PC POST #242: -PREVIEW- PUNISHER #17

PREVIEW

PUNISHER #17

THE PUNISHER VERSUS CAPTAIN AMERICA IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL!

• The Punisher sees justice done, but his vigilantism won't be ignored anymore.
• Has Frank finally come up against a force he can't match?

It's on sale next week, Wednesday 1st of April.

posted by @ivomgs

PC POST #241 -REVIEW- PUNISHER #16

-REVIEW-

PUNISHER #16

Another issue out, and unfortunately another disappointment.

This issue could marked a turn of events regarding the Punisher and all this conspiracy but it turned out to be otherwise he didn't accomplish nothing.

Overall Edmondson built a good plot, personally i like some conspiracy stories but the execution of the main character was very poor through most of this series.

The other problem are the supporting cast, last issue Frank get on Sidewinder's mind and out of the blue he make him believe in him. Sidewinder's was the most strong minded and the leader of the Howling Commandos, by far he would be the most difficult to convince. 

And now in this issue we have Sam Stone, she was supporting the Punisher actions since day 1, now she's on the loose and heard news that the Punisher is responsible from the actual riots in L.A. She change her opinion about him? She wants to get him? 

It's not the first time that Edmondson presents us a Punisher with dillemmas and some inability to found out by himself what is his mission. And this time there is no Rachel Alves to pull him out of it.
And worst than this, Frank is unable to do what he does best... punish the wicked. When he get his hand on the "Secretary" he let him go, after all the lifes his actions cost in Mexico and in the current riots in L.A. 

I know what Edmondson is trying to built here and it's interesting but it's not the Punisher. The Punisher doesn't have moral code dillemas, he just do what needs to be done, plain and simple.
He might ask himself about some actions, i get it, but at least he should be able to execute them like he always does. But as it seems not in this run.

Mitch Gerads presents us a great graphic quality, very clean and detailed. The colors suit very well in every panel.

His covers are amazing and so far it was the most consistent item on this series. Next cover will be another fine piece by this great artist. 

Pros:

• Great cover and great artwork by Mitch Gerads.

Cons:

• The Punisher is out of character;
•  Unconsistent supporting cast ( Sam Stone).

Final note: I tried to defend this series but it's getting more and more difficult to justify some actions. Reading this issue in trade is better but it won't give me the Punisher i want. This Punisher is unable to win or accomplish anything. If he will accomplish something in the upcoming issues, i don't know but it's a bit late for that when it's been already 16 issues.

OVERALL RATE: 6 out of 10

posted by @ivomgs

PC POST #240: -PREVIEW- PUNISHER #16

posted by @ivomgs

MR. CASTLE GOES TO WASHINGTON!

• Frank follows the trail of corruption all the way to the nation’s capital!

• With the Punisher on a government hit list, has Frank walked into the lion’s den?

• Can the Punisher find the man pulling the strings?

On sale tomorrow!

PC POST #236: -REVIEW- PUNISHER #14

-REVIEW- PUNISHER #14

by @Ivo Santos

Another issue is out and one of the most expected issues of this run due to the eminent clash of the Punisher vs Howling Commandos turned out to be a disappointment at least from what i and most of the fans expected.

Overal this issue wasn't no different from the quality that Nathan Edmondson has been showing us through 14 issues which is good in my standards. But i was expecting some kind of payoff between Frank and the Howling Commandos, i was expecting a Frank ready to face these uber special task force since he knows they exist since the end of the first arc. I can handle with the first "defeat" in the end of the first arc but this time not really.

On the other side i believe that Frank has a plan and everything that happened in this issue was for a reason and he is controlling the situation, personally i don't want the Punisher to be decreased in skills just for the sake of a possible "twist", i would rather prefer that Frank could beat the Howling Commandos and take the intel of the threat off their mouths by force and he didn't had to kill them... i can foresee a possible twist and i support this theory thanks to the page 12 of this issue when he asks himself who is the man pulling the strings to everything that happened in this story since issue 1.

