All I can think of when finishing the end of Gischler’s run on Punisher was:

“Thank you God of all things comics for ending this predictable and tedious arc!”

This felt like a rushed ending, especially since this is a double sized issue. Obviously Marvel wants to get Jason Aaron’s run started as quick as possible. So instead of waiting three months for his #1 issue then let’s combine Gischler’s final two issues so we can get it out quicker. As a whole though this ending is tired and predictable. Nothing groundbreaking happens here; it’s by the numbers plotting for a Punisher issue. Punisher kills everyone and pretty much learns nothing from this experience. Sure that sounds like any Punisher issue but at least the likes of Garth Ennis could have something intriguing to add to the plot. Even when we get to the end where Punisher fights Junior (see cover for character) it’s not even exciting. Boo-urns.

Parlov’s art was the only thing I could recommend for this run. It’s a neat blend of mixing simple, cartoony style; with detailed backgrounds and violent killings. So if you see a very good rendering of Punisher with a background character with only dotted eyes; it’s normal. However, and this I believe proves this was a rushed job; there are some unfinished panels in here. Some backgrounds don’t even look finished or they just have white backgrounds for the hell of it. When we get towards the end when Punisher is saving the hostage it looks really bad. So while this kinda is a good looking book, it does have many problems with it.

We only have one more issue before Aaron takes over for the series. It’s gonna be like a compliation of the writers/artists who worked on the series after Ennis left. I wish they couldn’t do that issue and we can just start the new run next month. Oh well…..one more medicore issue of Punisher MAX before a good run. I hope….