDERS #5$3.99MAR
796520.66JAN120625-MAVENGERS VS X-MEN #1$3.99MAR
8020019.86FEB120828FANBOYS VS ZOMBIES #1$1.00BOO
818319.75FEB120197BIRDS OF PREY #8 [*]$2.99DC
827719.41FEB120009-MSTAR WARS BLOOD TIES BOBA FETT IS DEAD #1$3.50DAR
839118.95FEB120583CAPTAIN AMERICA AND HAWKEYE #629$2.99MAR
848718.90FEB120174GREEN ARROW #8 [*]$2.99DC
857318.53FEB120237BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #3$3.99DC
869418.24FEB120635X-FACTOR #234$2.99MAR
879717.77FEB120220-MSTORMWATCH #8$2.99DC
889617.77FEB120607FEAR ITSELF FEARLESS #12$2.99MAR
899817.61FEB120283FAIREST #2 (MR)$2.99DC
908817.46FEB120502FATALE #4 (MR)$3.50IMA
916817.26FEB120229ALL STAR WESTERN #8 [*]$3.99DC
9210017.10FEB120551AVENGERS ACADEMY #28$2.99MAR
9310216.34FEB120631NEW MUTANTS #40$2.99MAR
948616.22FEB120614MOON KNIGHT #12$3.99MAR
9510416.19FEB120591JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #636$2.99MAR
9610616.09FEB120632NEW MUTANTS #41$2.99MAR
9711014.88FEB120402AMERICAS GOT POWERS #1$2.99IMA
989014.85JAN120645SECRET AVENGERS #24$3.99MAR
9910114.79FEB120236LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #8 [*]$2.99DC
10011214.70FEB120616THUNDERBOLTS #172$2.99MAR

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

PC POST #51: New Interview with Greg Rucka about the Punisher by CBR

Post by @ivomgs, thanks to CBR News

Hello guys it's been awhile, here im gonna post this new interview with a couple of hours by CBR. It talks about the present and a little about the future of the Punisher.

Most of Marvel Comics' crime fighters take an immediate approach to their battle, foiling a criminal or super villain's latest scheme and leaving punishment for the criminal justice system to decide. Frank Castle, however, takes a more extreme and permanent approach, eliminating the need for the criminal justice system all together. Better known as the gun toting vigilante the Punisher, when Castle's done fighting crime, the perpetrators aren't sent to jail -- they're sent to the morgue.

This utterly ruthless approach has earned the Punisher a number of enemies in the criminal world, but it also means that the non-powered vigilante has to keep his activities from coming under close scrutiny by members of the Marvel U's super powered hero community, many of whom view him as no better than the killers he executes. For the Punisher, waging war against crime in the Marvel U is a tricky thing and sometimes, as in the recent "Omega Effect" crossover by writers Greg Rucka and Mark Waid, Castle is forced to work with other heroes. CBR News spoke with Rucka, writer of the monthly "Punisher" book, about balancing things for Frank Castle, the relationships the Punisher has with Daredevil and Spider-Man and what's next for Frank now that "Omega Effect" has concluded.


As a non-powered soldier fighting crime in a world full of super-humans, the most important thing Frank Castle has to contend with is making sure he's confronting his opponents at the right time and place. Rucka demonstrated this in his initial "Punisher" arc where Frank was forced into a surprise confrontation with the new Vulture. The Punisher slew the Vulture, but the wounds the villain inflicted upon him were so grievous that he had to spend 100 days recovering from the fight. In fact, he's still recovering from an injury he received in the battle.

"He's had the eye patch for a while, but what we have to remember is, it's comic book time. So it's only been about two and a half weeks since "Punisher" #5, where he went back into action after recuperating from the Vulture fight," Rucka told CBR News. "With that fight, I wanted to show that he needed to be real careful and precise. The new mutate Vulture was what? A C-List villain? And he messed Frank up badly. I firmly believe, with enough resources and time to put together a battle plan, Frank could probably cause someone like Doctor Doom some real physical pain. That's going to take him a lot of time and effort, though. There's a reason why he's not going out and shooting the big marquee villains. When that power balance goes askew, things get real dangerous for him and really dicey."

