The Punisher #2 Review

Writer: Nathan Edmondson

Artist: Mitch Gerads

Has Punisher found his new best friend? Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

For years, The Punisher has waged a war on crime in New York City with an array of very large guns, but a lead on a major source of drugs, weapons, and more has set his many sights due west. NOW! Frank Castle's in the City of Angels, looking to give the devil his due. Things aren't all they appear, though, with a highly trained military hit squad hot on Frank's tail. Caught between a posse of Punisher predators and targets of his own one-man-war, Frank's manifest destiny may be a shallow grave!

We're seeing the Punisher go down a very different route than he normally does in this series, and although this may have ruffled the feathers of some fans I myself think it's been a brilliant development. The way that Punisher is getting out and about and being less of a brooding character has been fantastic, as although you don't want him going too far in the opposite direction it's realistically be hard to operate out of L.A. otherwise.

Nathan Edmondson continues to give is the kind of dark and mysterious series that Punisher needs, with his tactical approach taking making Punisher deadlier than ever. What has intrigued me the most however is the way that Edmondson shows Punisher as a character, as during this issue and the last we see a more carefree nature, with the act of taking in a coyote being something I don't think he'd have done a few years ago. On top of this Edmondson continues to build a lot of suspense with the Howling Commandos and the new-old villain who appears at the end adding a lot of tension.

Mitch Gerads has been simply killing it with the art on this series, as despite being initially sceptical about how he'd fare I have to say I'm gladly surprised. The roughness along with the layouts gives a lot of depth and definition to this take on the Punisher. Gerads also gives us yet more explosive action with the characters reactions and facial expressions also adding a punchy tone. I did however question the decision to give Frank the kind of mask he was wearing in this issue, as despite the fact that it may not have been Gerad's fault rather Edmondson and that he needs to keep his face hidden due to his more outgoing stance, I thought it looked rather stupid.

Punisher continues to amaze me and with the villain who appeared during the cliffhanger I for one will definitely be rushing to get the next issue. Highly recommended.

Rating: 8/10