PC POST #234 - REVIEW - PUNISHER #13

   

PUNISHER #13 REVIEW

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

Review by: Neil Byce, aka @Neil4LOST

This issue of The Punisher really felt out of place.

Just when we think we are finally getting a chance to see Frank travel back to Los Angeles to get his revenge on Dos Solos and the Howling Commandos the issue turns into a flashback story that revolves around the sole female member of the Commandos unit. Edmondson tells the story of a close-knit crew who has gone through fourteen missions together and who have spent practically every waking moment together. This works out okay but it really falls apart when we see the group chatting away and making jokes during their top-secret missions. It comes across as unrealistic and juvenile. No professional unit in combat would operate in this manner.

The art also has a different flare from past issues due to the fact that Gerads is not penciling the panels.

This issue of The Punisher actually revived my faith a little bit in the direction that Nathan Edmondson is taking this book in. His absence is definitely noticed. The only character that I appreciated changes in was actually Frank. He seemed much more confident and intimidating than the representation that Gerads has provided in the issues leading up to this one.

Overall, the issue really does not move the story forward much at all and it made me feel that Nathan Edmondson is slowing the development of this story down to a snails pace once again.

OVERALL SCORE:  6.5 out of 10

Next issue will be again reviewed by Ivo.

PC POST #233: -PREVIEW- PUNISHER #13

Tomorrow don't forget to run to your local comic book store to buy PUNISHER #13 by Nathan Edmondson and art by Moritat. In this issue we will know a little more about the Howling Commandos and their story. Can't wait for it!

This issue will be reviewed by Neil Byce!

PC POST #232: -REVIEW- PUNISHER #12

REVIEW by Ivo Santos ( Facebook/Twitter)

After a small detour to south America, Frank is back in L.A. Old ghosts (Dos Soles) are back and they are trying to reclaiming it by turning into chaos. The Howling Commandos are still looking for Frank and trying to get rid of him by luring him into  rescuing the last Castiglione member.

This issue was a good set up story for the upcoming arc, the pieces of the game were set in this issue and Edmondson is playing with them wisely. The pace of the story was good, the action was very decent without dead times, the action was not dedicated to the Punisher but to showing us the city in chaos.

Great news for all the fans of the old PUNISHER: ARMORY, we got a two pages dedicated to his equippment without too much detail and "dark humor" but quick references and images to his mobile armory.

And we can see Loot in great plan in this issue, i missed this coyote!

I was expecting seeing Rachel working with the Punisher but not for now... She was a fundamental key to bring Frank back to "earth" last issue but until now it was only that.

Mitch Gerads was amazing, very solid on the colors and liked a lot the motion he creates every panel, at least the feeling. We got many explosions and the city on chaos and he didn't disappoint, for contrary he was amazing. Great details on the Punisher armory too, and that last page... i just hear Hans Zimmer epic soundtrack in my head.

Nathan and Mitch are great partners and this book wouldn't be the same if we lost one or another. All the synergy behind the book it's because of them. I'm glad these two are working with my favorite character.

OVERAL RATING: 8.0 out of 10

*Next issue will be reviewed Neil Byce.

PC POST #231: -PREVIEW- PUNISHER #12

-PREVIEW-

PUNISHER #12

Finally after a full month of waiting, here goes one of the most waited issues of this run... The Punisher is back in L.A. Don't forget to pick up your copy tomorrow!

PS: I'm glad to announce that last issue (#11) the sales spiked almost 5 thousand copies (28.710). So, this can only be good news for all of us and for this run. 



posted by Ivo Santos (facebook/twitter)

PC POST #230: -REVIEW- THUNDERBOLTS #32

 

Review by @Ivo Santos (facebook/twitter)

After two and half years this team finally was disbanded and this series has meet it's end. Everytime i think about the opportunities this team could have in Marvel U, it's not good for any fan of this anti-heroes... not good at all.

About this issue, overall it was better than the last two... Acker and Blacker did a decent job on finishing this last issue, even the art seemed more polished and slightly better than previous issues. It was nice seeing Leader as ruler of Kata Jaya but Acker and Blacker should've wasted less pages on him.