I don't have to complaint about the action scenes, there are a few cool moments like Frank throwing a grenade to a guy while he was falling from the building or seeing the Punisher and the HC blowing some thugs invading the hotel. Thumbs up for Nathan and Gerads for the well built scenes.

About the artwork it felt a bit rushed, i'm a fan of Gerads but this issue doesn't seem so good like issue #12. Although like i said before, the well built scenes and how he connects each character to a specific scene is very good he knows how to do it. How he draws the gear of every character is real treat to the eye. The cover is definetely the best to date in this series. If a comic could sell by the covers this definetely should be a bestseller!

Schoonover did a decent artwork in his pages.

My complaint since the beggining is the lack of the "wow" factor in this series. I'm always expecting to see a Punisher that can excel the other characters using his skills and natural talent for waging war. Frank is a genious in the battlefield and a brilliant tactician and until now i haven't seen any of these arguments but i'm hoping to see it, even if it is in the end of this run.

OVERALL RATING: 7 / 10

PC POST #235: -PREVIEW- PUNISHER #14

Brace yourselfs everyone, the wait was long but it's finally here! Don't forget to pick your copy today!

Later today or tomorrow i will be reviewing this issue.

posted by @Ivo

PC POST #218 - REVIEW: PUNISHER #9

PUNISHER #9 REVIEW

Review by: Neil Byce, aka @Neil4LOST

*WARNING* This review may contain spoilers for this specific issue.

I will just come right out of the gate and say it...Punisher #9 was a big disappointment for me.

I have been patiently waiting for this series to take off and I had pretty high hopes with the first few issues but over the course of the past few issues I have found it more and more difficult to enjoy this series and to understand the direction/approach that Edmondson and Marvel are taking the character in..

Edmondson writes Frank Castle in this issue as more of a self-doubting character than ever before and he uncharacteristically talks Black Widow out of shooting a guy for information. When I saw this happen the first thing I thought was...this isn't the Punisher I know! My anticipation of a showdown with Crossbones went unsatisfied and ultimately Frank ends up in a prison for no apparent reason...really that is a summary of this issue.

Gerads art continues to be solid and is something that I enjoy in the book but the writing style and the decisions of how to deliver the story puzzle me. Two issues ago I felt that Edmondson was building a long-term or slow-burn story here that would pay off really well but as of this point I just don't see it happening. There is a large amount of random devices being thrown together as well as coincidence and I can only suspend my disbelief for so long.

In conclusion, I typically like crossover events and think that they add substance to stories like the Punisher but this one left me scratching my head. Unless I am missing something big here...which I very well could be, I am going to go ahead and say that I think that this issue was the weakest so far in the series.

Do you agree or disagree with me? Leave your comments in the thread below!

OVERALL SCORE:  5.5 out of 10

Next issue will be again reviewed by Ivo.

PC POST #217: -REVIEW- Black Widow #9

posted by Ivo Santos (twitter/facebook)

I haven't been following this book but since the Punisher is in it i will do a short review...

It was a pleaseant issue well written by Edmondson, it was very interesting to see Punisher and Black Widow they were never partners in this uncommon encounter, each one of them got his own mission. Widow wanted intel on Chaos and Punisher escaped from the plane and wanted to kill every goon that belonged to Crossbones and get back to L.A.
 

There is a great fighting scene with Black Widow and Crossbones, very well written and Phil Noto did a pretty good job on the details of her movements and fluidity in combat.

I like Phil Noto's artwork and i've seen it in Thunderbolts, but i think it lacks a bit of vivid colors, in my opinion.

In this issue ( i don't know what happened in past issues...) but Widow seemed a bit edgy while interrogating a chinese mechanic of the ship, and guess what Frank stopped her for almost kill this man. At this point she was more punisher than Punisher. But it was good seeing Frank with a good word of advice to her.

