PC POST #108: Punisher Nightmare #4 Review

posted by @ivomgs

Punisher: Nightmare #4 Review

Writter: Scott M. Gimple

Artist: Mark Texeira

Colorist: Frank D'Armata

STORY (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS): This issue begins when the last one stopped, Frank, Dubose and Johnny falling from the building where they were interrogating Dubose before Johnny turned against Frank.

While falling, Frank managed to grab a ledge of a window avoiding direct hit into the concrete. When he reached downstairs he only found Dubose in his last breath he said a name to Frank, Kyle Sarnoff. That name is someone related to Frank's past back into Vietnam.

Johnny is on the run by a cab, while Frank gets some info about his wherebouts... Times Square. Frank gets back to his warehouse and starts to arming up and desguise himself to get Johnny in Time Square. While he is in Time Square some cops spot him and try to bring him in, but Frank subdue them and goes underground. Johnny is in the underground planning to bomb Time Square using C-4 that he grab from Frank's bag while they were falling.

RATING: 4/5

WRITING: Once more Gimple is really doing a great job by characterizing Frank, this time we travel back into one of the tours of Frank back in the 'Nam. Gimple explain to us two important situations back in Nam that are important to this story related to Kyle Sarnoff. Gimple in this issue is exploring about Frank's remaining humanity which is a good thing for me.

RATING: 4/5

ART: Nothing more to add since the last issue, great work by this great team Tex and D'Armata. Only one not so good points. While desguised in Times Square someone walking with dark glasses by night, one travel/sport bags in each hand and the white boots, in my opinion is not the best way to desguise...

RATING: 3/5

ENTERTAINING VALUE: Since issue #3 this mini-series is getting better and better like i was predicted in the last review of this book, in this issue Gimple is exploring Frank's remaining humanity and he is doing a wonderful job linking to some events in his past. I have said that this book could be a good way to new readers start reading the Punisher and its confirmed. It's a fact that Tex and D'Armata are doing a great job in the art of this book but the only downside is related to Frank's desguise in Times Square. I'm glad that this book is out, this will give some hope to all Punisher fans that beside Rucka's there are more writers that can handle this character.

RATING: 4.5/5

OVERAL RATING ISSUE: 3.9/5

 

PC POST #106: Punisher: Nightmare #3 Review

posted by @ivomgs

Punisher: Nightmare #3 Review

 Writer: Scott M. Gimple

Art: Mark Texeira

Colorist: Frank D'Armata 

 

 

STORY(MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS): This issue begins with Jake Niman getting shot in the head by an unknown assassin and the Punisher going after him. We got some background about this unknown assassin he's name is Dubose and he was a former sargeant of Jake's unit in the army. While Punisher his pursuing Dubose by car and carrying C4 in the trunk he gets shot and his car explodes, Punisher gets out of the car before the explosion but he lost his senses. 

 

Then we see Jake in his alter persona Nightmare taking Dubose as a prisoner lifting him with one hand both legs. Nightmare and Punisher go to a building scooped by Jake/Nightmare closer to Kozlowskis and to avoid attention and they start interrogating Dubose. They discover that Dubose was recruited by the army to kill Jake. When the Punisher takes over the interrogation we get to know that Jake was an experiment of the army, they injected him with the "Lazarus Serum". 

This serum uses injuries to remake tissue and it takes two years to kick in. 

When Frank is questioning Dubose and he his trying to release himself from the strings, Nightmare is questioning everything, his friends, enemies, motives and getting too confused. Dubose gets released from the strings and Frank fights him. When Frank immobilizes Dubose, Nightmare points the gun to Frank and starts to shooting at him, all hell went loose in the next panel we see the three of them falling from the window.

RATING: 4/5

 

WRITING: I think Gimple nailed it in this issue, we got some glimpses of  "Civil War" and some good speeches of Captain America about the Punisher and how his action may encourage others. Finally Gimple is wraping up some loose ends about Jake and the experiment the army done with him. One of the great points in Gimple's writing is the inner monologues of Frank we got to know what he is thinking in various situations. Anyone who knows the character may not need to read this, but this is very helpful to catch new readers to get into this wonderful character.

RATING: 4/5

 

 

ART: As the previous issues this is the most consistent point in this comic, good colors thanks to Frank D'Armata and the art itself by Texeira. What i like the most is the expression of the characters and all the action that involves them. Can't say much more than i have in the previous reviews, this guys are GREAT!

RATING: 4/5

ENTERTAINING VALUE: This is by far the best issue of the three! At the beggining of this issue we got some "Art of War" wisdom phrases by Sun Tzu which perfectly fits the Punisher. Then we got some good action in this comic something that lacks a bit in the previous issues. 

In my opinion with all the other issues this could be a good way to start reading the Punisher. With Captain America speeches and the Punisher inner monologues back in the "Civil War" i think this is a good way to start for anyone new to this character. 

 

I got the feeling that Jake Niman/Johnny Nightmare is becoming one of the great anthologists in the Punisher rogue's gallery thanks to all development of this character along these three issues. 

Great work by all the team behind this book. Gimple, Texeira and Frank D'Armata keep this great comic in the right track.

RATING: 4/5

 

OVERALL RATING ISSUE: 4

PC POST #102: Punisher: Nightmare #2 Review

posted by @ivomgs

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

PC POST #95: Punisher Solicitations for January 2013

After a good month in December we got a in my opinion a better January with a new limited series PUNISHER: Nightmare by Scott Gimple currently working on AMC series "The Walking Dead" it will be a FIVE PART, FIVE WEEK PUNISHER EVENT!

THUNDERBOLTS #3

 W: Daniel Way / A: Steve Dillon

• The Thunderbolts are tearing their way through a bloody mission!
• But will even this crew approve of the team's NEWEST MEMBER?
• Yeah, that's right—the RED LEADER.

  PUNISHER: NIGHTMARE #1-5

W: Scott Gimple / A: Mark Texeira

• A Special Forces soldier is injured and his family killed in the midst of a mob execution in Central Park, but this isn't Frank Castle. This time it's a young soldier named JAKE NIMAN, but the familiar story puts Frank on the path of punishment!
• As Jake Niman heals from his wounds, why is he growing strangely stronger?
• And who is the mysterious Johnny Nightmare?
• Bullets fly, anarchy reigns, allies become enemies, the Punisher becomes the punished, and no one is safe!!!

PUNISHER: WAR ZONE #3

W: Greg Rucka / A: Carmine Di Giandomenico

• The Punisher vs. Thor.

 That's all folks, we've got a big Punisher month i wish this could be every month!