PC POST #103: Punisher : War Zone #3

By @neil4LOST

Punisher: War Zone #3

WRITERS: Greg Rucka

ARTIST: Carmine Di Giandomenico

COLOR ARTIST: Matt Hollingsworth

LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna

COVER: Marco Checchetto

EDITOR: Stephen Wacker

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Axel Alonso

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Joe Quesada

PUBLISHER: Dan Buckley

EXEC. PRODUCER: Alan Fine

Release Date: January 9^th, 2012

Published monthly by Marvel Worldwide, INC.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Price – $2.99

WRITING:

After a decent first outing and a rough second in his current run of the Punisher : War Zone series, Rucka bounces back to deliver an intriguing story where Thor attempts to bring Frank Castle all by himself. Rucka does a nice job of setting up what seems to be an epic last two issues of the series. It starts off slow and predictable but ends being a breath of fresh air! Let’s hope that this version of Frank Castle goes out with a bang!

Rating – “B+”

ARTWORK:

Carmine’s work had been less than satisfactory in the previous two issues for my taste, but surprisingly enough his work fits well in this issue. The interactions between Castle and Thor Odinson mix well and dialogue between characters feels natural. Great work Carmine!

Rating – “B+”

STORY:

(WARNING – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS)

This issue rings true with the first two issues of this limited series. Thor is sent by Captain America of the Avengers to bring in the Punisher. After an encounter in Indonesia where Frank tries to lead Thor into a trap, Thor gains the upper hand and knocks Castle out.

Later on they have a deep conversation on a rooftop about Castle recent decision making and how it will ultimately lead to a good person who Castle cares about being put to death. They even have this conversation while sharing some ale! This conversation brings the book up to the level of the Punisher book by Rucka in its dialog and intrigue. Thor eventually leaves Punisher to ponder their conversation and readers are left wondering what Castle’s next decision will be.

Rating – “B+“

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE:

Overall, there is a lot to be entertained with in this issue. From explosions to knock-out punches from Thor to Punisher and Thor sharing a drink with deep discussion…you just can’t get enough of it. I was pleasantly surprised by this story and I am now looking forward to where it goes from here.

Rating – “B”

OVERAL RATING OF ISSUE:  “B+”