OVERALL RATE: 7 / 10

PC POST #212: -REVIEW- PUNISHER #8

PUNISHER #8

-REVIEW-

( May contain spoilers) Here is the conclusion of 2 part story by Nathan Edmondson and Kevin Maurer. These two make a great team developing "military" stories and this one was a really fun read. After the "blast" of issue #7 ( which i gave 8.5 out of 10 in my personal page), this one "sacrificed" some badass moments for the sake of storytelling which is fine by me. I loved some background story about Tom and how Frank had such an impact in his military carreer, one year later.

The best moments in this comic (beside all the action) was the way Edmondson and Maurer showed us some real military drills and tactics. As an ex-military it was very nostalgic to see it. Great team work we see between Tom and Frank and the sense of partnership between the two is really refreshing and make us see more of these two in the future. Thumbs up to Edmondson, because he creates interesting secondary characters that makes me care about them in every issue. I really miss the other characters from the previous arc, specially Loot, the domesticated coyote.

I was expecting some sort of fight between Crossbones and the Punisher but that didn't happen, although nothing is lost because in the next couple of issues Crossbones will still in the game with the crossover between Black Widow and the Punisher. I really hope that Frank can deliver some punishment to this guy, every Punisher fan is waiting for it, some of us for years... Skull vs Skull.

Carmen still delivered some quality artwork like she did in the last issue, i really loved how Fabella and Pallot deal with colors, specially with the explosions. This issue doesn't have so many colors like the previous because most of the action is during the night but they still deliver it with quality. Great job.

FINAL NOTE: This new take by Edmondson for me, has been quite refreshing. I'm still struggling with the old "versions" of the Punisher, he was practically a machine, a dead man inside and he kick ass in almost every issue. I 'm liking a lot this "flesh and bone" and believable Punisher. This was almost a turn of 180 degrees to a almost "hero" version of the Punisher. But i can't get enough of badass moments of Frank like it was on issue #7!

A big thank you for Kevin Maurer he did a wonderful job and to Carmen Carnero and all the artists who worked in this issue. I hope to see you soon!

OVERALL RATE: 8 out of 10

PC POST #209:-PREVIEW- PUNISHER #7

posted by @Ivo Santos

Glad that we will have only two weeks between last issue and this one. This time Kevin Maurer and Nathan Edmondson will be the writers for the upcoming 2 part arc. In the artwork it's time for Carmen Carnero and i was pretty impressed by her work. The cover was done by Mitch Gerads with his sharpest artwork as always.

Don't forget to buy it next week on Wednesday 6/18!

PC POST #206:-PREVIEW- PUNISHER #6 & Cover for issue #10

posted by @ivomgs

Don't forget to get this on 4th of June, next wednesday!


• The electrifying conclusion to the Dos Soles story!

• Will L.A. burn, or can Frank fight fire with fire?

• And even if Frank can overcome A.I.M. and the Dos Soles, can he escape the ever-tightening noose of the Howling Commandos?

 And now this beautiful piece cover by Mitch Gerads for Punisher #10! This guy is incredible!

PC POST #205: Punisher & Black Widow Crossover

posted by @ivomgs

The skull and the spider will finally meet according to the latest interview by Nathan Edmondson on CBR.

In way this wasn't a big surprise at all, since Edmondson is the writer of both titles, this crossover will be told in both Frank perspective ( Punisher #9) and Natasha's (Black Widow #9) so there will be slightly differences in the way both titles will be told. Mitch Gerads will continue his work on Punisher and Phil Noto will continue as the Black Widow main artist.

To enjoy the full experience of this crossover we have to pick both titles! 

Excelent sales maneuver by Marvel but in a way this will bring both BW fans and Punisher fans to get each other titles and maybe boost the sales.

Read all the article here.

PC POST #204 - PUNISHER #5 - DOUBLE REVIEW

PUNISHER #5

-DOUBLE REVIEW-

Review #1: by @neil4LOST

As Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerads' series has progressed nicely so far. The story is engaging and has developed into a real nice surprise for Punisher fans. Edmondson has crafted an intricate story that has many moving parts and Gerads has settled right in to put his personal stamp on the character of Frank Castle.

