PC POST #407: -REVIEW- THE PUNISHER 227

Last issue, the Punisher set his sights in Baron Zemo headquarters, but Zemo was waiting for him. There were Crossbones, Ghost and Taskmaster ready to take on the Punisher. On the verge of losing his life, he was saved in the last minute by Winter Soldier and Black Widow. But they had plans for Frank...

Rosenberg played out very well in this issue. He brought back Widow's and Bucky cameos to the Punisher comic and it really worked. It's great to see the relationship between Bucky and Frank and these boys cannot stand each other, with Bucky always hitting on Frank and him answering with some snarky humour. It just worked very well! But this isn't just only jokes. Rosenberg did nail these characters and he develops a good chemistry between them even without their divergences.

This issue is fantastic, great action, tons of body count with Widow and Bucky adapting themselves to Frank's killing methods, which is good. It's good for once that "heroes" don't whine about Frank killing bad guys, especially Bucky and Natasha. Now... Imagine these characters in a super-powered prison designed for villains... yes, that's what we have in here.

Stefano Landini did a good job once again, I really like his artwork. Looks like he changed Frank's design once again, he now looks a bit bulkier than before. So far, with the change of artists the characters design changed a few times and it would be good if we could get the same design or approximately.

Either way, I really like his art. Lee Loughridge is very consistent in the tone of this comic, he helped Landini's artwork shine with his bright and realistic colours. 

Conclusion: I'm very excited for what's to come in the upcoming issue. It's the last one featuring Punisher in the War Machine suit. I'm really happy to have Rosenberg on board for the Punisher comic. He understands the character and more importantly, he knows where the character is going.

I want to tell people, Punisher fans and non-fans to read this Punisher: War Machine, it's solid, great writing, good art and very entertaining.

Overall Rate: 9 / 10

Coming up next week!

ARMOR WARS!

• It’s all come down to this. Frank’s used the War Machine armor to cross lines from which he can never come back.

• Some people have taken Frank’s actions personally. One of those people is Tony Stark.

• SUIT UP! It’s the fight you’ve been waiting to see!

Review by Ivo Santos

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

PC POST #404: -REVIEW- THE PUNISHER #224

The Punisher is back in the United States and he's hunting down the criminal empire but there are a few surprises coming his way.

Another fantastic issue where Rosenberg explores who would be a target when Frank arrived in the US. It's a tough job when you think that you can't make the Punisher kill the entire criminal empire of the Marvel Universe but Rosenberg did a great job not ignoring this fact but make it what was right.

Cover by Clayton Crain

A few villains were down during the attack and a few references were done. It was a good touch seeing again "The Bar with No Name" ( Punisher War Journal Vol.2  #4) and the Scourge, a villain that was used as a disguise by Frank to infiltrate into the Kingpin inner circle in Civil War II: Kingpin #3 this last story by Matthew Rosenberg.

Aside from this, we get great action and some fierce dialogue and fight between Captain Marvel and the Punisher who didn't like to see Frank using the War Machine armor for his personal mission. The dialogue between these two is as fierce as the attacks they launch to each other. In this issue and because we know other characters perspectives we get the feeling that the villain is the Punisher. There are a few cameos in this comic book with characters like Daredevil and Hawkeye.

The artwork of Stefano Landini was great, fantastic panels, especially in the fight between Castle and Danvers. Stefano's artwork, seemed a bit more ruthless in terms of violence if we compare to Guiu Vilanova artwork. His artwork shine in every panel with great dynamic and of course, Lee Loughridge's colors helped a lot as always.

I'm really liking what Rosenberg is doing with the character so far, in this current arc "War Criminal", the Punisher seemed a bit more villain when we compare to the last arc "War Machine" which is easily explained why we get a lot more the views of Marvel heroes than Frank Castle.

Overall rate: 8 / 10

Don't forget that in two weeks there will be out The Punisher #225!

review by Ivo Santos (@ivomgs)

PC POST #402: -REVIEWS- THE PUNISHER #222 & #223

Here are the last reviews of The Punisher #222 & #223 that needed to be reviewed.

REVIEW: THE PUNISHER #222

Matthew Rosenberg has built an amazing story arc with Frank wearing the War Machine armor to wage his war and achieve new lengths. Issue #222 is a good example of that, we see Frank Castle in the armor is literally mowing down dozens of men who were commanded by general Petrov. 