Things also become dangerous for the Punisher if he attracts the attention of heroes at the wrong time, which is why Rucka's initial storylines deliberately kept his protagonist apart from Marvel's heroes. In fact, part of the draw of the recent "Omega Effect" crossover which ran through the pages of "Avenging Spider-Man," "The Punisher," and "Daredevil," was that it allowed Rucka to work with his friend and former "52" collaborator, Mark Waid, while presenting the opportunity to have the Punisher encounter Marvel's two premier street level heroes in a way that made sense and didn't disrupt the character's larger narrative.
"For Frank to exist in the 616 and do what he does, he's got to stay below the radar. That makes for an internal logic problem because you have somebody like Spider-Man who's pretty much dead-set against anybody dying, and he knows that Frank is out there running around. So the immediate question is, why the heck isn't he doing something about it? The answer has to be that there are other more pressing things occupying him," Rucka said. "The Punisher, while pursuing what Matt Murdock and Pete Parker would call an evil, is pursuing a relatively smaller evil. It's not that they're granting it permission, but they have other things on their plate. I think for Frank to survive, he's got to know that. He's got to know that if he keeps his profile low, Thor is less likely to come and hit him on the head with his hammer because Thor is going to be busy hitting other people with his hammer who are trying to eat the Earth. That was one of the first things my editor Steve Wacker and I had some serious discussion about."

In "The Omega Effect," the Punisher's re-entry into Spider-Man and Daredevil's worlds came via the Omega Drive, a computer hard drive containing intelligence and information on most of the Marvel Universe's major mega-crime organizations. The device had recently come into Daredevil's possession, and when the Punisher approached the blind hero about it, he was asked to team with both DD and Spider-Man to keep the drive out of the hands of all those gunning for it. In order for the two heroes to accept Frank's help, the Punisher agreed to use non-lethal rubber ammunition while he was working with Spider-Man and Daredevil.
"The Omega Drive gave us the opportunity to justify him being in the same room as people who see him as a huge problem that in many ways is unsolvable. Because what do you do with him? You're not going to kill him. It was great to put these characters together in an immediate and justifiable way that doesn't force Daredevil or Spider-Man to say, 'I've got to bring you in.' For all the good that's going to do, because arresting Frank does nobody any favors," Rucka remarked. "If you arrest Frank, that's a holiday for him, because you're locking him in where everybody that he wants to kill already is. So to be able to work around that and finally be able to show how Frank exists in this much larger environment was nice."
While he may have a very different perspective on crime and crime fighting, the Punisher was very comfortable working with Daredevil and Spider-Man. In fact, he felt no need during "The Omega Effect" to explain his perspective to the two heroes or lecture them for being naïve in their approach to crime fighting.

EXCLUSIVE: Marco Checchetto's art from "Punisher" #12

"My take on Frank is that he doesn't have a lot to say and is absolutely apolitical. This isn't political for him. It's entirely personal. He's not going to look at Matt and say, 'You're wrong.' He's going to say, 'I can't do what you do and the reason I can't is, I don't believe in what you do.' He doesn't feel the need to say that though," Rucka explained. "It's like Wolverine saying, 'I'm the best there is at what I do and what I do isn't very pretty.' People who are the best at what they do and what they do isn't pretty don't brag about it. They don't advertise it.

"A friend of mine in the State Department told me a story about some military guys that he had met in Washington DC. He had drinks with one of them, and while they were talking, he says to this soldier, 'I see you're specced as a medic.' And the soldier says, 'I am.' My friend said, 'You're not a medic, though.' The soldier's response was, 'We're all specced as medics.' So my friend asked, 'Well, what is it that you do?' The soldier took a very long pause and said, 'Let's just say I can do it from about a mile away if there's no wind.' That says, to me, that you walk the walk, but you don't talk about it," Rucka said. "Frank has nothing to prove to anybody. He doesn't stay up at night thinking, 'Oh my God, Daredevil doesn't like me.' If something is keeping him up at night, it ain't that."

The Punisher has a different relationship with both Daredevil and Spider-Man. The wall-crawler's crime fighting philosophy of "Nobody Dies" means he is especially uncomfortable working with the ruthless vigilante, while Daredevil is equally uncomfortable with what Frank Castle does he sees him as someone who could be do a lot of good if he could be reached.

