It may seem a bit hasty to do a retrospective on a series still being released, but the third trade paperback of the series Punisher War Journal has just been published and the regular writer is soon to leave the comic, so I figure there is enough material to look at to make a fair assessment. I also think it’s good to examine the series as the comic media is goo goo for writer Matt Fraction. Is their undying praise justified?
In some way, it is. The idea of the Punisher, the bad ass human who fights crime with large guns and explosives, began in a super hero comic. But, as time progressed and Marvel became more “realistic”, Punisher fought human foes, and costumed vigilantes appeared less and less. Matt Fraction’s Punisher War Journal puts Frank Castle straight into the heart of the Marvel Universe in all its absurd glory.
From becoming the new Captain America to shooting the Rhino, the Punisher has gotten back to his roots as a vigilante out to fight vigilantes. Couple this nostalgic take on Punisher with the beautiful art of Ariel Olivetti that could give Alex Ross a run for his money and this is a great, fun series. There’s action, crossovers, humor, and character development - all the thing Marvel fans read comics for.
The only problem with such a strong start is there will be no way to live up to the early excitement of the series. Now that the art has gone to crap and Olivetti is off the title, Punisher War Journal can’t rely on the gimmick of Punisher in the mainstream Marvel Universe because we’ve seen that already. The action-movie action has been pedaled back and way too much time spent on Rampage, an old b-list villain turned Punisher’s lab tech.
It seems like a lot of Marvel series are falling into this trap, where writers rotate from a title every year or so, handing it off to another, and no real change has been made. Basically the series are buying time as readers buy issues, hoping for something else to have happened the second they finish reading, These series and Punisher War Journal are well-written, but so what?
Matt Knicl: My name is Matt Knicl. I'm a U of I alumn and one of those unemployed English majors Garrison Keillor likes to make fun of. I've been reading comics since high school and one day I would like to write them. My goal is to expose readers to what is out there in the world of comics and using my English powers, show what is worth reading or not. I can be reached at buzz.comics@gmail.com.
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Buzz Magazine
Matt Knicl
My name is Matt Knicl. I'm a U of I alumn and one of those unemployed English majors Garrison Keillor likes to make fun of. I've been reading comics since high school and one day I would like to write them. My goal is to expose readers to what is out there in the world of comics and using my English powers, show what is worth reading or not. I can be reached at buzz.comics@gmail.com.
Capes & Cowls » Blog Archive » Uncanny X-Men #500 (Capes & Cowls » Blog Archive » Uncanny X-Men #500) says:
(Posted July 21st, 2008 at 8:44 pm)
[…] date. This issue was written by Ed Brubaker (The Death of Captain America) and Matt Fraction (Punisher War Journal) and focuses on the X-Men now that there are only 198 mutants left in the world and forced to flee […]