Punishermax #2 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Steve Dillon (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Wilson Fisk’s history is delved into as Operation: Kingpin is put into action.

What’s Good: While last month was a declaration of Garth Ennis, this month makes clear that Jason Aaron is interested in more than just emulation, as he brings the unforgiving grit found in Scalped to Punishermax.

That means an incredibly dark issue.  As this is largely due to its exploration of Fisk’s past, the change in tone between issues feels appropriate.  There’s really not a joke to be found this month, nor is there any Ennis-styled slapstick.  That said, while the pure fun quotient may take a slight hit due to that, it also elevates this month’s issue into something that is a more serious, weighty project.

This process also helps to create quite possibly the most terrifying Wilson Fisk we’ve ever seen.  Aaron’s Fisk is nothing short of an absolute psychopath.  His lack of conscience, mercy, or human feeling is deeply unsettling.  Fisk rigorously abides by and brutally enforces a rigid rule of self-preservation and satisfaction.  Beyond that though, he is beholden by no laws of decency or humanity.  Certainly, when Fisk embraces his wife and child at the end of this month’s issue, it feels very different from when he did so at the end of last month’s.

In painting such a character, Aaron really does push the Marvel envelope, and he does so in a manner totally different from Ennis.  While Ennis tested limits by writing outrageous acts, Aaron crosses boundaries through portraying acts and writing dialogue that is simply disturbing and mature in the truest sense.  Ennis had me flabbergasted, but Aaron actually made me uncomfortable.

On art, Steve Dillon serves up his usual fare, though he does do some surprisingly poignant work on his characters’ faces.  Dillon’s done a great job with Fisk so far, with expressions that are surprisingly subtle yet resonant and nuanced.

Punishermax #1 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Steve Dillon (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: In a final desperate bid to stay alive, the mob creates a final scheme to kill the Punisher – Operation Kingpin.

What’s Good: How much do you like Garth Ennis?  Your answer will largely determine how much you like Aaron’s approach to Punishermax.

That being said, even for readers unfamiliar with Ennis’ work, this is far, far from a bad comic.  It’s got all the desperate scheming, outrageous gore, torture, and general nastiness that you’d expect from the Max line.  However, for those die-hard Ennis fans like myself, this book is a real treat, one part love-song and two parts nostalgia trip.

This book literally feels like it fell out of a time machine as Jason Aaron channels Ennis so effectively, you’d think it was the man himself.  In fact, Aaron starts the series off right with a scene that is outrageously gory.  So gory is this display that it borders on being slapstick.  Then, in a manner that is straight out of Ennis’ playbook, this grotesque sequence leads to a joke that is both ridiculous and uproarious.   It’s so appalling that it shouldn’t work, and yet it does for that very reason.  This humorous sequence alone shows that Jason Aaron knows how to work this series: it’s all about pushing those boundaries so far past the brink that one can only laugh and gape simultaneously.

The scene also reminds us that Wilson Fisk is a bad, bad man.  When I first heard Aaron’s decision to bring in an alternate-universe Kingpin, I was concerned.  However, I actually found myself enjoying the character.  He’s devious, imposing, and though he speaks little, every word he says counts.  Taking him out of the Marvel Universe also gives Aaron the freedom to explore the character in ways otherwise not possible.  Seeing Fisk fly under the radar or catching a glimpse of him as a family is uniquely enjoyable.

One also can’t downplay the impact of Steve Dillon.  Without him, this comic would not have been the rousing success that it is.  It’s thanks in no small part to his efforts that this book is the callback to the glory days that it is.  The man has not lost a step.  This is clearly the guy behind Preacher and he makes no attempt to disguise that fact.  Dillon’s performance can simply be described as one thing: giving the hardcore Punisher fan what he/she wants.  And of course, Aaron’s gory sight-gag would not be possible without Dillon, who’s probably got a doctorate in that sort of depravity by now.

What’s Not So Good: This book succeeds at establishing its world, but it comes at the cost of Frank Castle’s presence.  The Punisher just isn’t in this book as much as you might expect, what with half the issue being spent on a single conversation between the various mob bosses.  Frankly, you’d expect a first issue to see more Punisher-related awesomeness, but it never really comes outside of an admittedly gruesome torture scene.  Even when the Punisher does get some combat in, he’s relegated to shooting a few baddies in the background while the focus remains on Fisk.  I expected him to be a little more front and center, or get a bit more page-time than he did.

Honestly, I was just hoping for a little more excess and mass murder out of Frank.  Is that too much to ask?

Conclusion: Welcome back, Frank.