Edmondson's writing in this issue is hit and miss. There are times where it is great and the scenes flow well together but there are others where the decisions with the story seem just plain odd for a Punisher title. The story with the Dos Solos gang teaming up with Electro to cut the power, cripple the cops and to take the city is great but some of the action scenes are off.

Gerad's art continues to excel. His panels and drawing of Punisher in action are some of the best I have ever seen. Some of the scenes that stuck out to me and I was really impressed with had to be a full page splash where a car is exploding in the background and Punisher is directly in the foreground. Another is when Frank is firing his rifle in the rain in the middle of the street at two gang members who are trying to retreat. Gerads draws this scene uniquely in first person as Frank is looking through his red-dot scope...it is truly a beautiful thing.

Overall, this issue seemed to cement to me that this will be a slow-burn story just like Rucka's previous Punisher title was. It will be interesting to see how the story unravels as Punisher will have to confront Electro in the next issue and then be able to go after the Dos Solos leader and Howling Commandos. It seems like a lot for one man to deal with but no matter what it should be really interesting!

OVERALL SCORE: 4 out of 5 

Review #2: by @ivomgs 

In this issue Edmondson and Gerads are really nailing it. Everyone who read this issue will be "blasted" by kick ass action and wonderful scenes by Gerads that for many moments i imagine that i was seeing a TV show. This creative team have doing a great job until now and they have been pretty consistent in doing these series. They build up a great supporting cast that i really care about (Sam, Tuggs and Loot) and everyone got his moment in this comic book.

Although i was expecting that Edmondson could reveal more about A.I.M. plans and the Howling Commandos. Dos Soles are being manipulated by AIM, it's a fact, the HC are some sort of sub-plot for other arc but i was expecting some improvements in these matters. This wasn't a let down in any way, but i can feel that this current plot about Dos Soles and Electro is being "stretched" to the limit. I was expecting some showdown with HC's specially since Frank followed Loot to the house when Tuggs were kidnapped. HC's might have other plans more than kill the Punisher, maybe gathering intel in his headquarters? One of the many things positive in this arc is that some stuff isn't predictable at all. 

I have talked about Gerads and there isn't enough words to explain his amazing artwork. He is the "swiss knife" of this book. He isn't only an artist, he is a colorist and a storyteller through his pencils. The colors of the action scenes are great and the panels with "point of view" when Frank is shooting thugs and how Gerads uses it, it's simply incredible.

I couldn't be more happier with this team, they surely understand the character and they deliver it. They know how to build a classic Punisher story but i felt this issue dropped the pace a little bit. The players are ready, the stakes are high. Can't wait to see some wrap up in the final issue!

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

PC POST #203: -PREVIEW- PUNISHER #5

posted by @ivomgs

Finally the wait is over, issue #5 is going to be released next week (7th of May)!

It seems that the favorite coyote of Marvel U, will "warn" Frank about what happened to Tuggs and the plans of Dos Soles are set, blackout the city of angels!

Can't wait for this issue!

PC POST #201: -DOUBLE REVIEW- PUNISHER #4

-DOUBLE REVIEW-

PUNISHER #4

Review #1: @ivomgs

The Punisher through years have been struggling for his own place in Marvel Universe and it's a tough job to make good Punisher stories and grab new audience on board and keep the old school fans of the character. But Edmondson and Gerads are doing a wonderful job until now, it's premature to talk about this run and say it's the best Punisher ongoing ever, but this creative team are taking the right steps through this direction.

Like previous issues, we had moments when Edmondson focused in the relation Frank had with others but in this issue he focused on Frank's motivation to this "war", through the classic inner monologue.

While reading this issue i was astonished by the action scenes and the splash pages with Electro, specially when he is torturing Frank and we see his memories being "invaded" by Electro electric charges. I have to give credits to Gerads his artwork is amazing and he is responsible in the same way as Edmondson by the success of this book, he is a storyteller too.

I was expecting to see more of Howling Commandos, personally I'm more interested to see to see the clash of HC and the Punisher than Punisher vs Electro or Dos Soles. After what happened in this issue, i think we will see more of HC in the next issue, finally they decided to play it hard.

