WRITERS: Greg Rucka
ARTIST: Marco Checchetto
COLOR ARTIST: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Marco Checchetto
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: June 20th, 2012
Published
monthly by Marvel Worldwide, INC.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
Price – $2.99
(32 Pages,
single-issue, color)
INTRODUCTION: (From page 1)
The New York
criminal underworld is in chaos in the wake of Daredevil’s attempt to destroy the Omega Drive, a mission that
required the Man Without Fear to seek aid from both Spider-Man and the Punisher.
Working alongside Castle was Marine
Sergeant Rachel Cole-Alves, the former soldier now turned vigilante who
seeks bloody revenge for the murder of her husband and their families on her
wedding day.
The object
of Cole’s ire is the organization known as the Exchange, lead by ex-A.I.M. scientist Stefanie Gerard and ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Christian Poulsen. Castle, too, has been hunting the Exchange, and the result is an uneasy
alliance between Cole and Castle: an alliance that collapsed when Cole
attempted to steal the Omega Drive for herself to help exact her revenge.
Now the
Omega Drive is out of play, and Cole has gone to ground. To Frank Castle, that
can mean only one thing: Cole is preparing a run at the Exchange.
Before she
does, the Punisher wants to get a few
things straight….
WRITING:
Greg Rucka
focuses on one thing in this issue; the resolution of conflict between Frank
Castle and Rachel Cole-Alves. Even though the focus is on this conflict, it is
clear to the reader that the other peripheral characters that Rucka has created
are still important and have a very clear purpose in the story he is trying to
tell.
Rucka also
chooses to have Frank talk more than any other issue so far in the series and
it has a huge impact. Personally I was nervous about how this would come across
in this Punisher universe but instead of coming across as an out-of-character
moment it comes across as a “come to Jesus” meeting that Frank Castle has. This
issue truly is one of the best writing that Greg Rucka has done so far in the
series. It is exciting to see just how Greg continues the evolution of the
characters he is in charge of and the direction that he is taking the book in.
Rating – “A”
ARTWORK:
Marco
Checchetto is back on duty after having a month-long break following up “The
Omega Effect” crossover event.
Checchetto’s
work is truly amazing and it enhances every character interaction that Rucka
created. Dark tones, rain, night-scenes and multiple panels showing various
angles of the same scene are all trademarks that Checchetto has used previously
in the series but he uses pretty much all of them over the course of this
single issue. It really does add up to suck the reader right in to the
environment that Frank Castle exists in.
It’s good to
have you back Marco!
Rating – “A+”
STORY:
(WARNING –
THIS SECTION MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS)
This issue’s
direction is all about Frank and Rachel’s confrontation after Rachel’s attempt
to steal the Omega Drive from Daredevil.
Throughout
the issue we see Punisher tracking down Cole-Alves and Rachel attempting to get
an old friend to assist her with something yet to be revealed. Punisher finally
finds Rachel and gets her angry by confiscating her wedding photo. Rachel
attempts to get it back from Frank by exchanging blows. Eventually Frank
convinces Rachel that the only way she can get it back is to hear him out.
Frank Castle’s
opportunity to teach Rachel a lesson is an interesting one. He lays out the
facts to Rachel by informing her that either she has to die to her feelings and
become something more or try to start her life over again, which Frank says
would be a lie, if she attempted to live a normal life.
Eventually
Rachel sees things Frank’s way and recommits to her mission. To be a soldier, a
marine, a killing machine.
Rating – “A”
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE:
There are
two components to this issue that really drew me in. First was the artwork.
From the cover to the last panel on the last page, Marco Checchetto’s work is
second to none. Second is the leading up to the confrontation between Frank
Castle and Rachel Cole-Alves. This meeting lives up to the hype and it leads to
a very satisfying conclusion.
After how
the Omega Effect turned out I was really hoping that we would see the story
come back around in this manner and now that it has, I can understand why
things were done the way they were. I don’t necessarily agree that they had to
happen the way they did but I understand nevertheless.
This issue
was the culmination of a slow-burn style of storytelling. It actually reminded
me of the way that Scott Snyder has written Batman and the Court of the Owls
storyline.
Rating – “A+”
OVERAL RATING OF ISSUE: “A+”
