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The Punisher (2004) (Collected Editions)
The Punisher, Vol. 3: Mother Russia
Nick Fury's got a job that needs doing - in Russia. The kind of suicide mission any sane man wouldn't ponder for a second. And that's exactly why he needs the Punisher. Searching for a deadly retrovirus whose sale on the black market could bring the world to its knees, Frank Castle penetrates a Russian nuclear silo...and comes face-to-face with the Mongolian!
Collects Punisher #13-18.
Collects Punisher #13-18.
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 8, 2005
6 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,624 books3,169 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
May 17, 2024
"This is your fault! You sent that ****ing maniac in there!" -- American military general# 1
"What the **** is wrong with you, Fury?! What kind of demented ******* puts 'The Punisher' in a [Russian] missile silo?!" -- American military general# 2
"All of you - shut the **** up." -- American badass Nick Fury
The eyepatch-adorned and cigar-smoking Marvel Comics mainstay has a point - The Punisher, Vol. 3: Mother Russia is at times just a bit too chatty for its own good, cutting away from the the main plot too often to feature scenes of squabbling high-ranking American and/or Russian military personnel. When left to focus on the vigilante (and U.S. Marine veteran) Frank 'The Punisher' Castle - recruited by Fury for a special operations assignment to ostensibly retrieve a virus sample, but also involving a child being held hostage - it's a harshly effective and cold-blooded action / suspense story.
"What the **** is wrong with you, Fury?! What kind of demented ******* puts 'The Punisher' in a [Russian] missile silo?!" -- American military general# 2
"All of you - shut the **** up." -- American badass Nick Fury
The eyepatch-adorned and cigar-smoking Marvel Comics mainstay has a point - The Punisher, Vol. 3: Mother Russia is at times just a bit too chatty for its own good, cutting away from the the main plot too often to feature scenes of squabbling high-ranking American and/or Russian military personnel. When left to focus on the vigilante (and U.S. Marine veteran) Frank 'The Punisher' Castle - recruited by Fury for a special operations assignment to ostensibly retrieve a virus sample, but also involving a child being held hostage - it's a harshly effective and cold-blooded action / suspense story.
December 1, 2020
This was a whole bunch of things but realistic wasn't among them but who cares the punisher is doing punisher things while being a hero. The way fury was portrayed was really funny, still that isn’t helping much with the way this book ends, if it was a movie I would label it an Hilariocity. It’s still entertaining don’t get me wrong but this one went a bit far.
I thought Ennis is taking this serious... until he doesn’t!
The art pushes it to 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
I thought Ennis is taking this serious... until he doesn’t!
The art pushes it to 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
December 22, 2024
I never get tired of Ennis' Frank Castle, though you may know him as the Punisher. This has always been mine and pretty much anyone who's read its favorite run on the character. Is it canon? Probably not, but hey. Who cares, right? That just means we get to have more fun with him and the stakes are much higher.
Now if you're a wise-guy, yes. He continues this for about 60+ issues penned by Ennis, so of course ol' Franky isn't going to bite the dust anytime soon, but you're not in it to see him live or die, you're here to just see him beat the crap out of or kill (mostly kill) the bad guys.
And at the end of the day, that's alright. I love this series because it never tries to justify his killing or try to make him into some kind of hero. Frank is who he is and we're just along for the ride. They aren't trying to tell us his motives, we're supposed to already know them.
guy who looks bad and does bad things = bad guy who has what's coming to him
Highly recommended. Still think the first 3 volumes are my favorite, though.
Now if you're a wise-guy, yes. He continues this for about 60+ issues penned by Ennis, so of course ol' Franky isn't going to bite the dust anytime soon, but you're not in it to see him live or die, you're here to just see him beat the crap out of or kill (mostly kill) the bad guys.
And at the end of the day, that's alright. I love this series because it never tries to justify his killing or try to make him into some kind of hero. Frank is who he is and we're just along for the ride. They aren't trying to tell us his motives, we're supposed to already know them.
guy who looks bad and does bad things = bad guy who has what's coming to him
Highly recommended. Still think the first 3 volumes are my favorite, though.