Grade: A-

-Alex Evans

 

Back to Brooklyn #5 – Review

by Garth Ennis & Jimmy Palmiotti (writers), Mihailo Vukelic (art), and Simon Bowland (letters)

The Story: The conclusion of this limited series sees Bob Saetta finally having his showdown with brother “Paul the Wall,” but not before he learns a little secret about his wife Penny.

The Good: As anyone who’s ever opened an issue of Back to Brooklyn can tell you, the first thing you’ll notice here is the artwork. Vukelic has an incredibly unique, realistic, and gritty style that has all the makings of a future star. His work on Back to Brooklyn has been consistently impressive and often the best thing about the comic. In this issue, Vukelic really shines, as he once again proves that despite his polished style, he knows his brutality.

And boy, oh boy is this comic brutal. Lasting around a third of the issue, Bob’s fight with Paul is a nasty, bloody contest that manages to satisfy, even in the face of the series-long build-up to it. This is a really ugly seven pages and the amount of punishment that both men endure borders upon outrageous. It’s gruesome to the point of being hard to read, but if you’re a gore-hound, it’s also about as glorious as violence can get. Vukelic’s hyper-realistic style only makes all the more visceral, impactful, and cringe-worthy.

What’s Not-So-Good: Unfortunately, Ennis decided that having the last issue be built around the final fight just wouldn’t be good enough. Thus, the heart of the issue is Penny’s secret. Now, the good part of this is that it really is a stunner. However, as these things often go, reality quickly sets in as I realized that it just didn’t make much sense. Penny spends some time explaining her rationale, but still, it just doesn’t work, perhaps because we’ve never gotten a chance to really know her. At best, the explanation is “well, she’s crazy;”  which had me think how it was just lazy. The end result had me resenting the twist, as it was clearly done for twist’s sake alone. Due to so much of the issue resting on this reveal, the whole comic suffers for it.

I’ve also got to say that Ennis really has some trouble writing children.  I understand what Ennis is after, but Michael is really badly written. I can’t put my finger on what it was exactly, but his words didn’t seem quite right and it all ended up feeling a bit contrived. I honestly found him nothing but irritating. I just didn’t feel that a lot of thought was put into writing him.

Conclusion: A relatively solid conclusion  to a solid series that suffers a bit for trying to be too much. The simple concluding battle we were all expecting was fantastic.  However, the big twist we were expecting wasn’t so great.  While not bad and ultimately satisfying, it’s still a bit of a mixed bag as a result.

Grade: C+

-Alex Evans

Kick-Ass #6 – Review

By Mark Millar (Writer), John Romita Jr. (Art), Tom Palmer (Inks), and Dean White (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ve enjoyed the hell out of Kick-Ass so far. The concept is rock solid, the characters are engaging, and the situations that drive the story forward successfully straddle the line between gloriously over-the-top and uncomfortably realistic. However, and this is a big “however,” that doesn’t mean that I can simply ignore the disappointingly long wait between issues. It’s not only frustrating as a reader (and fan), but also downright irritating as a reviewer because the wait just adds another factor I must consider when writing about and grading each new chapter of the series.

The Story: The origin of Hit-Girl and Big Daddy is revealed in the latest issue of Kick-Ass. In addition, Hit-Girl asks Kick-Ass and the Red Mist to join them on their next night out. Is a new superhero team in the works?

What’s Good: As usual, Kick-Ass delivers in a way that only Kick-Ass can. Though it’s not necessarily in the way that you might expect. That said, the latest issue of the series still has all the nerd-fantasy graphic violence, John Romita Jr. artwork, hip/lewd Mark Millar dialogue, and cool ideas that you pick up the series to experience. Because let’s face it, that’s the stuff that makes you a better person. But it’s the relationship between Hit-Girl and Big Daddy that makes the book linger in the mind. Both disturbing and incredibly sweet, the relationship is able to help the team’s origin story transcend it’s more generic elements.

What’s Not So Good: The sixth chapter of Kick-Ass requires some serious suspension of disbelief. While I have no real problem with that, it is bound to irritate some readers. Couple that with Millar’s (occasionally annoying) idealized dialogue (would Hit-Girl really be ready with a Silver Age quip?) and you have one divisive comic.

Another thing that I must mention is that I can’t really decide on whether Kick-Ass #6 was worth the wait or not, especially considering how fast it reads. The brisk pace does a nice job of moving the plot along and delivering information, but it also makes the ending hit like a brick wall. Sure it’s a pretty solid cliff-hanger, but what good is a cliff hanger if all the momentum is lost while waiting on the next issue?

Conclusion: Kick-Ass #6 isn’t really going to change any minds about the series, but it delivers for the fans. And that’s what matters most sometimes.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny