Wednesday, February 5, 2014

PC POST #191 -PUNISHER #1 - DOUBLE REVIEW

(W)Nathan Edmondson (A+C) Mitch Gerads
REVIEW #1

Written by: @Ivo

I couldn't ask for a better portrayal of Frank Castle (The Punisher). Finally someone understood how to make this right.
It's refreshing to see Frank interact with people in a "lighter" mood and without one or two words. Frank is "human" again thanks to Nathan Edmondson.

This Punisher has the better of every incarnation i know... He is classy (interacts with people, like the Punisher from the 90's) and when he is hunting he can be brutal and precise like he was portrayed by Ennis and Rucka,
This is a best of... and all credit goes to Edmondson, he discovered the right formula to make this work flawlessly.

I really liked the action scenes, wasting "Danny Trejo" and giving him to the crocks, capturing criminals in broad daylight and wasting cartels with a rocket launcher it's pretty much what we have in here and believe me it's really amazing how fast paced the action is.
We have a plus here we know who will be the supporting cast for the upcoming issues and we will know who are the big guys linked to the government that will be hunting Frank. It's a great surprise!

The art from Mitch is perfect for this book. The colors and design of the characters and the "tone" of the book is amazing... He really nailed it. Mitch's artwork can almost tell the story by itself. 

I hope this book keeps running for a long time...

OVERAL RATING: 4.5 out of 5

REVIEW #2

Written by: @neil4LOST

Getting to crack open a new Punisher title for me is like getting to walk in to a candy store. The measure of anticipation and excitement goes through the roof and each page is savored and patiently absorbed.

I have personally been very unhappy as of late with how Frank Castle has been treated by the Marvel U. For quite some time I have felt that they have slowly been on a path of eliminating him as a prospective stand-alone title. When this series was announced I was pleased that they were still willing to take a chance with the character. Now...leading up to the launch of the book I have been curious about this "All-New" direction...moving Punisher out west and away from the scenery that he has been so close to for decades.

As I closed the last page of this first issue however, I was pleased by the overall mix that Edmonson and Gerads provided in setting up Frank up in a new location but also keeping a familiar tone and presence to his character.

Edmondson's approach seems to be a Punisher that is a mix of different eras. It has a bit of Rucka mixed with Ennis and that balance seems to hit the nail right on the head.

So as we move on to the next issue I am holding my breath...this could be one of the best Punisher titles that Castle fans have seen in quite some time.

 OVERAL RATING: 4.0 out of 5
3 Comments

3 comments:

  1. Yes, I liked the combination of the background cast and military hardware supplier out of the '90s and the first Ennis series. Watching the crocs do their work was straight up Ennis as well. All the preparation scened and intelligence gathering was Rucka all the way. Hopefully, the supporting cast survives.
    I really liked the fact they drew him with a normal body, not huge. Maybe this gang's money leads right up the political ladder in LA, that would be sweet.

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  2. it was pretty good (so far), it's about time we saw Frank killing normal criminals. There was a mix between the 90s (when it was good which didn't happen to often) and of the 2000s from Ennis. The artwork was ok but it was pretty flat, uneven, and it looked unfinished in certain places. Hopefully Edmondson doesn't do what Rucka did and gives the Punisher a weak boring partner (male or female). Lets see the Punisher work alone for awhile. And no leftwing or rightwing political crap.

    I'm glad the Punisher is drawn as a middle size man with a good build. As one review put it
    "His Punisher isn't a scarred and grizzled assassin whose war on crime doesn't allow time to buy a razor and use it once in awhile"

    I don't see the big deal with him going to LA, the character has been all over the US and the world. It really shouldn't matter, if there are bad guys there to kill... who cares what city, state or country it is...

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    Replies
    1. I agree with you but as far as the artwork I believe they drew him like that on purpose. if you look at old military drawings they're drawn the same and I think they wanted to give him that look for uniqueness and originality

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