"One of the things that makes Daredevil a super hero and Frank an anti-hero is that Daredevil is never going to give up on Frank. This is not to disparage Spider-Man, who, if I'm brutally honest, I never really felt like I had a good handle on until 'The Omega Effect.' I think that Frank and Murdock's relationship is a more mature one," Rucka said. "Technically they haven't known each other longer, but I do think there's a maturity in how they approach each other. Spider-Man's objections to Frank are justified, but they're also emotionally-driven. I think Frank and Murdock's opposition is more of an intellectual one.

"What Frank does is absolutely abhorrent to Matt. He believes in a criminal justice system, which should be allowed its opportunity to work," Rucka continued. "Frank has no interest in that whatsoever, and frankly he wouldn't care if it worked perfectly. He wouldn't care if he knew with 100 percent certainty that everyone who was guilty would be caught and punished. He would still continue on his mission."

Daredevil and Spider-Man may not agree with the Punisher's mission, but Rucka feels that Frank Castle has nothing but respect for the two heroes, but for very different reasons. "He'll never let him know it, but I think, of the two he sees more in Spider-Man that he wishes he could retain. Because Spider-Man, despite a very tragic legacy, is a very hopeful and optimistic character," Rucka said. "Frank would not call himself a cynic. He would call himself a realist, but his experience of the world is that one day Peter is going to get hit really hard with the reality stick and when he does he's going to collapse. Frank doesn't know that Peter has been hit by that stick multiple times and still continues.

"I also feel that Frank has incredible respect for those people who are heroes," Rucka continued. "He absolutely doesn't see himself as one. He knows exactly what he's doing and he knows the price of it. He's acknowledged those things, but at the same time, he's going to admire the fact that these are guys who are going to be out there doing what they can to protect the innocent. He looks at them and thinks, 'While they're protecting the innocent, I'm going to punish the hell out of the guilty.'"



The Punisher wasn't the only gun-toting vigilante involved in "The Omega Effect," as Frank Castle's new accomplice was also present. Former Marine Rachel Cole-Alves, whose husband was killed on their wedding day when the criminal organization known as the Exchange shot it out with another gang, has become an important figure in Frank's life. Rachel's anger and desire for vengeance led to her encountering the Punisher who was also after the Exchange and the two agreed to join forces. Daredevil found their partnership distressing, and in the climax of "The Omega Effect," he tried to get her to abandon her newfound path of vengeance.

"Rachel is at a crossroads after her talk with Daredevil. Unfortunately for her, though, Frank provides a map reading the next time they come together in issue #12. Like Frank, she is in a place where the decision to let go of her pain is a very difficult one," Rucka explained. "One of the things I think both Spider-Man and Daredevil represent is that they both have taken their substantial tragedies and reframed them as a motivation for doing better. Frank perhaps has a more selfish interpretation. He can dress up what he's doing however he likes, but the fact of the matter is that he's still killing these people because he wants to kill them.

"In issue #12, Rachel and Frank have the conversation that's been building for a really long time. He lays things out for her and one of the things he says is, 'You can absolutely get over this if you want. That is a decision you need to make.' It is sort of the counter-argument to what Daredevil was saying," Rucka continued. "Revenge stories end one way, but Frank still continues. He's long since exacted his revenge. What he's doing now isn't revenge -- it's his mission. For him to be there and do that is one of the things that makes him such an amazing character. Think about what's required to live a life where he does what he's doing and he isn't insane. He's doing it with malice aforethought and consideration and care. One of the main reasons Cole is in this story is to illustrate that not everyone can be Frank. In fact, I might argue that nobody can be what Frank is."

With "The Omega Effect" now concluded, The Punisher and Rachel Cole-Alves will turn their attention back to The Exchange, the organized crime ring composed of ex-super spies and former high tech terrorists. "Cole wants to kill their leader, Stephanie Gerard, and then she wants to burn their whole building down to the ground and pee on the ashes," Rucka said with a chuckle. "That's what she wants. In theory, Frank has no problems with this. So that's where they're at. Right now I'm writing the start of their campaign. They had been maneuvering to acquire the assets, which are now in hand. So Frank and Rachel are going to war. There will be a cyclical nature in the narrative that is going to come into effect. Things are going to get really ugly, complicated and bloody."

