Business as Usual (Punisher, Vol. 3)

Rating:
Summary: Wolverine finally gets what he deserves; Thanks, Frank!
Review: ... The book is worth cover price just to see Frank park the steamroller on top of Wolverine, the most overrated, overexposed, unconvincing "tough-guy" in all comics. Not to mention the bonus of having "the old canuucklehead" shot in the face, and walk around for most of the story with his adamantium skull hanging out in the open. For X-haters, this tale is an instant classic. The irony of all this is that by the late eighties, I felt just as annoyed by the Punisher himself as I am today by Wolverine and his Clint Eastwood posturing.

Rating:
Summary: "Pine Marten"?!
Review: After enjoying the bizarre mayhem of the previous Garth Ennis-penned Punisher titles, I found his latest efforts with Marvel's famed grim-n-gritty vigilante (AKA this TPB) to not be quite as entertaining. Like before, this collection has little shortage of those trademark moments of over-the-top bizarre weirdness that Ennis is famous for. But in this collection, he seems to be trying a bit TOO hard to be strange and bizarre. Perhaps he's startin' to run outta ideas for strange sitches to shock and entertain his loyal readers?

But in spite of this nit, I found this latest collection of Ennis-penned Punny tales to be a reasonably enjoyable diversion after spending several hours in a fluorescent lamp-illuminated computer lab. The first story arc features our anti-hero hittin' the jungles of South America to rescue... a kidnapped mobster? Yep, it's true folks! But don't you worry true believers-the Punisher's motives for this rescue are of the means-to-and-end variety, as the final couple pages of this story will reveal. Throw in a double-dealing jungle guide, our anti-hero getting captured and subsequently escaping via an anticlimactic death-match, and his meting of final justice, and you've got- well, you've got a standard Punisher story with a few weird momes here & there to try to convince ya that Garth is at least makin' a half-hearted effort. He even throws in the death-of-a-heavy-by-boa-constrictor gag that I've seen him use at least twice before (one time in the Punisher 12-ish maxi "Welcome Back Frank", and once in Preacher). Fortunately, the subplot featuring Detective Soap's further romantic blunders helps add a little bit of freshness to the tale...

Next up is a scummy tabloid reporter who'll do anything to get the scoop on our anti-hero-even if it means holding the hapless Detective Soap hostage to get it! Fortunately, ol' Frank gets a bit of payback for the, um, inconvenience by putting the reporter through the wringer (both figuratively AND literally) as he grabs the attention of a jeep-load of drive-by shooters and storms a mobster's compound. Pulitzer Prize, here we come...

But the piece I found to be the most interesting of the lot features Marvel's beloved vigilante hookin' up with Wolverine against a diminutive mobster and his midget minions who are attempting to cut the Mafia down to size-- literally! But even this adventure is dragged down a bit by a tanked-up Wolvie mouthin' off alla' the hackneyed sayings and clichés one has come to expect from him back in his heyday. Fortunately, Punisher manages to keep him somewhat under wraps with a shotgun blast that literally takes Wolvie's face-meat clean off his skull, and another shot to the mini-mutie's nether regions. Then there's that part with the steamroller, but I think I'll let you see that for yourself. Oh yeah, the little-person body count goes into high gear in between these ballistic body modifications, adding a nice dash of angst-laden levity to the whole affair.

Speakin' of the little people: be on the lookout for Mini-Me versions of Jesse Custer, Cassidy (from Preacher), the Sandman, and Spider Jerusalem (Transmetropolitan) in one particularly memorable splash page. One look at this panel and you'll imagine ol' Frankie turning to Wolvie and sayin, "Logan, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..."

Finally, we come to the finishing touch: a one-shot that reflects Mr. Ennis' thoughts about that whole sad affair that's been goin' down- and still is goin' down- in Northern Ireland. I consider this relatively brief tale to be the TPB's most sincere and best-written piece. And the strange thing is, it's told (and illustrated) with almost none of those darkly humorous moments or quirkily-strange situations that made its scribe a major creative force in the four-color community...

'Late

Rating:
Summary: Punisher and Wolverine plus much more!
Review: Covering Marvel Knights Punisher issues #13-18, Punisher: Business as Usual is one of the strongest offerings from the series of Punisher novels. Ennis is at the height of his scripting power on this series.

#13 and #14 chronicles Punisher on an unlikely mission of mercy to rescue a hostage in South America. For those of you that are rolling your eyes and groaning, this isn't a return to Punisher's War Journal days. This is a crazy Ennis thrill ride filled with twists, turns, and improbabilities.

#15 is the tale of a reporter willing to do whatever it takes to get the story, even if that's making a deal with the devil, or handcuffing himself to the Punisher to see what Frank does on a typical night. With Detective Soap's life in the balance, the Punisher must decide what is good and what is evil...

#16 and #17 are what this series if all about. The Mob, Wolverine, midgets, and a series of unfortunate events. I don't want to give too much away, but please, read these two issues at least a couple of times. The second time, pay attention to the facial expressions. Robertson does a brilliant job that has to be seen to be believed!

In #18 Ennis spotlights his home territory of Ireland, sending the Punisher across the pond. Here we see what 'pointless' violence really is.

The bottom line is if you are a fan of Punisher, Wolverine, Ennis, or Robertson, then please take the time and money to get this book. You won't be sorry!

Rating:
Summary: Wolverine got his (...)kicked by a non-mutant
Review: I never really got into the Punisher comics, and Wolverine was cool so I got this and laught threw the Graphic Novel. I mean first some stupid reporter wantes a story for the Punisher, hand coughs himself to the Punisher gets shot, runs some guy over, and falls in to a woodchipper,for a stupid story.Then the Punisher faces off with Wolverine. Wolverine get shot in the face,his antimanium skull hanging out, shot in the balls, and driven over with a steam roller.Thanks to the Punisher.You should diffently get this fr your collation

Rating:
Summary: Good, but no where near as good as the previous volumes...
Review: The comtinuing saga of Marvels #1 ... is as strong as ever, but this particular collection isn't quite as good as the previous two.

