Punisher Max: The Complete Collection Vol. 3

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PUNISHERMAX #13". Comic Book Roundup. Archived from the original on 2017-08-12 . Retrieved 2017-07-08. In the Beginning” is classic Punisher. This story, I think, is a great introduction to Punisher comics. The set-up is great: after taking down a bunch of mobsters all at once, Frank, now well into his 50s, is captured by an old acquaintance with an offer from the CIA. Meanwhile, rival mobsters swoop in to eliminate the Punisher for good and take over New York. This story is tense, well-paced, and pretty much a perfect action thriller. Also, Lewis LaRosa does an admirable job making Frank look like a grizzled Clint Eastwood. PUNISHERMAX #22". Comic Book Roundup. Archived from the original on 2017-08-12 . Retrieved 2017-07-08. It starts off with a fun tale of a scumbag crook running from The Punisher and ultimately perishing. Ya know, the kinda shit we specifically read Punisher books for. Volume three manages to be laugh out loud funny while also having the darkest collection of stories yet. This feels like all of Ennis’s quirks put into one hilarious, trashy, heartfelt, violent, and heavily anti corporation assemblage.

Immediately after Wilson Fisk becomes the "Kingpin of Crime", he cancels all of the former bosses' appointments. However, Fisk's secretary calls and informs him that one man refuses to have his appointment cancelled. The man is known only as Bullseye, the world's deadliest assassin. Bullseye never misses his target, and has set his sights on the Punisher. The "Born" mini series strongly earns the five stars but the followup twelve issues of Punisher Max are also great. Barracuda MAX sees the unexpected return of none other than Barracuda. It's a prequel story of sorts that sees the reintroduction of a key character, who is embroiled in grand plans. What starts off as a local feud on home soil, escalates into overseeing a small coup that could disrupt an entire South American region. Ennis' writing is twisted and has some really unsettling imagery as well as characters. I like how someone with Barracuda's physical strengths is given intelligence, it makes much more compelling. But he's a true to form monster that can really unsettled the narrative. I think it makes for a stronger antagonist later on however, just that the whole of this series feels a bit unrelatable and cold. And then, if the rest wasn't enough, we get a three parter that shows a 10 year old Frank learning how the world works. A middle age Frank finally getting revenge for what started it all (I was a little surprised he hadn't done it before). And then one of the weirder Punisher tales you will read that shows his end. Less a Punisher story and more the author writing out his frustration about how a few rich a-holes control too much of the world. This continues Garth Ennis's famous run on The Punisher, and saying he stepped his game up in this one is an understatement. I enjoyed the three story arcs in the first collection but this volume seems like it could've even been written by a different person. Frank Castle's personality and character shine brighter darker, I felt much more connected to him, the action is even crazier, and all of the stories are even more compelling. While at times the first book and it's character's and events felt a little cheeky, especially with some of the supporting characters, everything here seems way more genuine and confident and didn't feel like it was playing for jokes.PUNISHERMAX #9". Comic Book Roundup. Archived from the original on 2017-08-12 . Retrieved 2017-07-08. Punisher continues to be a character I enjoy reading even if I think people overrated him a bit too much. After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint. The second arc is Long Cold Dark ( Punisher Max #50-54), drawn by Howard Chaykin (#50) and Goran Parlov (#51-54). This arc follows a while after the preceding mini series, and sees the build-up to Barracuda's next meeting with the Punisher, as well as the actual clash. There are also some surprises in here, which both give Barracuda some leverage against Castle and provide new layers of depth to the characterisation of the Punisher. As the plot rolls out, it becomes clear that Ennis is pulling out all the stops towards the end of his run, and delivers at his finest. This is a clear five stars piece. What a turn this takes after volumes 1 and 2. Gone are the (spare and simple) moments that make you think, discarded for more traditional comic book adventures and slaughter. It's still fun to read if you like action, but that's about it.