The carnage begins in the latest issue, "Punisher" #11, as Rucka and guest artist Mirko Colak pit Frank Castle against a horde of hungry zombies. "In the first issue of my run, there was an eight-page back-up that was an interview with at the time then-Officer Walter Bolt who has since become Detective Walter Bolt. In that story, Bolt is telling one version of the events, and Marco Checchetto's art shows what really happened. What really happened was that Bolt took credit for killing a bunch of bad guys in a shootout and saving a bunch of innocents when it was the Punisher who did it. Issue #11 is the book end to that," Rucka said. "There are zombies. Bolt explains to his superiors why the Punisher is shooting them. Then things get more complicated for Bolt as a result of that."

Bolt, his partner Detective Ozzy Clemmons and "Daily Bugle" reporter Norah Winters will all play important supporting roles in the Punisher's campaign against the Exchange. "We have discussed the things that Frank has to balance, like staying below the radar of super heroes and picking his battles very carefully to avoid getting really hurt. The other thing is, you don't want to do anything that forces the NYPD to come after you," Rucka remarked. "If the NYPD really wanted to bring Frank in, they'd put the time, money and manpower in to do it. Right now it's Ozzy who has the biggest problem with Frank, and his problem with Frank isn't, 'I need to arrest him.' Ozzy's issue right now, more than everything else is, 'I cannot serve the law because everybody I'm trying to go to in order to build this case ends up killed by the Punisher.' So things are going to happen that will force the NYPD's hand."


The Punisher and Rachel Cole-Alves' war against the Exchange will come to a close in issue #16, and their relationship just might as well. "When I began this run, I wanted to isolate Frank and conversely show that's a self-imposed isolation. Thus, when somebody invades it, ie: Cole, it kind of jeopardizes the balance he has achieved. To do what he does, he's made some huge sacrifices and some very deliberate choices. One of those things is that he's eschewed human contact. He doesn't want friends. He doesn't want to do those things that people who have normal lives do. He is on mission. The problem is, if somebody else enters the mission, it forces an interaction, and when you don't kill the person you're aiding immediately, it's an ongoing interaction," Rucka said. "It creates a relationship. I always get leery of using the word 'relationship' when I talk about Frank and Rachel, because I'm afraid people are going to go to think I'm planning on them hooking up. That's never going to happen. Never in a million years are these two going to hug, kiss or make nice. That said, they have a relationship. How that relationship works and doesn't work is going to become more evident as things unfold."

Joining Rucka in chronicling the Punisher's battle against the Exchange are regular series artist, Marco Checchetto and artists Mirko Colak ("Red Skull") and Mico Suayan who will fill in on a couple of upcoming issues. "Mirko does two issues, then Mico is coming in for a couple of issues as well because we don't want to burn Marco out. I adore Marco. He's a terrific guy and an amazing artist. Frankly, it's just a matter of time before somebody at Marvel looks over and says, 'Hey! He's pretty good! Let's put him on an X-Title!' 'No! Not yet! Let me hold on to him for a little longer please!'" Rucka said with a laugh. "As I get older, my career might be on a downward slide, but Marco is unquestionably a rising star. He's a great collaborator, a genuinely nice human being and he is an incredible professional. That combination is rarer than you would think in comics. I can't praise him enough. He's a delight to work with in every way."

Enjoyable collaborations are part of the reason Rucka works in comics, and the recent announcement of writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja's upcoming "Hawkeye" series, which is also a street level book edited by Steve Wacker, has the writer looking forward to another potential working partnership.

"I would write a story with Matt in a nanosecond. It doesn't have to be Frank and Hawkeye. Hell, it could be Power Pack and Hawkeye," the writer joked. "I would love to work with Matt. He is amazing, and on top of that, I like him! We get along great. Opportunities like that are rare."

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38662

Thank you all, and lets hope Marco stay with us for awhile...

PC POST #50: Marco Checchetto's Punisher Skull Exclusive!

By @Neil4LOST

I first off want to say thank you for being willing to do this interview! I am personally a huge fan of your work and I believe that you and Greg Capullo (Batman) are the two best artists in the business today.

I have a few questions that I would love to hear answers from you on regarding your work on the current run of the Punisher.

Neil Byce: How did you first get contacted and involved in working with Greg Rucka on The Punisher?