After the Avengers release the arrested Thunderbolts to clean up their mess ( Leader) for the first time while invading Kata Jaya they show us some great team work while taking out Leader's forces. But despite the good result this was their last ride together, no one from this team wanted to continue. And what's great is that Deadpool figure it out in the last pages why this team didn't work out.

Like i have said in the first paragraph it was a shame that after being written by four writers no one could find the right pace for this team, or could unchained them in Marvel Universe. They got an opportunity in "Infinity" event and they could have done something relevant while Thanos forces were invading earth but no, they focused on small fry. I could imagine this team turning 616 upside down by their ways, that the only team that could handle them were the Avengers... The real Avengers, not a second rated roster.

Personally i don't think that it's the writers fault, Soule, Acker and Blacker are really talented, i don't have any doubt in this but something or someone didn't let them do their work properly.

My favorite issues are Thunderbolts #12 ( Punisher solo story) and Thunderbolts Annual, the quality was really good that i don't know what went wrong. But i have to say that issue #30 is the worst of this series and i risk to say that is the worst of the last years regarding the Punisher. I hope someone from Marvel should learn something from this.  

OVERALL ISSUE RATE: 7.0 / 10

OVERALL ARC RATE: 7.0 / 10

PC POST #229:-PREVIEW- THUNDERBOLTS #32

Last issue of Thunderbolts! The ending is unpredictable who will win Leader or the dismantled team? Tomorrow we will find out!

PC POST #228: - REVIEW- PUNISHER #11

PUNISHER #11 REVIEW

Review by: Neil Byce, aka @Neil4LOST

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

This issue of The Punisher actually revived my faith a little bit in the direction that Nathan Edmondson is taking this book in.

In this issue plot development was a real strong point and readers were also treated to many surprises along the way. It is clear that Edmondson has a plan for where he is taking the story but he is not allowing readers to see where it's headed. He is forcing us to take that journey completely through the lense of Frank Castle himself. There is one storyline at the end however that I fear will cause some big issues for long-standing Punisher fans.

Gerads art seems to be solid again throughout the issue but there were a few panels that seemed odd and out of place. There are times when his art is incredible and other times where it is puzzling. It would be nice to see strong work from start to finish but overall it is well done.

One the best elements of this issue is that Edmondson ties this story back together with Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto's Punisher run. I did not expect this at all. Even though I was happy to see this I am a little puzzled by how this will work exactly moving forward.

In conclusion, this issue was one of the best of the run so far and I am personally hoping that this brings hope for fans that were concerned that this book would be short-lived.

OVERALL SCORE:  8.5 out of 10

Next issue will be again reviewed by Ivo.

PC POST #227: -PREVIEW- PUNISHER #11

Another month passed and here we are with Punisher #11 on sale tomorrow!

Can't wait for tomorrow, expect as usual a review of this issue but this time by Neil Byce. I will do my quick review as usual in PunisherHQ FB page.

See you tomorrow!

posted by Ivo Santos (twitter/facebook)

PC POST #226: -REVIEW- THUNDERBOLTS #31

First of all, i want to apology for the long wait for this review but here it is, the wait is over and the

disappointment remains since last issue and i will explain.

This could be one of the greateast arcs of this series and i feel that Acker and Blacker waste it due to plot and dialogue. Last issue we got some background story with Elektra and Frank that in my opinion turned out to be some soap opera melodrama that nothing has to do with both characters specially the Punisher... (Giving gifts to Elektra? Give me a break).

Now this issue in terms of action it's really good, it's action packed and the fight scenes are very decent, but what throw this issue into an abyss was the dialogue between Ross and Frank. It seems that a child of 8 years old wrote this dialogue. (Both characters calling stupid jerk to each other? Really?) Not to mention other examples that can be found through this issue.

Hawkeye and a second rate Avengers team breaks up the fight with Punisher and Red Hulk, Hawkeye behaved like someone who suffers from split personallity, first he talks with Frank like an old buddy, shake hands, etc.. and as soon as Elektra appears and unveil that Leader planned out everything and used a LMD (Life Model Decoy) to fake his own death, Hawkeye orders that Frank, Ross and Elektra to be arrested.

The artwork by Jacinto was decent and way better than issue #30, but some silluette parts of the characters are a bit exaggerated, for example the arms of the Punisher.

