The Punisher

Rating:
Summary: Top writer brings Punisher back from the dead!
Review: For a while, 'The Punisher' was a character in Marvel comics that really hit rock bottom with fans. In the 80's, the character had gained prominance with it's harsh, violent gun-toting look at vigilantism, but in the late 90's things weren't so good. Bounced from one boring, out-dated story to the next, Punisher was wasted.

That was until Marvel decided to reboot the series and allow the awesome team of writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon to helm a 12 issue mini-series. The two had worked on amazing titles like Hitman and the acclaimed Preacher series, and just as Marvel had hoped, brought the same magic to the pages of 'The Punisher'.

Collected in this trade paperback, this 12 issue story is a fun, exciting story that reminds fans why they so enjoyed the original Punisher stories to begin with.

Rating:
Summary: This book will make you forget Kevin Smith's Daredevil story
Review: Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon restore the Punisher to the one man war on crime charcater he is, in this paperback that reprints the 12 issue run that Ennis and Dillon wrote for the Marvel Knights books. This is not kiddie literature, this is a very adult style of writing that gives new life to a character many Marvel fans thought was over and done with. It's for fans of the Godfather films and would make an interesting movie, if dones on a big budget. But please remember, this is for adults only, not kids.

Rating:
Summary: Bloody goodness
Review: The first time I became a fan of Garth Ennis' work was when I started picking up the Preacher papaerbacks, and then Hellblazer. This guy is a genius, not because he fills every frame with cuss words and exploding heads(credit also goes to artist extraordinare, Steve Dillion), but because he dishes out intellectual and all-too-true observations on society, politics, and above all, religion. I immediately ran out and bought this book, including Vol. 2, without leafing through it first or anything. The two names on it alone was why I shelled out the 20 bucks. At first I was a bit disappointed because he was afterall writing a Marvel title and it kind of held back his freedom to do whatever he wanted like he did with Preacher and Hellblazer but trust me, it strangely gives each issue more gravity and showcases even more how creative Ennis is, even though I cringed at times reading the mobsters' dialogue. There is still a ton of violence(the body count is unimaginable), and Dillion's artwork is still captivating, but it's the story that will keep you reading to the last page. I liked Frank's relationship with his freakish roommates Spacker Dave, Mr. Bumpo, and Joan the Mouse. The nice subplot involving miserable Detective Soap is both laughable and depressing at the same time. I could go on and on about how great this book is, but it has to be read to be truly understood. Get it. Here's to comics' duo of unstoppable revolutionaries.