Marco: About how I got involved into Frank's life... as soon as I have finished working on Daredevil, I had been temporarily “parked” on 8 pages of X-23. Steve was thinking about giving me a Spider-man miniseries, but my work on X-23 was so appreciated by his editor that he wanted me on the Dark Wolverine crossover. During my work on Daken, Steve had called me to ask how it was going and if I had time to do a couple of Frank’s sketches. I did three sketches and one color image in one evening and sent them to him. The day after he answered back with an email that simply said: "I want you... to draw the Punisher for me. Monthly".

Neil Byce: It seems like your artwork on both Punisher and the omega effect are very moody in the colors and atmosphere. What gave you the inspiration to express the stories in this manner?

Marco: The first 4 issues of Punisher is a natural continuation of my work on Daredevil. In issue 5 there is a big evolution in my style less black but more details on the pages. Anyway I love the dark atmosphere and Matt Hollingsworth has one type of color that goes well with my work.

Neil Byce: Why was it decided to have you do the art on all three crossover issues of The Omega Effect?

Marco: They wanted a single artist in the three different issues for the series because Omega Effect is a story in continuity but at the same time "free" from the regular books. The time to do it was very little, but I wanted to do all three issues without the help of other artists. It 's been hard finish all in time, but I'm very happy with what we did together.

Neil Byce: The Punisher skull has so much meaning to fans and it has been portrayed in many ways by different artists. It almost seems like each artist to draw Frank has placed their own take or stamp on the skull. What was your inspiration for your take and why did you draw it the way you have?

Marco: I had asked Steve to avoid the black & white costume and to use an urban and/or a tactic military apparel. In addiction I had sent him some quick sketches showing a new skull drawing idea for the Punisher’s chest. To make a long story short, for me it sounds quite silly that a person like the Punisher has a stock of the same t-shirts which he maybe buys on some web-site as we normally do [laughs]. So I have drawn this skull spayed on a t-shirt, like the scene we’ve seen on the 2004 Punisher movie. The funny thing is that Greg asked Steve the very same things. We both had the same vision of the character.

Neil Byce: Last question :) I have been interested from the beginning of Ruckas series as to how Frank puts on the skull on his clothes. You recently revealed how in the Omega Effect in Punisher #10. I thought that was genius. Can you share what your thoughts on the reveal of the Punisher skull cutout are?

Marco: Well, it was impossible to think that every single t-shirt he did was hand painted, Frank isn't an artist. So I thought the most practical method to do that.... and Frank is definitely a very practical man.

Thank you guys!!!!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

PC POST #49: Punisher #11 Review

Post by @Neil4LOST


WRITERS: Greg Rucka
ARTIST: Mirko Colak
COLOR ARTIST: Dan Brown (1-16), Jim Charalampidis (17-20
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Hitch, Neary and Mounts
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Ellie Pyle
EDITOR: Stephen Wacker
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Axel Alonso
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Joe Quesada
PUBLISHER: Dan Buckley
EXEC. PRODUCER: Alan Fine

Release Date: May 9th, 2012
Published monthly by Marvel Worldwide, INC.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
Price – $2.99
(32 Pages, single-issue, color)

INTRODUCTION: (From page 1)

The Omega Drive is back in the hands of the Man Without Fear, leaving The Punisher with a problem. For months, the criminal syndicate known as The Exchange has been steadily growing in power and influence, and for months, Frank Castle has been biding his time, recovering from the wounds he suffered at their hands, preparing his counterattack. He is not alone in this, as Marine Sergeant Rachel Cole-Alves has launched her own vendetta against the people who stole her husband, family, and friends from her on her wedding day. This led, at first, to an uneasy alliance with Castle, an alliance that ended the moment Cole tried to take the Omega Drive for herself.

Meanwhile, NYPD Detectives Oscar “Ozzy” Clemons and Walter Bolt have found themselves with the unenviable task of trying to track The Exchange, a job made all the more difficult by The Punisher’s penchant for leaving bodies of the guilty face-down in their own blood wherever he goes. To complicate matters further, Bolt—until recently—has been serving as Castle’s informant within the NYPD. Partly out of fear and partly out of guilt, Bolt, until now, has gone along.