I liked to see Sam in this issue and i believe that slowly she is beginning to get attracted to what the Punisher does and his mission way more than his work as cop.

About the appearence of a character well known by the Punisher... I got mix feelings, i thought that someone HUGE like Elektra or Rachel could make an appearance in this book but instead we got Domino. In other way it will be interesting see a possible clash between her and Frank. She is a great marksmanship and very skilled at hand to hand fight. Don't know how her role will be, because in the past she seemed to care about Frank's mission.

I'm loving this run my favorite character is in good hands and i hope that Edmonson and Gerads keep up this pace! I'm looking forward for the upcoming two issues left to see how this series will end, i hope with a bang in the end!

From now on i will change the rating scale now it will be rated in a scale of 1 to 10. To be more accurate in terms of rating.

OVERALL RATING: 8.5 out of 10

Some insight about Domino and the Punisher:

Domino crossed paths with the Punisher back into War Journal Vol. 4 by Matt Fraction when G.W. Bridge created a small unit to take down the Punisher. Another interesting fact is that she was the only member in that team that believed that the Punisher was innocent regarding the killings of innocents when a fake Punisher (Ian) started to kill innocents to frame Frank.

REVIEW #2: @neil4LOST

Issue #4 of the Punisher is an interesting issue in the young series by Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerads. They have changed up the familiar tone and themes of recent Punisher titles to shift the story and environment out to Los Angeles where Frank is now focus more specifically on drug cartels and other rampant crime. So far it has set up to be an new and fresh take for the character but there seems to be some glaring issues that cropped up in this issue that causes some concern for just how long this series will be able to keep fresh with readers.

Edmondson has made the writing choice to include super-villains quickly in his run. Personally I am not so sure that is a good idea. This is for several reasons. It is understood well by Punisher fans that Castle operates and works the best when his enemies are crooks and mobsters. When it strays away from that focus it places the character in a very vulnerable place. Even Frank in this issue decides to keep heroes like Captain America and others out of the picture but yet he is going up against a villain who has immense super power. It just doesn't seem to add up to me personally. I also had an issue in the way that Frank escaped torture from Electro in this issue. It seemed just way too easy. Also the choice to have Electro reveal why he is really helping Dos Solos seemed out of place. It would seem to me that Electro would want to keep that important piece of information under wraps until just the right time. These small things left me scratching my head at points throughout the issue.

As far as the art, Gerads continues to draw an impressive book. There were only a few oddities that I came across but overall, he is putting his stamp on the character. His gas mask for The Punisher is catching on with other artists as well! I have a feeling that this take on the character will be one that people refer back to for a long time to come and for that alone I am thrilled that Mitch will be staying with Nathan Edmondson on this title.

Overall, this issue felt like the weakest in the series so far. That is okay though since the series has only had four issues and it is bound to happen at some point. Personally for me I would appreciate more plot development at a faster rate and more focus on some of the peripheral characters. There was a lack of that in this issue.

OVERALL RATING: 7.5 out of 10

PC POST #200: -PREVIEW- PUNISHER #4

posted by @ivomgs

The wait is almost over... Tomorrow will be another punishing day with PUNISHER #4 on stores! I'm really looking forward to see who is the new player that will make an appearence in this book...

• The Punisher, captured by the Dos Sols gang, is caught in the metaphorical lion's den. Tough luck, metaphorical lions.

• The 131 get the call: Take down the Punisher with extreme prejudice.

• A new player tosses her hat in the ring, and Frank's gotta ask himself a question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well...do ya, Frank?

PC POST #199: -REVIEW- THUNDERBOLTS #23

posted by @ivomgs

-REVIEW- 

-

THUNDERBOLTS #23

After the Thunderbolts sent Mercy to hell, it's time for another mission but these it will break the team apart since Flash asked the team to put the symbiote down. Thunderbolts vs. Venom!

This issue has plenty of action and the tone was slighly changed, for once, we got an issue that was serious without excessive comical moments and the only funny moments were featured by Deadpool which were all great as it has always been since the beggining of this book.

