This battle of
revenge seems to be the final swansong for Franken-Castle if next months
solicits are to be believed. So as the potentially final story for Remender’s
provocative Punisher series draws to a close we see Frank fighting for his
reputation and pride against what is surly his arch nemesis at this juncture;
Daken.

Now Sentry is
gone I am trying to consider if Daken is the most hated Marvel Universe
character. His character has about as much depth as a puddle in the desert and
on top of that regardless of what’s going on he still manages to come across as
a gigantic douche.

Thank the gods
then that we finally get to see him kicked to the very edge of his pathetic
life. Have you been desperate to see Frank to get some revenge after the
shocking conclusion to Punisher: The List all those months ago? Well this
mini-crossover between Dark Wolverine and Franken-Castle is your last and only
chance.

Say what you will
about Remender but the man writes one hell of a Punisher! The dialogue between
the two during the fight is both witty and awkward. As each of the cocky warriors
tries to out do each other and get the last word in it’s cringe worthy, it’ll
bring a smile to your face and most importantly – as has been the case since
Franken-Castle debuted… well it’s fun!

Daken taking a
beating is only made oh so much better by another great turn in from Tony
Moore, his art really captures the essence of the fight. His detailed pencil
style of drawing is still a wonderful treat for the eyes, only made so much
better by Dan Brown’s colouring – bright, vibrant but still capturing the
gloomy essence of the story. His colouring along with Moore’s art brings a
speed and intensity to the story that was missing from last weeks first chapter
in the saga as the Dark Wolverine team struggled to do justice to characters.

Talking of
justice how is it fair that this great series is seemingly being cancelled as
of issue #21? Remender has over the last year and a half written one of my favourite
incarnations of The Punisher – with Frank only just getting started on his list
of revenge, which has list seemingly been cut short by the folks at Marvel well…
if the twist on the last page of this book is anything to go by this looks to
be one hell of a closing chapter to the wildly entertaining but controversial book.

-Josh “Dredd” West

Origami Kid