Now, Castle plans on resuming his assault on The Exchange, but to do so, he must prepare the battlefield, and that means limiting the variables. The most dangerous of these has proven to be Cole herself, not due to any threat she might pose to Castle, but because of the threat she poses to herself. Having vanished after betraying him, Castle now turns his eye to finding her…

WRITING:

Rucka is back hard at work after his collaboration effort with Mark Waid for “The Omega Effect”. Rucka cleverly tells the Castle’s story by telling it through the eyes of Detective Walter Bolt, who is being interrogated about an incident that happened the night before in downtown New York. Rucka uses the flashback convention very well in this issue to explain the Castle interaction while Bolt is being interrogated at the police station. Even though this issue is dialogue-heavy, Rucka entertains the reader by telling a larger than life super-hero story of The Punisher versus The Black Talon, a necromancer that raises zombies up to terrify New York city.

Rating – “A”

ARTWORK:

Mirko Colak comes in and takes over in this issue for Marco Checchetto. Colak does a nice job at drawing interactions between characters in a setting where there isn’t a large amount of action taking place. Facial expressions seem to be the highlight of his drawings and it helps the Rucka’s dialogue to come across smoothly. Two things that I personally missed with Colak’s drawings for the issue were the darker tones in each panel that Checchetto is good at and the Punisher’s skull being different.

Rating – “B”

STORY:

The story really serves to drive in the fact that Frank Castle is on a new mission…to find Rachel Cole-Alves. She betrayed him and he now wants to get answers as to why and how she is going to either get in the way or come back by his side to assist him. Frank easily takes care of the threat in downtown New York while attempting to get intel from Detective Walter Bolt. The story is rather simple but it is entertaining and transitions well to the upcoming arc of The Punisher tracking down Cole-Alves.

Rating – “B+“

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE:

The issue isn’t extremely entertaining but it does a decent job at keeping the reader engaged. The dialogue flows well and the decision for Rucka to tell Bolt’s story through the flashback convention, while being interrogated is an interesting one. Not all issues can be full of action and can move story forward at a lightning pace. Sometimes it is essential to have an issue here and there that provides backstory or setup for things to come. In that regard, this issue performs that purpose admirably.

Rating – “B”

OVERAL RATING OF ISSUE:  “B+”

Monday, May 7, 2012

PC POST #48: Punisher #11 preview


Post by @Neil4LOST

Story By: Greg Rucka

Art By: Mirko Colak

Colors By: Dan Brown, Jim Charalampidis

Letters By: VC - Joe Caramagna

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: Wednesday, May 9th 2012

PREVIEW:

Punisher has to deal with tracking down Rachel Cole-Alves after the fallout of the Omega Effect crossover event. Frank Castle will have words with Cole-Alves...but will she like what she hears?

PREVIEW ART:






Friday, May 4, 2012

PC POST #47: Peteopolis Punisher pictures from C2E2

By @peteopolis

Punisher pics taken this year at C2E2 by our very own @peteopolis to share with the PunisherCentral Brotherhood!





Wednesday, May 2, 2012

PC POST #46: Plastic Punishment: A Punisher Figure History.

Post by @CAStLEctc

They were pieces of plastic molded into different entities and forms that I would litter my walls, floors, cabinets, and everywhere else with, when I wasn't playing with them. Of course I'm talking about action figures, and my childhood was filled with them. Actually, to be frank, up until only a few years back did I discontinue collecting action figures. That was only because it was getting out of hand, and I just had to ask myself if collecting these collectables was really what I should be doing with my spare time and money. But truth be told, it's not too seldom that I don't see a new variant or wave and get extremely enticed to buy them and find myself having to hold back.

While the majority of my figures ended up in a gigantic blue hamper, there were a few that triumphantly made it out of that shallow plastic grave and I keep on my walls or in a viewable area, and probably always will. The bulk of them are Punisher figures. I know, what a shocker! Writing this blog right now is actually reminding me of that movie The 40 Year Old Virgin. He was the older nerd who had all the best toys and collectibles, yet no social life or romantic interests to speak of. In particular, the scenes where she discovers his fascination, and he hides the figures, and ultimately has to choose between the two. Although it's comical, I relate all too well, and I'm sure a lot of nerds have felt similarly at one point. Is that the fate for some of us? Why should collecting be frowned upon? Regardless of the subject, I find collections, and the people who collect, riveting and entertaining. But anyways, I digress.

What follows here is a very brief history and just a fun run-through of a lot of the Punisher action figures I've seen or owned at some point in my life. Granted, there were a few I couldn't find pictures of, and some I've probably forgotten and left out, but I feel it's an overall somewhat-fitting assessment of the topic.