The team is in the Crucible and symbiote is on the loose, Flash let the symbiote take over, so Venom is more dangerous than ever hunting each one of the team.

Charles Soule give us a great issue and showed us how to write a fast paced story with kick ass action, in this issue we have seen something that we haven't seen since this book began... the Thunderbolts have worked perfectly like a real team and every member got his own purpose in the fight. There couldn't be other way to put down a savage Venom.

About the artwork Kim Jacinto did a decent job, but personally i didn't like at all his Elektra. The other characters were well designed.

Ismael Silva as the colorist did as always a good job at the coloring.

FINAL NOTE: I really liked this issue and it's one of my favorites after Thunderbolts #12 and the Annual. I was really impressed by the pace and a great improvement (in my opinion) in the tone that Soule put into this issue.

OVERALL RATING: 4 / 5

PC POST #196:-DOUBLE REVIEW- PUNISHER #3

-DOUBLE REVIEW-

PUNISHER #3

REVIEW #1

By @ivomgs

This issue was simply amazing and so far it's the best issue until now! 

Nathan Edmondson have given us a great improvement issue by issue, don't know if he will keep improving at this pace but so far his work is very impressive... Not to mention Mitch Gerads artwork, he did a great job too in this issue and i love how he uses the colors specially when Frank and Tuggs were in some sort of bar.

This issue is action packed and it's a thrill to see the Punisher back into "real" action, it seems that ages have passed since i saw a Punisher issue like this... It's directly to the point and no useless side characters dialogues. The pace of this issue is incredibly good.

I have mentioned in passed reviews that this Frank Castle is concerned for civillian lifes and in this issue he shows this, this is a protector Punisher and not a mindless psycho who only cares about his war and to kill as much criminals as he can. This is a cirurgical Punisher. 

I loved to read Frank's inner monologue it Edmondson nailed the spirit and the portrayal of this Punisher, i guess all the work he and Mitch had in the "ACTIVITY" it helped a lot in portraying the Punisher.

Mitch Gerads gives life to this comic, not only he gives colors but he give an amazing sense of "motion" in every issue, specially in the action scenes. He did a great job in developing Electro and all the lightnings that surrounds the character its really an amazing effect.

All the players in this book make an appearence and we get to know the boss of Dos Soles and a bit of the relation between him ( Guillermo) and Electro.

The Howling Commandoes are on Frank's track but until now they are following his tracks.

The book ended spectacularly well and leaves us wanting for more and it's really annoying that we have to wait almost a month to get our hands on issue #4...

OVERALL RATING: 4.5 / 5

REVIEW #2

By: @neil4LOST

I am just going to get it out of the way and say it...issue #3 of Edmondson and Gerads run is the single best issue of Punisher that I have read in a long time.

Based on the two first entries in this series I had doubts that this version of Frank Castle in L.A. would be able to reach the heights of previous runs but now I feel that this vision of the Punisher will be another classic years from now.

Edmondson and Gerads perfectly pace this issue with character development, plot, action and surprise. Edmondson writes the inner monologue of Frank much better than in the first two issues and character interaction flows smoothly the entire way through. Even the dialogue between Electro and Frank works! Gerads art improves dramatically and there are a handful of panels that I stopped and looked at multiple times because of how iconic they were. Every issue now seems to further cast this version of the Punisher as a unique take on the character.

Lastly, the build-up of the story seems to be a a great pace. It is a slow-burn but it isn't so slow that it will lose readers. There seems to be a really good balance. Answers to questions are being shared and new mysteries are cropping up. As we progress through this story it seems that there will be a fair amount of backstory that will pop up hear and there to provide further context on the characters too!

At this point...if this is the direction that the Punisher is going in I am seeing a bright future. Also, can we please get some new Punisher merch from Marvel featuring Gerads skull? Also, where is merch that featured Checchetto's skull? C'mon Marvel!

OVERALL RATING: 5 / 5

PC POST #195: -PREVIEW- PUNISHER #3

posted by @ivomgs