Punisher: Streets of Laredo (Punisher)

Rating:
Summary: The night is but young...
Review: After being less than impressed with the last couple of Garth Ennis-scribed Punisher TPBs, it was good to see comics' maddest Irishman get back in the swing of things (for the most part) with this release. The book's trio of one-shot stories feature light helpings of the kinds of bizarre situations and offbeat dark humor that've made Ennis infamous in the world of funnybooks. The first adventure features ol' Frankie inadvertently dropping in-- literally-- on the country home of former neighbor Joan the Mouse from the 12-issue maxi-series. Then there's the little game of "beat-you-to-it" that the sultry assassin Elektra plays on him with various mob hoods caught in the middle of the massacre. Ending the trio of one-shots is the childhood flashback sob story of the hapless and hexed Detective Soap-- AKA the ONLY member of the NYPD Punisher Task Force, and (irony of ironies) the Punisher's primary informant-- as told to a potential romantic interest at his fave waterin' hole.

Framed in the middle of this collection is the magnum opus: a modern Western-type yarn featuring the main man going up against a horde of gun-runners in a small Texas town overseen by a gay sheriff. It's a surprisingly straightforward story arc, possessing few if any of the usual Ennis staple moments of wackiness. Still, it's not too bad a read despite not being particularly inspired or original. One thing that I think would've improved this tale's standing a bit was if Marvel had hired someone besides Cam Kennedy to do the renderings. In my opinion, Kennedy's art works best in more abstract comics like what you'd see in Heavy Metal magazine, not so much in "down-to-earth" funnybooks. John Buscema, however, would've been the perfect guy to craft the kinds of visuals needed to give "Streets of Laredo" a modern-day Western look and feel... had he not been deceased by the time the story was being put together. Sheesh, how inconsiderate can a guy get?

Sadly, due to the limitations Marvel placed on his creative freedom with the Punisher book prior to its recent move to the gut-splattering and obscenity-laden Max imprint, Mr. Ennis' offbeat moments of madcap mayhem aren't nearly as shocking or disgustingly funny here as the stuff he'd whipped up in his previous works (take a look at any Preacher, Hitman, or Rifle Brigade book and you'll see what I mean). Still, more than a few of the strange predicaments contained within this tome are at least lightly amusing, and kept me smilin' through the body count the titular anti-hero racks up. While it may not be one of the man's greatest efforts, "The Punisher: Streets of Laredo" TPB is definitely worth at least one look. Especially if you're a die-hard Punisher fanatic-- or a friend of a die-hard Punisher fanatic who'll allow you to borrow his copy to read...

'Late

Rating:
Summary: The return of Joan and the origin of Soap
Review: Covering Marvel Knights issues #27-32 and issue #19, Streets of Laredo is the fifth MK Punisher graphic novel. It's by no means the weakest offering, or the strongest. This is mostly due to the hodgepodge of art work. Three artists contribute- Steve Dillion, of Punisher, Preacher, and Hellblazer fame, Cam Kennedy- former Judge Dredd artist, and Tom Mandrake- Spectre, Call of Duty. Dillion's art provides the faming issues, and perhaps this is a mistake. We go from his crisp style to Mandrake's art, which tends to look like Tim Sale's of late. Then Cam Kennedy provides most of the art. While I enjoy Cam's work on other books, I felt as if it were less than perfect for this character, this story.

Speaking of stories, the writing is deep, dark, disturbing and wonderfully funny all at the same time. Only Garth Ennis can pull that off with any regularity at all. Any fan of Ennis should love adding this volume to their collection.

On a personal note, my two favorite stories were #19, which marks the return of Joan (and Joan's pies) and #32 which is the dubious origin of Detective Soap. The volume is worth adding to your collection for these two stories alone. When reading #19 note that the expressions on Frank's face and Frankie the Dog's face are often the same.

Over all, a very good book that is well worth the money. Highest recommendations!

Rating:
Summary: Ennis' lowpoint so far on his Punisher run
Review: Fact one: Garth Ennis is a superb writer when allowed to push the limits that he is known for (don't believe me, check out the Preacher comics). Fact two: his run on the Punisher is the best storytelling to hit the character in years. However, this four part storyarc is far from the best work to come from Ennis, but not all the blame can be contributed to him. When allowed to go over the limits of what can be done in a comic, Ennis' true talent shines, but when he is restricted (this is a PG+ book after all) his storytelling suffers, and it shows here. Not only that, but Cam Kennedy's art grates on the nerves quite a bit. I just can't get into it; his misshapen character models are an acquired taste to say the least. I mean his look of the Punisher just doesn't stick well; artists like Steve Dillon and Tom Mandrake have done far better than Kennedy. All that aside however, this is a solid storyarc that is still worth reading for Punisher fans. The story finds our favorite criminal killing vigilante in the desolate Texas town of Branding trying to stop the flow of illegal military weapons from leaving the town. We are introduced to a flat villain and one dimensional characters, something that is shocking to say the least to come from the pen of Garth Ennis. Streets of Laredo is so far the worst of Ennis' run on the Punisher, but this is still better than most comics out there today.

Rating:
Summary: Ennis' lowpoint so far on his Punisher run
Review: Fact one: Garth Ennis is a superb writer when allowed to push the limits that he is known for (don't believe me, check out the Preacher comics). Fact two: his run on the Punisher is the best storytelling to hit the character in years. However, this four part storyarc is far from the best work to come from Ennis, but not all the blame can be contributed to him. When allowed to go over the limits of what can be done in a comic, Ennis' true talent shines, but when he is restricted (this is a PG+ book after all) his storytelling suffers, and it shows here. Not only that, but Cam Kennedy's art grates on the nerves quite a bit. I just can't get into it; his misshapen character models are an acquired taste to say the least. I mean his look of the Punisher just doesn't stick well; artists like Steve Dillon and Tom Mandrake have done far better than Kennedy. All that aside however, this is a solid storyarc that is still worth reading for Punisher fans. The story finds our favorite criminal killing vigilante in the desolate Texas town of Branding trying to stop the flow of illegal military weapons from leaving the town. We are introduced to a flat villain and one dimensional characters, something that is shocking to say the least to come from the pen of Garth Ennis. Streets of Laredo is so far the worst of Ennis' run on the Punisher, but this is still better than most comics out there today.

Rating:
Summary: The Art Kills It
Review: Much like the other stories by Garth Ennis and crew, this book contains jsut as much fun, killing, and sympathy, as the others. The content of the writing is fine but the whole concept of the mystery of the Streets of Loredo is knida stupid and predictable. Another flaw in this book is it's art. The artwork, which is mostly by Cam Kennedy is simply awful and doesn't fit the Punisher's style at all. Most of his charcters seem to look the same and have distorted faces and straw-like hair. Looking at the pictures for too long gives me a headache.

In general, this is probably the worst of Ennis run, maybe because he has set high standards for himself, but even so this is at the bottom.

Overall, if you are a strong fan of Ennis and collect the Punisher...get the book.

If you are a fan of good art (like Steve Dillon's) then don't even bother.

Rating:
Summary: The best of the Marvel Knights Punisher titles...
Review: Starting with a moving story featuring Joan (last seen in "Welcome Back, Frank") and ending with a bittersweet (yet sometimes hilarious) origin tale for Soap; Garth Ennis has found a way to mix some beauty in with the carnage. In the middle, we have the Punisher doing what he does best. There's a crossover with Elektra with a body-count high enough to make Freddy and Jason blush. The mystery in The Streets of Laredo is too easily solved, but there are some interesting characters introduced and a very welcome (and unexpected) touch of social commentary. This is the best of the Marvel Knights Punisher titles.