PC POST #406: -REVIEW- THE PUNISHER #226

The Punisher decided to attack HYDRA Nation head-on seeking for some sort of redemption due to the events of Secret Empire. But what lies ahead? What kind of threats did Zemo prepared for Frank? 

Matthew Rosenberg continues to treat the Punisher like a living mowing machine when it comes to dealing with crime. This issue is action packed and very entertaining. It's always good to see the Punisher destroying HYDRA goons and he does it with art.

Rosenberg wrote a fast-paced story, a thrilling ride that reaches his peak when Frank Castle meets Zemo, who is expecting him with a team of heavy hitters bad to the bone.

And at this moment, it's the only time I felt that was a bit of a "step back" when the Punisher with the armor just took the best out of a good amount of heroes in the last issue.

During the fight with these villains, I felt that he didn't enough to put them down, I don't mean to kill them (because they are BIG in the Marvel Universe) but at least to hurt them much and to instill fear into them. There is some unexpected appearance from some heroes who intervene directly from the fight, sadly it wasn't the way I wanted.

This isn't a major thing, it doesn't ruin the run or the character, it was just a slight let down who didn't satisfy my inner fanboy.

The cover artwork by Clayton Crain is self-explanatory, not always a cover is what is going to happen in the comic but this time it gives us some signs of the content. Great cover by Crain who didn't disappoint in his covers and he is getting better and better. 

The art of Stefano Landini was really good and remember me a lot in certain parts with the art of Laurence Campbell but with a bit more detail. I really like the dynamic he imprinted to this comic, the action scenes are very fluid and the colors Loughridge did set the tone right for this comic book.

I still think Matthew Rosenberg is doing a superb job handling the Punisher and his run. He's becoming my favorite Punisher writer of the past decade hands down. I'm excited to see what comes next and especially for the penultimate issue of this run!

OVERALL RATE: 7.5 / 10

Next month:

The Punisher #227
July, 11


Synopsis

ROAD TRIP TO HELL!

• The Punisher and Black Widow go off the grid on a secret mission of revenge!

• Frank and Natasha are now Most Wanted by heroes and villains alike!

• The War Machine armor is busted, and with the forces coming down on our heroes, they’re going to need every bit of firepower they can get.

review by: Ivo Santos

PC POST #405: -REVIEW- THE PUNISHER #225

For once we have the Punisher fighting against some of the toughest Marvel heroes and he isn't some sort of punching bag.

REVIEW

The great premise of this issue was the fight between the Punisher and Marvel heroes and it wasn't a disappointment! It was a great fight and one of the best I've seen. 

This battle between heroes and Frank covers at least half of this issue and no. It's not, Punisher kills Marvel Universe, for the contrary, what we see is the Punisher avoiding confrontation and using his strategic mind and every sort of tactic for not killing some of them. 

These heroes weren't even the "A-Team" of Avengers but it was clearly a "B-Team" and once again and due to a clear understanding of Frank's mindset it was proven that Frank with the proper equipment can fight against some of the heavy hitters of Marvel Universe.

After action-packed pages, Rosenberg slows it down a bit and let Fury and Frank interact with each other. The Punisher is dealing with how heroes see him after what happened in Secret Empire and Fury remembered him of that and in some way set him into a new mission. For heroes, the Punisher is a villain but at the end of the day he is looking for redemption, that's the set up for next issue.

Matthew Rosenberg is writing a great story. In my opinion the most consistent storyline since the days of Garth Ennis Marvel Knights brand. The story is very well constructed and it has an objective. Rosenberg knows his Frank Castle, and he executes him flawlessly. 

I'm not a fan of what Marvel did to the Punisher in Secret Empire, as a matter of fact, I consider it the worst thing they ever did to the character. Rosenberg got the difficult task to deal with it and he's doing it very well without being out of character.

Rosenberg to me is becoming a favorite already.

Guiu Vilanova and Lee Loughridge are part of the success of this comic/ run. Guiu's dynamic panels during the battle against heroes were really good. The way that Loughridge set the tone of this comic was superb.

Overall Rate: 8.5/10

I just can't wait for the next issue set to be released in less than two weeks (June 13th)

The Punisher #226

Review by Ivo Santos