This time i will change the order of my review it seemed to me more correct to began with story, writing, art and entertaining value.
Punisher: Nightmare #2 Review
Writer: Scott M. Gimple
Art: Mark Texeira
Colorist: Frank D'Armata
STORY(MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS): This issue began with Jake thinking about his past some sargeat screaming at him, a doctor with a vaccine, him "burying" Johnny Nightmare in the war and remembering the shooting that killed is family. He and Frank were in the street on mission and then we see in the next page Jake bleeding in the floor. Then we see Frank asking him how can he healed in twelve hours from third degree burns and gunshot wounds. One interesting detail is that he wear the shirt with the skull at his wrong side, like oposing the Punisher. In the next pages we know that Jake was part of some program of the army that's why we see a doctor gave him a shot, then we got more panels of his past and Jake talking to Frank asking how did he manage to deal with the death of his family. In some panels we see that Jake quit the army.Then see Frank arming up Jake and then go tracking the killers of Jake's family, they were ambushed in a medical facility get rid of them and we see them in the streets and Jake getting shot in the back of the head. In the final page we see him arise like Johnny Nightmare.
RATING: 4/5
WRITING: The writing seems very solid once again but this time most of this comic is all about Jake Niman/Johnny Nightmare, we got some talking with Frank and Jake but mostly we are revisiting Jake's past as a special soldier in Afghanistan. Gimple is teasing us with some background information of Jake and i got the feeling that he is "playing" him like an opera with some crescendo in it always growing until it reaches his peak. This time we got some inner monologues but only for Jake/Johnny and his split persona issue. More and more we got the feeling that this guy's mind is pretty damaged and he will going to cause problem for Frank.
RATING: 3/5
ART: The art is again at the same level as the last issue. All the action is well made, beutifully colors done by Frank D'Armata he is giving life to this comic and with this boost, Texeira's graphics are really glowing through all of this comic. Texeira is giving emotion to this characters and we almost see them in the graphics and we almost don't need to read to understand them, just look at them. Texeira and D'Armata are really hitting the right spot.
RATING: 4/5
ENTERTAINING VALUE: This was a crazy issue, seeing Jake/Johnny with his inner monologues back to the past and go to the present and repeated panels almost 3/4 times if not more than this, was kind of a let down for me.
We got a little of Frank just direct talking and no "inside thinking" since this issue was almost about Jake/Johnny split persona craziness. This was somewhat a continued "set-up thing" from issue #1, as a Punisher fan i want action we got a glimpse of it when Frank and Jake are ambushed in the medical facility and some explosions back into Jake's past. The graphics of Texeira's plus D'Armata colors in this comic we need to see some action in the next issues, and i'm hoping to see that in the #3rd issue. I believe this book covers all or most of Jake's past.
RATING: 3/5
OVERALL RATING ISSUE: 3.5