Frank Castle is really hard to pull off for most writers and so instead of character development, they go for murder porn and see how many ultra-violent ways they can cleverly have their Punisher kill the bad guys, and frankly (ar ar) it gets rather boring after a while. It's even worse here with Garth Ennis in the Marvel Max imprint because now he can blast brains, smash faces, and eviscerate the baddies' insides like never before. And Garth must think he's being extra edgy with all the f-bombs and the n-words, but it's just kind of lame, and I'm not sure who he thinks is interested, but I'm not. Ennis goes for the gross out or the profane as a cover for how thin and pointless everything is in his series. Unlike the concurrently running Marvel Universe-proper series [4] featuring the Punisher, the MAX imprint allows the creators the freedom to write more realistic and hard-edged stories that cannot be seen in regular mainline Marvel Universe stories. [5] [6] Also unlike the previous MAX series, which focused mainly on Frank Castle/The Punisher's war against the mob, this series has him squaring off against MAX versions of popular Marvel super villains, such as Wilson Fisk/the Kingpin, Bullseye and Elektra. The series came to a conclusion with issue #22. [7] [8] In the end - it worked out :). Because I got this amazing collection which is the perfect end to the perfect run on Punisher by Garth Ennis. I will go on record - Ennis' run on Punisher was the best, hands down. What amazes me most is his variety of stories after 60+ issues. First you get the Barracuda mini series which is a laugh and a half with beautiful art by Goran Parlov. I have seen Parlov's work before and it was good but here it shines. The expressions on Barracuda's face are priceless. It shows you how important it is to get the right artist for a story. Howard Chaykin draws Barracuda in a later story and as much as I love Chaykin he would have ruined this story if he had drawn it. You needed someone with Parlov's sense of comedic timing and style. The other two are Frank as the Punisher in the post 9/11 era taking on the Italian mob and the Irish mob. I liked how Ennis introduced a new cast of ghastly villains for The Punisher to battle. These stories are all brilliant on their own, but they also function well as essential components of a larger, expertly crafted narrative, and they flow very well together. What we are getting is a cohesive portrait of a complex and fascinating, fully fleshed character.The tragedy that is ‘The Punisher’ is at the forefront of Garth’s final issues. Incredibly violent yet emotional, I was fully invested the whole way. The sixth volume of the Punisher Max Complete Collection is just as good as the previous volume. Collecting Punisher MAX X-Mas Special, Punisher: Naked Kill, Punisher: Get Castle, Punisher: Butterfly, Punisher: Happy Ending, Punisher: Hot Rods of Death, Punisher: Tiny Ugly World, Untold Tales of Punisher MAX #1-5. Next Is the Barracuda revenge story. A very solid story that well could have been the "last Punisher storyline from Ennis". But no, he also had Valley Forge in him, a wonderful wrap up of an earlier story where Frank screwed some powerful military men over when he refused to hand over a girl he had rescued from Russia. PUNISHERMAX #6". Comic Book Roundup. Archived from the original on 2017-08-12 . Retrieved 2017-07-08.

PUNISHERMAX #16". Comic Book Roundup. Archived from the original on 2017-08-12 . Retrieved 2017-07-08.This story puts Frank Castle in a war zone, where his character always makes the most sense. The Punisher doesn't really belong next to super humans in tights who fight aliens. But he is completely believable in combat. So, this makes for a straight ahead, believable war graphic novel, if not one that gives any particular insight into or growth for the eponymous character. More sexist treatment of a female character mars the story, though it is very mild compared to other arcs in the series. PUNISHER MAX: X-MAS SPECIAL #1". Comic Book Roundup. Archived from the original on 2017-08-12 . Retrieved 2017-07-07. In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry. The book is in three distinct sections - Frank Castle's time during his hellish third tour in Vietnam; shady CIA operatives attempting to recruit Castle during his particularly bloody war on NY and NJ-area mafioso; and then Castle, with assistance from an old British colleague, taking on NY's usually warring Irish-American criminal families / gangs that have now uneasily united for a common goal. PUNISHERMAX #5". Comic Book Roundup. Archived from the original on 2017-08-12 . Retrieved 2017-07-08.