Getting things started, what could be better than to begin with the very first Punisher action figure (At least to my knowledge) that was released?


 Toy Biz released this Punisher action figure in 1994, and what made it memorable was that it had a "cap-firing" sound mechanism on the back of the figure that made it sound like he was shooting his gun. If memory serves, it also slightly smoked, which was entertaining. Man, I remember cap guns. You don't see those around much these days, huh? This is the original with the variant, and I believe there was yet another variant, like always in the action figure industry, but alas, I couldn't find it. Also to be noted is the trench coat, which isn't utilized too often, but was a glossy bendable consistency. I wonder how much the original of this goes for. Probably not that much, as I would imagine this not being that rare.


 This one, however, I could see being at least worth a little bit, because I've never even seen it. It's apart of a "talks" series, and yet again from company, Toy Biz. I really don't like that picture on the card, with the bandana. Actually, while I'm on the subject, I really dislike the bandana any time it's used on the Punisher. Why would he have it? To block the annoying sweat from his brow? Like when he's mowing down rapists, and thugs he couldn't be bothered to deal with a little forehead moisture? Alright, before I go off on a tangent, let's get to the next one..

 ....Actually, let's just keep moving along, shall we? I feel like I have nothing to say about this particular one right here. Feel free to attempt your jokes to yourself as you see fit. Why, just why?




  The above are Marvel Legends Nemesis Wave, Legends Series, and Legends Face-Off. The last one being the most recent, taken from the newest Punisher movie: Warzone. The Nemesis wave had the best of these three in my opinion, because it was completely different for the Punisher. All decked out in camouflage, and military paint, with the skull decorating his face. It's pretty bad-ass. I believe it might have been a variant, but again, I'm not too sure.


   These two are some of my favorites, and bunched together because they're ones I always display, until I recently lost them. The first is Legends Series 4, and the second is Marvel Select, which has a reputation for making some of the best figures for most of the characters they decide to create. Their Thanos, and Colossus are remarkable, and pretty much every attempt they do is worth owning, even for characters you might not particularly like. The Select came with the seen above douchebag baddy, with the pinball machine you had to put the legs on and wrap the handcuffs around his hands, so it was almost like building something.
I love the fact that it's a Spider Man pinball machine, little details like that are awesome. I remember my dog at the time ate, and constantly chewed on that background bar wall that's shown. The neon was obliterated. Ah, memories.


 There two midgets are apart of the Marvel 3.75 Figures Wave 2, and Hasbro Marvel Universe series. They're small, I didn't buy them, because I don't like them, and I feel they pretty much shouldn't have even been made and have very little redeeming qualities. But hey, that's just my opinion.

 This is, without a doubt, my favorite Punisher action figure, and basically one of my favorite action figures of all-time. Forgive this photo, because it's horrible, but it was really difficult to even find this one. The best thing about this was the attention to detail, and the care and effort put into it. It came with so many damn guns and weapons, it was almost impossible not to lose at least one. Guns, knives, grenades, and the best part was they had a place to go on his person, with sheaths and holsters. Oh, one of his handguns had a clip you could actually put inside the gun, as to load it! I've never even seen or heard of anything like that since in the figure world. And hey, like that's not enough, let's give these hapless bastards a friggin' mini-gun to decorate him with! There was a Thomas Jane version from the second movie, but that one blew chunks, because it didn't have nearly as many weapons or articulations this one did.

  Finishing up, this is an incredible ultra-rare picture of the forthcoming Punisher action figure for the new series, Marvel Legends, all of which designed by genius artist, Jim Lee, save two. This photo is getting deleted quickly everywhere, and I'm a magician for finding it. Haha, just kidding, I'm a magician anyways! The other ones in this series are also tremendous, such as: Jean Grey, and Archangel. When this comes out, whenever that may be, this will be the first figure I buy in pretty much years and years.

 Well, anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this tiny little stroll down action figure lane, and as always, let me know of any errors, or anything you might want to add. I could hear the alcohol calling, and I think it's time for a few drinks and maybe a night on the town. Much love to all the readers out there, and I already have my next blog prepared, so I'll be back very soon.

Until then, #PunisherBrotherhood!

.,CAStLE,.