Last issue of Punisher MAX was pick of the week material for a bunch of reasons. None of those reasons were for the violence or language in that issue. I picked it as the best because Hurwitz did what Garth Ennis did many times during his run: He showed the depressing side of Frank Castle and the inner-turmoil he had for what he may have done to a little girl. Knowning how great this issue was, I had a sneaking suspicion that this issue was going to fall back a bit and show more violence then personal feelings.

Now this is absolutely right, as Hurwitz decided to get the action rolling and show how pissed Castle really is. That doesnt mean this issue was bad by no means, this is as soild as all the issues of Hurwitz has been so far. I mean where else will you see a man get eating by a Shark as his punishment? It is by the numbers plotting but there are some good material here when it comes to the villains and side characters. So far this gang isnt as stupid as others, that’s what I like about this MAX series because the villains always have a personality they arent always stupid.

The only real problem with this run right now is with Campbell on art. Sort of on the same veins with Dustin Nguyen on Detective Comics, his art has been very hit or miss on me. Some panels look really fine and detailed, but on other panels its grainy and very sketchy looking. His faces are also a bit off model at some points and it’s hard to tell sometimes who is who. The last page reveal, I wont spoil although the cover pretty much ruins it anyways, I dont like his interpretation of the character. It wasnt really shocking to look at and he didnt look menacing enough really.

Overall, as mentioned, this is a soild arc by Hurwitz and I do urge anyone to give this a try. Especially those who might’ve dropped the series once Ennis left. This is still no way better then Ennis’s 60 issue epic, but it’s still entertaining and almost as deep as Ennis’s work was. This will definitely read good in trade I can tell you that much.