The first story alone warrants the 3 star rating...it is really good. The Punisher heads to South America to rescue a kidnapped mob leader and bring him back to New York, which will hopefully prevent a full-scale mob war between the families. full of the trademark grit and humor associated with the previous Punisher stories, this is probably the best story in this particular volume. And poor Detective Soap manages to get himself into yet another scandalous situation...delivering some hilarious comic relief.

The next story features a 'team-up' between Punisher and Wolverine...and its hardly a team-up at all. This is the most bizarre but funny Punisher story yet, and is just a little bit too silly to be taken seriously. I wasn't particularly fond of this particular tale but I'll look past it. Wolverine's trademark temper and the Punisher's no-holds barred approach to things make for an entertaining read, but it is the overall silliness of the story that drags this down as a whole... I actually found the Punisher's treatment of Wolverine hysterical, but the overall story itself was poor...

The final story finds the Punisher heading to Northern Ireland to combat terrorism, based on a tip-off he received from an old friend in British Intel. Redeeming the rather dull Pun/Wolvie story before it, this is an intriguing and serious look at the reality of terrorism in Northern Ireland, and as usual is full of the trademark humor and gritty, dark attitude of the Punisher. Definitely a good read.

Overall this was a great volume, its just the Pun/Wolvie crossover that really drags it down. It could've been so much better...the Punisher and Wolverine have alot of potential as a team, and when the 'team' breaks down into a hilarious battle, it's definitely worth a read, but it just isn't delivered so well. Nevertheless, I wouldn't say I don't like this volume, i'm just rather disappointed in it. Perhaps the next time will be better.

Rating:
Summary: Wolverine finally gets what he deserves; Thanks, Frank!
Review: The continuing saga of Marvel's toughest anti-hero is as strong as ever, but this particular collection isn't quite as good as the previous two.

The first story alone warrants the 3 star rating...it is really good. The Punisher heads to South America to rescue a kidnapped mob leader and bring him back to New York, which will hopefully prevent a full-scale mob war between the families. Full of the trademark grit and dark humor associated with the previous Punisher stories, this is probably the best story in this particular volume. And poor Detective Soap manages to get himself into yet another scandalous situation...delivering some hilarious comic relief.

The next story features a 'team-up' between Punisher and Wolverine...and its hardly a team-up at all, more along the lines of a hilarious beatdown on Wolverine! This is the most bizarre but funny Punisher story yet, and is just a little bit too silly to be taken seriously. I wasn't particularly fond of the overall story but I'll look past it, since Punisher's 'mistreatment' of Wolverine had me laughing hard enough to go red in the face. Wolverine's trademark temper and the Punisher's no-holds barred approach to things make for an entertaining read, but it is the overall silliness of the plot that drags the actual story itself down.

The final story finds the Punisher heading to Northern Ireland to combat terrorism, based on a tip-off he received from an old friend in British Intel. Redeeming the rather dull Pun/Wolvie story before it, this is an intriguing and serious look at the reality of terrorism in Northern Ireland, and as usual is full of the trademark humor and gritty, dark attitude of the Punisher. Definitely a good read.

Overall this was a great volume, its just the writing in the crossover that really drags it down. It could've been so much better. Nevertheless, I wouldn't say I don't like this volume, i'm just rather disappointed in it. Perhaps the next time will be better.

Rating:
Summary: Wolverine gets what he deserves
Review: The issues collected here are much better than the ones found in the previous volume, Army of One, as we see former Preacher and Hellblazer scribe Garth Ennis get a little bit more comfortable as he throws us some of the bizarre and insanely dark humor that he is known for. There's much to admire, from a reporter handcuffing himself to Frank to get a story, to Frank taking a trip to Ireland; but the real highlight is the two issue arc in which the overly too popular X-Men member Wolverine gets his claw popping arse handed to him. Darick Robertson (who struck gold with Ennis on the Fury and Born mini-series) supplies the pencils on those two issues, and his art is just plain awesome. The only problem with Business as Usual is the constraints of the PG+ rating don't allow Ennis to get into the over the top bloodbath that he writes so meticulously, but other than that, this is one of the best Marvel Knights Punisher volumes available.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome.
Review: This is a really cool comic. The story starts with The Punisher rescuing a Don in the jungles of Colombia and ends with him tracking a cocaine shipment to Belfast. But the best part is right in the middle, and involves The Punisher shooting Wolverine in the face and then, well... down there. I am afraid that The Punisher has his days counted (Wolverine is, needless to say, very upset).
Buy it before it is out of stock!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome.
Review: This is a really cool comic. The story starts with The Punisher rescuing a Don in the jungles of Colombia and ends with him tracking a cocaine shipment to Belfast. But the best part is right in the middle, and involves The Punisher shooting Wolverine in the face and then, well... down there. I am afraid that The Punisher has his days counted (Wolverine is, needless to say, very upset).
Buy it before it is out of stock!

Rating:
Summary: Best of both worlds...
Review: This is the first book where you can tell Garth Ennis is feeling like his old self again and is confident enough to introduce the bizarre writing style that made him famous with Hellblazer and Preacher to the world of The Punisher. The storytelling is leaps and bounds above what was found in "Welcome Back, Frank" and "Army of One." From the offbeat tale of the reporter determined to get his story to the shockingly violent and absolutely hysterical crossover with Wolverine; this book fuses the two sides of Garth Ennis and has enough to please fans of his earlier work with fans of The Punisher. It really is the best of both worlds, but Garth is just gettin' started!