ADVANCE REVIEW: The Punisher #1

The Punisher #1

Over the past 5+ years or so, the question of The Punisher has been an interesting one.  Garth Ennis left an indelible mark on the character with his work with Steve Dillon in the early 2000s, then moved from the standard 616 Marvel Universe to the world of Punisher Max, leaving an even a stronger mark on the character.  After The Punisher simply not being in the Marvel universe, Rick Remender's run on The Punisher was able to put Frank Castle back in the mix with the other heroes, while doing something so unique and unexpected, it was as far from Ennis as you could get.  But as Remender's run ended, the big comics reset button was pressed, allowing for Greg Rucka to step in and launch this new ongoing series, The Punisher, with art by Marco Checchetto.

The opening page of The Punisher #1 provides a little background for a new reader, briefly explaining who Frank Castle is and how he became The Punisher.  This recap ends with the sentence: "Now, simply, he is The Punisher."  I can't think of a more succinct way to describe this issue, and what I believe will continue for the length of Rucka's run on the character.  Put simply, he is The Punisher.  He is a force of nature who seeks vengence and justice for those who commit crimes.

Fans of Rucka's previous work on titles like Gotham Central will really enjoy The Punisher #1, as Rucka establishes the story with a deep connection to the New York Police Department, as we're introduced to a new set of detectives who are invesitgating crimes in the city and sure enough, they're the same crimes The Punisher has taken an interest in.  With this first issue, Rucka has been able to strike a balance between the realistic crime investigation, a touch of tie-back to the Marvel universe proper, and the horrifying nature of The Punisher.  The story unfolds as you read it with two primary tracks; first being the crimes themselves, the acts, the investigation and the speculation of motivation. Running alongside the very realistic crime investigation is this looming shadow that is The Punisher.  Rucka handles the introduction and use of Frank Castle in the less-is-more manner which has a powerful effect on the story.  Each page turn leaves you wondering when The Punisher will act, and when he does, it's delivered with a punch and elegance that will make Punisher fans giddy.  When I think of The Punisher as a character, to its core, it's the manner in which Rucka has portrayed him here that I think is the most effective.  Aside from the killing aspect, The Punisher is very much akin to Batman, in terms of his motivation, discipline and execution of task and that has never been more apparent to me than in this issue.

As I mentioned before, you get the sense that The Punisher is a force of nature and to balance that force, Rucka's introduction and use of two police detectives clearly deliver the heart of the tale on which we are embarking.  In the span of this first issue, Rucka is able to establish these two police detectives in a way that the reader can immediately connect with: the elder veteran detective and the younger detective with a past.  It's a simple equation, but it works to near perfection in setting up the pieces of the chess board for this story.  A bonus back up story to the main feature helps to further develop the younger detective's character by shedding some light to his past and why he's so important to this specific story.  It's that added bit of background that allows the readers to get a more complete picture of what's going on, without revealing too much, too early.

Visually within The Punisher #1, I have to admit that I struggled with artist Marco Checcetto's approach in numerous places.  There are moments within the issue where Checcetto shines and it's absolutely clear as to how and why he got this gig.  His ability to depict the violence of the action sequences is key and the majority of the time it's effective.  There were a few points within the issue where, with the lack of narration or word balloons, we rely on Checcetto's storytelling ability and for the most part you were able to follow along, but with a few bumps in the road.  There were a few spots where I had to go back and re-read the page in order to understand exactly what's going on.  Further, in the quieter/non-action parts, at some points I was impressed with Checcetto's ability to deliver tone and emotion to a character, but then in others, characters felt lifeless and just stand ins to deliver the dialogue.  I'm not saying that I hated the art, as I mentioned that there are numerous points in the book where Checcetto dazzles, it's just that there lacked a consistency that I would hope for.  Specifically there were a few panels that contained no words, and yet I understood exactly the mood and emotion intended by Rucka for that moment. Being able to see those panels executed so well just made the sting of the few lifeless panels that much more of a disappointment.  But then you'd turn the page and get a stunning visual, especially within some of the violent action sequences, and quickly forget the others, distracted by the beauty of violence that Checcetto is able to present.

To put it simply, Rucka and Checcetto deliver exactly what you would want from The Punisher and go beyond your expectations. There's violence, blood, intrigue, confusion, but not too much to make it beyond the sense of reality. And then there's…that moment.  You know the moment I'm talking about, the moment you realize it's The Punisher and it's downright chilling. If The Punisher #1 is an example of what we can expect from this run, then we're in for a bloody, violent treat.