It’s now been six issues since Garth Ennis left his classic run on Punisher MAX. It would be crazy to say that the series is getting better because he left…..But it isnt crazy to say it hasnt lost any entertainment value since Hurtwitz and now Swiercyznski has taken over.

Duane S. has taken over for the series as writer and so far the premise for the story is interesting. Mostly this is just a long winded way to describe us what the plot is and who the characters will be, but I must say Duane has a great voice for Castle. Sort of like how Remender has a good handle on Frank in the other title, Duane gets a good mix of emotions for Castle instead of just quiet loner. There is a great running joke here on how Castle counts to three (because of the sleeping gas) to kill the man who administers the toxin to him. Again this is just a set up issue to get us into the rest of the arc,  but I cannot wait to see where this takes us.

If the plot is practically by the numbers, why is it my pick? Simple, cause of the gorgeous pencils and coloring in this issue. I dont know who this Michel Lacombe is, but his pencils are so incredible to look at. It’s mainly his character models, they are so nicely detailed it’s astonishing. Plus the coloring just sets the tone for the arc it’s hard not to just look and appreciate on how great this art team is. He is definitely an improvement over the last artist in the last arc.

This arc takes place in Philadelphia (my hometown), it has a great writer on board, and it definitely has a wonderful art team on board. This all qualifies as the start to a great arc and hopefully this doesnt disappoint. The issue overall is just a set up issue, but I enjoyed every page I read and I hope this can get more people on board a great Punisher title.