Review: 'Punisher’ #1

By Don M. Ventura

Punisher #1

Marvel Comics

«««½

I hadn’t tried reading the Punisher since about 2001 when Garth Ennis was writing the character for the Marvel Knights imprint. For me, Frank Castle has always been one of those one-note characters that writers are unable to sustain for long runs.

But I found myself more than pleased with what Greg Rucka accomplished on The Punisher #1, a book that is a dark and gritty (perhaps even more so) than one could expect. The Punisher is not front and center in this inaugural issue however; he’s an angel of vengeance who appears out of nowhere to inflict a violent eye for an eye.

The book opens with carnage—there has to be to get Frank to come out of his dark corner—as a gang war violently disrupts the wedding of a doctor and his Iraq War veteran bride. Rucka (Gotham Central) is no stranger to writing crime stories and does so ably here. But this turns out to be more of a nightmare than a crime.

It’s hard to get a take on how Rucka will present Frank in future stories because this issue is more about establishing the violent world he inhabits and centers on Detective Walter Bolt, a man with the Punisher as his guardian angel. Nonetheless, this is a powerful opener with a solid back-up story that continues to flesh-out the character of Detective Bolt.

Mark Checcheto’s artwork is incredibly striking in most of this book, but it falls a little flat in others. There were a couple of missteps with the character design of Detective Clemmons. It looked as though Checcheto used Morgan Freeman as the inspiration for Clemmons which was distracting.

Rating Scale:

Excellent ««««

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Checcetto's 'Punisher' Art: Crime Has Never Looked So Good

Like Daredevil, the Punisher has never been one of those characters that has caused me to gravitate to his stories. I am however tempted to drive down to my local comic shop to pick up Jason Aaron’s current PunisherMax run. This August Greg Rucka and Marco Checcetto take a stab at the character who’s been taking stabs at the criminal element for nearly 40 years.

This weekend, Rucka and editor Steven Wacker tweeted a teaser and a stunning interior page from Checchetto (after the jump). This book may be bloody, but it’s going to look bloody good.

C2E2: Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto provide Punishment

Marvel has announced that the new creative team behind the new Punisher series will be fan favorite Greg Rucka and artist Marco Checchetto

While Fear Itself will be just warming up when The Punisher rolls back into the Marvel Universe, the writer told Comic Book Resources that he won't be forcing Frank Castle into the event. "I've talked to Matt Fraction a bit and I've read one of the 'Fear Itself' scripts, but I've utterly failed to find a way that was satisfying for me to thread it in,"said Rucka.

Rucka also had this to say about the character:

"There are certain characters to me that need to stay the same. In fact part of their character arc is their inability to change and their unwillingness to grow. If you change the Punisher you break him," said Rucka. "He knows he's going to die eventually, but he's got a lot to do before he gets there. His goals are very clear and straightforward and there is something genuinely wonderful about a character who is that pure."

Very cool...

Add this to my pile please.

Lets Be Frank

The Punisher gets a new ongoing title.

This teaser sums it up....the creative team behind the new Punisher title will be revealed at C2E2.

Our bet is on Nick Spencer...oh man oh man that would be great.

On an odd note;

Most recently Frank Castle was turned into a Frankenstein Monster type.

In years past he was also a ghost.

Is it just a matter of time before he's a Werewolf? Or a Gargoyle?

'Big Shots': Marvel is Ready to Relaunch Dardevil, Punisher, and Moon Knight Titles

Marvel is turning the return of their three grittiest heroes into an event called "Big Shots." Last week we got the first glimpse of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s take on Moon Knight—the multiple personaltied hero who has has an on again/off again relationship with the Marvel Universe. While Mark Spector has been helping support Secret Avengers and Heroes for Hire, Bendis and Maleev believe there is gold to be mined in a series of Moon Knight’s own.

Marvel is promising to bring two other street-fighting vigilantes back to prominence with their own all-star creative teams: Daredevil and the Punisher. The announcements for the powerhouses handling these characters will be announced at C2E2 in mid-March.

Hulk and Punisher: Better Suited for Prime Time

A week ago Marvel Television announced that they would be working with ABC Television to produce a new Hulk series for the network and a Cloak and Dagger series for ABC Family. Additionally, Marvel is also looking into bringing other properties of theirs to the small screen: Agents of Atlas, The Eternals, Heroes for Hire, Moon Knight, and The Punisher.

While the two Hulk films released in the past decade have not been turkeys, they have not performed as well as their blockbuster comic book counterparts. You could argue that 2003’s Hulk (by Director Ang Lee) did not have the essence of the source material and 2008’s The Incredible Hulk (by Director Louis Letterier) was a vast improvement but not an incredible film.

I think there is not a lot that can be done with the Hulk character on film. Marvel is choosing wisely to move the tale of a man who becomes a monster back to the small screen where he has seen greater success. In a film, the director is challenged with the limits of time and what audiences will accept in a two-hour story.

In a series we can follow Bruce Banner as he struggles with becoming a Gamma-irradiated creature, and watch as he deals with it as General “Thunderbolt” Ross follows close on Banner’s heals (if the producers go that route). The character is able to transform and progress on an episodic program in a way that a film’s constraints does not allow; on television Banner can eventually gain control of Hulk as he has done over the years. A Hulk series has the potential of melding into what people loved about the 1978 original and something that holds true to the source material.

The same is true, perhaps even more so, of a Punisher television series. As a film The Punisher can come off as a Death Wish knock off, but as a series there is so much more that can be explored. First, to stay true to how Frank Castle has been written over the last decade, a Punisher series belongs on cable or possibly in the 10 p.m. hour. The creators have the ability to set up story arcs and have the “hero” take on crimes that might not be as attractive to movie audiences.

Finally, and this may not be a popular opinion, but I believe Wolverine may also suffer similar big-screen limitations as the Hulk and the Punisher. Logan doesn’t exactly have powers or character which are custom suited to a feature film; we’ll see what Darren Aronofsky and Christopher McQuarrie have planned for the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2.

Hire Date: December 2010

Every company has a library of beloved characters whose ongoing titles have a shelf life of one or two years, regardless of the talent behind it. The best way to handle these properties, besides a well executed mini, is to put them all in a team book—no matter how ill fit some of the characters may be. So far I like the teasers I’ve seen for the new Heroes for Hire book; Marvel is due to announce it tomorrow. The best thing about a team of also-rans is that the creators are allowed more flexibility with how the writers handle (or mishandle) the characters. The original Heroes for Hire consisted of Power-Man and Iron Fist. This time Iron Fist is back, accompanied by a group of such 70’s mainstays as Paladin, Ghost Rider, Falcon, and Moon Knight. With Elektra and Punisher thrown into the mix, I’ll assume this is not an “all ages” title.

Writing team Abnett and Lanning (Majestic and The Authority) are behind this book, so let’s hope they regularly play up the stakes. Heroes for Hire is released this December.