Matthew Rosenberg knows how to handle the Punisher. In this issue, there is almost no development in the plot, just pure fun, and entertaining mayhem. Rosenberg makes the Punisher in the armor almost like an invincible force of nature, there are no missiles, tanks or blasts of energy who could deal with Frank and his most rudimentary ways. Yes, even with the armor he can make the dirtiest tricks to put the enemy down. There are no rules to make the enemy down, as long as they are down. This is the Punisher and Matt knows how to handle it.

One note that needs to be said is that the A.I. is becoming one of the best sidekicks that Frank had since Henry Russo. The dialogues between Frank and the A.I. are hilarious. It's fantastic. 

Guiu Vilanova and Lee Loughridge are part of the success of this issue. Great dynamic panels, great action scenes almost in a cinematic way. The tone set by the art team is great and in the first issues I had some problems with the art of Guiu, especially in the design of the armor, but not anymore. Guiu is becoming a favorite.

Overall Rate: 8.5 / 10 

REVIEW: THE PUNISHER #223

Finally the last issue of this current arc and by far the best issue of this series. Matthew Rosenberg pushed Frank Castle to the limit, he tries to stop a nuclear missile, he fought against ex-rogue SHIELD agents with armors closely like War Machine, Frank finally used his martial art skills and fights Petrov's armored suit with his ka-bar... and guts!

Rosenberg presented us with a thrilling ride where Frank is put to the test and his ability to control the War Machine armor. And more important we get to see Frank going "old school" fighting his way to survive against high tech threats.

It's been "ages" since I saw the Punisher using his martial art skills very well drawn into multiple panels and Guiu nailed it. 

Rosenberg is pulling zero punches regarding writing Frank Castle. He knows the very essence of the character and despite that he is using the WM armor, he keeps being himself. I don't like to make comparisons which writer is the best, but I can say that Rosenberg writes the Frank Castle I want.

Guiu Vilanova did once again a brilliant job. His art is very consistent and it's very well drawn, he makes the action flow through panels. He might not be fancy like some other artists but he is paving his way into success in every issue.
Lee Loughridge is part of this great artist team. His work with the colors makes Guiu's art a real treat to the reader's eyes.

There are great things to come in Punisher #224, Frank is back home with the War Machine suit and he's hunting some baddies! Review coming soon!

Overall Rate: 9.5 / 10

By Ivo Santos (@ivomgs) 

PC POST #399: New images on set of the Punisher season 2!

New images on set have surfaced when it shows Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) and Amy Bendix (Giorgia Wigham) together.

There is no news about what it will be the plot of the upcoming season of Marvel's the Punisher what we know so far is what it comes from the source material and Amy Bendix is established character from the early Punisher: War-Zone #34.

Amy Bendix took care of Frank Castle during "Suicide Run" saga, when Frank was hurt. During that saga, some criminals got to know Frank's whereabouts and decided to strike back and kidnapping the poor girl. Frank hunt those guys down and saved the kid.

The fans of the Punisher are shouting out for the "Slavers" saga. A Punisher MAX story when the Punisher puts down a sex slave ring. Amy Bendix is still seen as a someone who could replace Viorica in that arc.
Viorica was a sex slave who escaped from the organization and got lucky to cross path with the Punisher.

Article by Ivo Santos

PC POST #398: New Punisher run coming up with a "back to basics" premise!

Earlier today Marvel announced a new Punisher run coming up in August. 1st. The news couldn't be better. Matthew Rosenberg will be at helm of the book with a new artist Riccardo Burchielli (DMZ).

The solicits kind of spoiled what's going to happen in the last issue of Punisher: War Machine #228. But I won't spoil it for you.

In the interview to Marvel's page Matthew said a few good things about what's coming up with this new run.

Cover artist: Greg Smallwood

"We’re going to get back to Frank Castle with a handgun and a knife, stalking the streets of New York, and getting his hands dirty. But we’re also going to see a man who has changed from his time in the armor. He developed a taste for bigger game and larger targets, and he’s not going to give that up easily. So in a sense it’s back to basics — but on a bigger scale."