I really liked the work of Acker and Blacker in the first three issues of this arc and specially the annual they wrote for this book, but don't know what happened since issue #30 things seems a bit unbalanced and way out of character.

OVERALL RATE: 6 out of 10

 posted by Ivo Santos (facebook/twitter)

PC POST #225:-PREVIEW-THUNDERBOLTS #31 / PUNISHER: END OF DAYS & MORE

posted by @Ivo Santos (facebook/twitter)

Two issues to go for the conclusion of this series, on sale tomorrow!

-PREVIEW-

THUNDERBOLTS #31

 

BEHOLD THE MECHA PUNISHER!!!

PUNISHER: END OF DAYS

Good news for all Punisher fans, this week there was news that the Michael Bendis, David Mack and 
Bill Sienkiewicz are working on a sequel of Daredevil: End of Days, called Punisher: End of Days and it will follow the story from the point of view of Frank Castle.

Punisher: End of Days is still a working title and there is no release date scheduled.

Punisher 40th Birthday

We might get something from Marvel reserved for this 40th anniversary of the Punisher. I asked to Axel Alonso on Comic Book Resources Q&A if there was any plans for something "special" for this birthday of the character this year and he answered with a vague "Yes", so we will have to wait a little bit more news and i will let you know if something come up.

That's all for this post! Keep punishin' people!

-Ivo

 

 

PC POST #224: -REVIEW- PUNISHER #10

posted by Ivo Santos (Facebook/Twitter)

PUNISHER #10

-REVIEW-

If Punisher has a recurrent story all these years... well... maybe it's him in prison and most of them are really good stories and Nathan Edmondson built a very solid story.

After the events of last issue, Black Widow "delivered" or "dropped" the Punisher in a south american prison.

Nathan Edmondson built a strong story where we can see Frank trying to take info as much as he can about the inmates and through his inner monologue we can see what he thinks about criminals in jail, there is nothing new in here but it was great to see that Frank's psych is still untouched.

After a few issues without seeing his supporting cast it was good to see Officer Sam Stone and Lou, both of them are still in L.A. and dealing in their own ways to the increasing crime rating but both are in trouble...

After a few issues that Frank's mission seemed to be in stand-by it got back in the right track and he seems really focused on it.

This issue isn't action packed but i think Edmondson is building a strong root for this upcoming arc and it doesn't seem like a slow burn at all, and we got a plus he add a new player to this run, the second sun came to L.A. to finish what his brother couldn't do it.

I really hope that this new villain can bring new things to the table and this issue feels like a new beggining for the character, so for everyone who wants a jumping point, now it's the chance.

Mitch Gerads continues to shine in this book, his artwork is consistent and he did a really cool fight between Frank and some inmates. As always he nailed it and his contribute make this book even better issue by issue.

OVERALL RATE: 7.5 out of 10 

PC POST #223: -REVIEW- THUNDERBOLTS #30

posted by Ivo Santos (Facebook/Twitter)

I'm liking this arc and i was amazed by last issue, but this one was a disappointment.

Well first of all, i liked how Acker and Blacker linked some flashbacks in this issue to a past run written by Ennis that gave me a feeling of continuity, i really liked that.

In this issue we see through some past flashbacks how outclassed Frank is towards Elektra in hand to hand skills (which is right!) fighting with other goons or even in training with Elektra. But most of it this was a game from both characters since none of them weren't willing to take the other. This issue seemed like a quarrel of Mr. and Ms, Smith and nothing more.

Personally i think Elektra was handled right through all this issue, but not Frank. We learn in this issue that Frank offered a "gift" for Elektra ( an bronze heart of a Capo she killed when they first met, Frank made it bronzed) it's really weird to see it and out of character, in my opinion.

Even the artwork didn't save this issue, it seemed a bit sketchy, like some others we have seen through this Thunderbolts book... Unfortunately.

Although i loved the cover, very retro and remind me of the old ads from the 60's or 70's. Thumbs up for David Yardin.

I had high hopes for this issue, after the last ones that were amazing, this will not make the work of Acker and Blacker the worst, if this issue wasn't for my taste and the other two are good this arc will be pretty amazing for me.