Back to basics Frank means we will have the Punisher with his usual arsenal to take out major threats in the Marvel Universe. From this interview we can expect some major appearances from the villainy world of Marvel Universe and seeing the Punisher tag along with them without killing them or getting killed will be a major challenge for Matthew Rosenberg.

"We’re going to have seen him travel overseas to overthrow a government and kill a world leader, and then come back home and go toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful people in the Marvel Universe."

I guess we have to wait for August, 1st and see what happens. But I think Matthew Rosenberg one of the best writers who picked up the character since Garth Ennis in Welcome Back, Frank. He deserves this recognition.

Article by Ivo Santos 

PC POST #392: [Rumor] Punisher Season 2 new character descriptions and a possible storyline

Earlier today we've been hinted by The Hashtag Show about three character roles for Marvel TV. This is still a rumor, not an official source. But still, they did some logical connections.

Marvel TV is looking to cast two female and one male role. Those characters names are:

Annie Beir - A 16-year-old who is described as “someone who is used to the streets and is both scrappy and aware of her environment.”

Kim Davis -A mid 30's female regular series therapist.

Melvin Skelling - An honest detective in his early-30's.

The Hashtag Show make the logical connection that Annie Beir might be Viorica from the Slavers arc, one of the darkest stories ever written for the Punisher by Garth Ennis. In this story, Frank saves this young girl (Viorica) whose story helps Frank discover those behind the sex slaves ring. Vera Konstantin and Cristu Bulat.

This is where Kim Davis might enter if she will have the same role as Jen Cooke in that story.
Jen Cooke is a social worker who helped Frank put down the sex slaves ring.

Viorica

Jen Cooke

The other character breakdown connection was Melvin Skelling being Martin Soap. Martin Soap does have nothing to do with the Slavers arc, but the character made his first debut in "Welcome Back, Frank". He was part of a "damned" police department that no one wanted to belong. The Punisher Task Force. Soap is a good cop but during the Punisher MK run by Ennis, he was one of the unluckiest characters ever in a Punisher comic.

Again, this is just speculation. It's not official. But it would be great to see The Slavers being portrayed in the Punisher season 2. Being this story one of the darkest stories ever written for the Punisher, it would be a good call to see Frank back as the Punisher.

Steve Lightfoot revealed that he would like to see Barracuda and Kathryn O'Brien in the Punisher series. Not to mention Billy Russo as Jigsaw that might appear in season 2. Too many things in hands and very few info.

So far the only official details about the show are that it will be set in New York and they will start shooting this year.


Written by Ivo Santos

PC POST #390: -REVIEW- THE PUNISHER #219

Matthew Rosenberg continues to impress with this solid story he pulls zero punches when it comes to make the Punisher a bad ass character. Guiu Villanova art keeps improving a lot showing us a more polished War Machine armor on this second issue.

Frank Castle arrived in Chernaya saved an old man named Vakha from being killed by the troops of Petrov's. 

Vakha was a great supporting character, a bit cliché though, but it was great seeing these veterans interacting with each other. For moments I imagined Frank Castle decades before he finishes his "war" (like something like that was possible). But don't know why Vakha reminds me of Frank.

The action of this story was great, most of the action of this comics was the Punisher defending the land of old Vakha from the incursion of Petrov's troops, the funny thing is that Frank doesn't control 100% the armor and he's still learning and improving how to dominate it after a few mistakes especially when Frank is fighting a tank.

A curious fact is the A.I of the armor it's programmed for the previous user and not for Frank it clearly needs some reprogramming for Frank's by the modus operandi. It's hilarious the rant between Frank and the A.I.

The art of Guiu's is getting polished by the issue. The designed of the armor is much better when we compare with the last issue. His drawings are very dynamic and the action scenes very well made. I liked how Guiu focused in what matters while drawing the action scenes, you don't get distracted by the background. Great work Guiu!

About the colors, I'm not a big fan of Loughridge's tone he set for this issue, I didn't like this "brownish" color all over the issue.

The scenario when everything happens had something to do with it but this is the only thing I didn't like so far.

Can't wait to read today's issue THE PUNISHER #220, don't forget to seize your comic book stores!

OVERALL RATE: 8.5 / 10

Review by Ivo Santos

PC POST #387: -REVIEW- THE PUNISHER #218

The first issue of these new Punisher series branded by Legacy was released yesterday. And it was a really good issue, a well-built story by Matthew Rosenberg and a solid art by Guiu Vilanova.

After years of reboots over the years, Marvel decided to renumber all the titles and tie-in with the original titles through the years and here is Punisher #218. 

Matthew Rosenberg planned a well-structured storytelling in this first issue. 

Cover by Clayton Crain

Rosenberg introduced Frank's modus operandi ( the way he works) in the first pages of this comic when we see Frank intercepting some weapons dealers. The character was smart and tactically brilliant on the battlefield in the way he dealt with many guards. Knowing the territory and using the elements in his favor. It was very unbalanced, he was too good for those goons. Not even when they thought they were safe, he already planned the way he would kill them.

There is no inner speech on this issue, but honestly, it wasn't needed. With the art of Guiu's and the way Rosenberg tells his story, you figure it out how things will happen.

For weeks we know that Nick Fury Jr. would be involved in this story. I was a bit uneasy thinking that Fury would control/ manipulate Frank but he wasn't controlled. Rosenberg was pretty convincing in finding a way to make Frank help Fury Jr. in this quest and it worked.

The best part is when Frank is going to get the War Machine armor, with great action in stealth mode with a "no killing" rule. You will know why.

Guiu Vilanova did an amazing job in the artwork of this series and it was a good complement to Rosenberg's storytelling. This creative team seems to be very well aligned with the path they will go with this run.

The splash scenes were really impressing and how Guiu's imprinted a good dynamic in every action scene.

Another thing to add is the resemblance this Frank Castle has with Jon Bernthal. I know that Marvel tends to make his character to look like their cinematic counterparts but to me, it's no big deal. 

The coloring from Lee Loughridge was overall good, but there were some panels that the colors seemed a bit dark or didn't have enough light.

A shout out for Clayton's Crain cover which was beautifully made and of course Tim Bradstreet lenticular cover.

Verdict: I was impressed with the quality and well-structured story, I have hope that this can be a success story for years to come if it handles it in the right way. The secret to it it's not to put Frank in some sort of "chains" and let him be what he is. For the amazing work and the amount of respect Rosenberg has for the character, I know he will do him justice. 

I really don't like to give high scores in the first issue, but this leaves me no chances of doing it.

Overall Rate: 9 out of 10

Review by Ivo Santos ( FB / Twitter )

PC POST #385: -REVIEW- PUNISHER: THE PLATOON #2

Platoon #2 was a blast and Garth Ennis once again just delivered an amazing story and show a Frank Castle in action for the first time with zero experience.

If Garth Ennis had a seal of quality this story would be branded by it. Again. 

Ennis tell us a war story that only a very few can deliver with such intense and detailed description.

Ennis presents us the two points of view from both sides of the war, the American and the Vietnamese. Not for you to take a side but to think about both sides.

The leadership skills of Frank Castle continues to be tested by his Platoon but this time under attack by tons of Vietnamese troops, this will mark the very first time Frank Castle is in action and the first kill.

This comic has a huge amount of violence and gore like a good story delivered by Ennis, he shows us how dirty and savage war can be and we will see Frank's Platoon fighting for their lives with everything they have just to survive.

Most of the credit goes to Goran Parlov who delivered a really good artwork and amazing panels with great colors.

The splash scenes are simply amazing with the usual quality from Parlov books that we are used to.

Explosions, shootouts, violence and the expressions of the characters is another detail that Parlov nailed it, he almost didn't need that Ennis could write any dialogue into the script, their expressions said it all.

The cover is amazing with a strong stare and that look we as Punisher fans have seen somewhere. And for the epic posture, Frank is on the cover.

Parlov needs to share his success with Jordie Bellaire as colorist not only for the cover but to the interiors of the comic. She really gave more depth to the tone of this series.

You can't go wrong with this series. If you are Ennis fan or The Punisher's classic MAX stories you will love it. It's Ennis and I don't remember him writing a bad Punisher story.

Overall Rate: 8.5 /10

PC POST #383: PUNISHER Solicitations for January 2018

Finally, it was revealed the solicitations of the next Punisher issues in January of 2018...

Punisher: The Platoon #5 ( out of 6)

Garth Ennis ( W ) & Goran Parlov (A & CA)
 

"The Platoon goes on a devastating mission that goes bad to worse. Viet Cong soldier Li Quang has been after Frank and his men for months. Her chance to get them has arrived."