I didn't expect that the Punisher could kill Elektra or turned all of a sudden a master ninja and beat her h2h, but i expect he could beat her physically and not emotionally like he did. He broke her, it's a fact but not the way i imagined. And what was the point of Elektra being in the Central Park and saw Frank's wailing, just one way to relate to him because she did the same when her father died? Does the fact that they are both psychopaths isn't enough for them to being close?

Another thing i find it odd is the flashback on Frank's origin, in this issue we see Frank's family killed in a shootout between mobsters but originally they stumble in a mob execution. Don't know if this is a new retcon for the Punisher origin or a distraction from writers, editors or the artist.

I'm still rooting for this title and i hope the last two issues make some justice for this last arc of Thunderbolts.

OVERALL RATE: 5 / 10

PC POST #222: -PREVIEW- THUNDERBOLTS #30

posted by @Ivo Santos (twitter/facebook)

Don't forget to pick up your copy of Thunderbolts #31 TODAY!! Here goes the preview...

Next target... Elektra!! I will review it in the upcoming days!

PC POST #221: New Punisher forum!

posted by Ivo Santos (Facebook/Twitter)

NEW PUNISHER FORUM BOARDS!

Some of you already know that i have a facebook page named Punisher HQ , when i post news, artwork, fan stuff and everything that is Punisher related.

But i wanted to do something more... I wanted a place where the Punisher fans can interact with each other, creating posts and discuss a lot about the character, Punisher HQ on facebook wasn't the best place for it and i created Punisher HQ Forum! There is a good forum that was alive and kicking for years named GPA ( Global Punisher Army), but unfortunately it is going to close and this gave me a huge boost to start creating a small community.

I know that social media like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc, are the easiest way to get content and you can do everything that you do in a forum without using any effort, but even with these odds i'm doing it either way. I'm a bit old school and i still believe in forums as the best place to discuss. The interface on smartphone it's really intuitive and it's not like seeing a normal web page that you have to do "zoom in" to look better.

I have one year to test if this really works, so if you want a specific place to talk with Punisher fans you might want to try this out.

www.punisherhq.com

See you there!

PC POST #220: -REVIEW- THUNDERBOLTS #29

posted by Ivo Santos (facebook/twitter)

THUNDERBOLTS #29

-REVIEW-

I don't have words to describe how great this issue was... I can risk to say it was the best from the series to date! In this issue Acker and Blacker gave us an excelent ride to the supernatural and showed us what the Punisher can do if he is unleashed.

This issue is Frank centered and explains how he survived the blast of a bomb planted in his warehouse. He blames Thunderbolts for it and one by one he is hunting them down... Leader and Faustus are out of equation and now Deadpool's is out too. The dialogue between him and Frank is hilarious.

Essentially this issue showed us how Frank preparing the battle with Ghost Rider. He made a contingency plan in case something went wrong... The best part in my opinion was all the prep work Frank did to be prepared for this battle.. In fact he was ready a long time ago since the inclusion of Ghost Rider in the team.
The fight itself is great and this issues is action packed and with high entertaining value.

Jacinto's artwork was decent but sometimes it looked rushly sketchy... He was the artist in previous issues and it seemed he did a lot better than this, but it's my impression.

Couldn't be more happier with this book right now, i won't miss this series but if Acker and Blacker keep up this pace it's a good farewell for the readers.

OVERALL RATE: 8.0 / 10

PC POST #219: -PREVIEW- THUNDERBOLTS #29

posted by Ivo Santos (facebook/twitter)

Hello everyone, tomorrow we have a new issue of Thunderbolts by Acker and Blacker! Don't forget to pick up your copy.

This issue will be reviewed as soon as possible.

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 #216: -PREVIEWS- PUNISHER AND BLACK WIDOW #9

A month has passed since we read issue 8 and finally next issue is next wednesday! Can't wait to see the beggining of this crossover with Punisher and Black Widow. Both books will show the same event but with the perspective of each character. So you might want to pick up both books to experience this crossover completely.

PUNISHER #9

BLACK WIDOW #9

For this issue of Punisher #9 will be reviewed by Neil Byce and i will review Black Widow #9, so stay tunned for the upcoming days.

posted by Ivo Santos (twitter/facebook)