The Punisher #220

(W) Matthew Rosenberg / (A) Guiu Villanova / (CA) Clayton Cray

"Frank’s torn through General Petrov’s soldiers and tanks, but an even deadlier force has Frank in their sights. A trap is set, with innocent lives on the line. Can Frank save the endangered civilians? Can he even save himself?"

I really can't wait for these issues to come out in January. About the Punisher with the War Machine suit, it looks he's going to travel around the globe and clearly be more hero-ish than the past run.
Since the Punisher (2014) that the Punisher has been a little tweaked in his own mindset and sometimes, I get the feeling he's been a little "tone down" regarding, for example, the Marvel Knights Punisher by Ennis set in the Marvel Universe.
But I'm really curious to see how Matthew Rosenberg will make this book and how he will develop the character.

PC POST #382: Fan Theory: Marvel's the Punisher might have leaked the release date weeks ago.

We live in an age that there is a lot of "fan theories". Some more accurate and others completely out of nonsense.
Well, I wouldn't be here if I considered this one a nonsense, it's a stretch, but it might lead us to something.
Today I was reached out from a fan called Hayden Vance on Punisher HQ. who claimed that he could possibly find out the release date for Marvel's the Punisher.

IF Hayden Vance is right, the release date has been "hid" in plain sight through promos that were leaked by the official accounts in the past weeks.

Let's start with the most recent promo

If you zoom into the word "TAKEN" you will see three lines and the last says "SAT 12-16".

If you check out your calendars if we take into consideration that 12 is the month and 16 is the day. you will see that it's a SATurday. ( SAT 12-16).

I know it's a stretch. And personally, I've been looking forward to seeing evidence that leads us to November and mid-December is way too many weeks of waiting for it. But this would be one of kind of coincidence that they pick randomly this (SAT 12-16).
Netflix doesn't release new series on Saturdays but this could be some sort of surprise drop.

Read between the lines. #ThePunisher pic.twitter.com/Y3mplEgTRR

— The Punisher (@ThePunisher) 29 de setembro de 2017

It's even in this short video and many other promos too.

Again, this is a fan theory nothing official, I still have my personal opinion that it will be on Nov. 10 or Nov. 17.
But I found this very interesting to be taken into consideration.

Thank you, Hayden Vance for this awesome theory.



Posted by Ivo Santos

PC POST #379: -REVIEW- THE PUNISHER #16

Penultimate issue is out and puts together old foes. The Punisher and Face... With many updates to his own skillset!

Sadly Becky Cloonan's Punisher run is coming to an end. One more issue to go right when she found the perfect formula for her to portray the character. But she will not tap out until she wrapped up an old settle between Frank and Face. 

This issue is fast paced and the Punisher was conveniently placed in the right spot of the action meaning in the hospital that Face was recovering.

Most of this issue is about the Punisher vs Face and what an upgrade Face had. His face is now shaped like a skull and his body assimilated the overdose of EMC that will make him stronger and faster by default.

These two had a great fight in several pages being Face physically superior but Frank tactically smart to overcome that lack of strength.

The dialogue was good and the bit of humor was on point, without turning this issue into a comedy. I have to give credit to Cloonan for making Face a more interesting character than it was for 12 issues and my only regret is that she could make all these changes way back and make the first two arcs way more interesting than it was in the first place.

On the other hand, I'm glad she could catch up with good quality issues and now we will wrap up this story with a bang, next issue.

Matt Horak's art was really good. Since the last issue, the artwork seems to improved a lot. The battle between Frank and Face was graphically on top with great colors and especially the fight that occurred in the flames.

Now, I will give credits to Horak to make Face one of the most creepy Punisher villains I've ever seen. He remembered me a lot of another Punisher villain called Deke Wainscroft back into the graphic novel P.O.V.

Derrick Wainscroft

Face

The cover was once again superb with Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire delivering a creepy tooth of Face. With of course a skull in between the front teeth. It's curious, in every Punisher cover they draw always a skull. Sometimes it's not so visible but it's always there. Great touch by these two writers!

Overall Rate: 8.5 / 10

Review by Ivo Santos ( FB / Twitter )