February 11, 2019
Score: 4.00 out of 5
Grade: 80% (A-) | Great
With the introduction of Nick Fury and Papa Frank taking on parental duties, this book elevates the series back up to its full potential. Although some aspects of the story miss the mark, there are plenty of brutal and touching moments all throughout. Here is my review of The Punisher MAX Vol. 3: Mother Russia:
The Good:
It’s nice to see the story divert its focus back on Frank. This book does an excellent job at portraying his two sides: (1) Frank the soft, protective father-figure and (2) Frank the one man army who mows down Russians like it’s another day in the office. This book had some stellar action sequences and we even get the smart tactician side of Frank.
The introduction to Nick Fury makes him stand out as one of the best characters in this book. But don’t go telling Fury not to smoke indoors because he’ll politely respond with a, “F*** off.” The dynamic between Frank and Fury is great and it’s nice to have that no bullsh** type of relationship between the two.
The standout story arc is the relationship between Frank and Galina. I loved seeing Papa Frank take on the father-figure role. The parallels it draws from Frank’s deceased children is really well done. The way Frank and Galina’s arc ends is truly heartbreaking when Frank confesses that he can’t take care of anyone. Oh Frankie, you poor man! Its spectacular how Ennis makes the reader sympathize with such a broken character who straight-up murders people in brutal (yet entertaining) ways.
The Bad:
The beginning of the book spent a lot of time laying the groundwork for the story. Especially with the Russian baddies, there was a lot of excess dialogue which I didn’t really care for. Don’t get me wrong, there were great moments of dialogue for these characters, but it was too few and far between. For the most part, the Russians and their conspiring slowed the book down.
The relationship between Frank and Vanheim was stale. I really didn’t care for Vanheim and it was obvious that he had ulterior motives. Although I didn’t care for this less-than dynamic duo, I enjoyed the way their story came to a conclusion. It was a cold ending, but still enjoyable.
Many of the story arcs were predictable, but still enjoyable nonetheless. One arc that I was intrigued by was Rawlins’ arc. For the duration of the book, his purpose and end goal is left as a mystery. But in the end, it didn’t have as much of a payoff as I wanted. I understand why he did what he did, the only thing is…. I didn’t care. I thought it was shaping up for some crazy final twist, but I was just left thinking, “Was that it?”
Conclusion:
I had a really good time with this book and would recommend it to just about any comic fan. There are some aspects of the story that drag on and aren’t as interesting. However, with the narrative focused back on Frank and the introduction of a tenacious Nick Fury, there’s a lot of fun to be had with this one.
Grade: 80% (A-) | Great
With the introduction of Nick Fury and Papa Frank taking on parental duties, this book elevates the series back up to its full potential. Although some aspects of the story miss the mark, there are plenty of brutal and touching moments all throughout. Here is my review of The Punisher MAX Vol. 3: Mother Russia:
The Good:
It’s nice to see the story divert its focus back on Frank. This book does an excellent job at portraying his two sides: (1) Frank the soft, protective father-figure and (2) Frank the one man army who mows down Russians like it’s another day in the office. This book had some stellar action sequences and we even get the smart tactician side of Frank.
The introduction to Nick Fury makes him stand out as one of the best characters in this book. But don’t go telling Fury not to smoke indoors because he’ll politely respond with a, “F*** off.” The dynamic between Frank and Fury is great and it’s nice to have that no bullsh** type of relationship between the two.
The standout story arc is the relationship between Frank and Galina. I loved seeing Papa Frank take on the father-figure role. The parallels it draws from Frank’s deceased children is really well done. The way Frank and Galina’s arc ends is truly heartbreaking when Frank confesses that he can’t take care of anyone. Oh Frankie, you poor man! Its spectacular how Ennis makes the reader sympathize with such a broken character who straight-up murders people in brutal (yet entertaining) ways.
The Bad:
The beginning of the book spent a lot of time laying the groundwork for the story. Especially with the Russian baddies, there was a lot of excess dialogue which I didn’t really care for. Don’t get me wrong, there were great moments of dialogue for these characters, but it was too few and far between. For the most part, the Russians and their conspiring slowed the book down.
The relationship between Frank and Vanheim was stale. I really didn’t care for Vanheim and it was obvious that he had ulterior motives. Although I didn’t care for this less-than dynamic duo, I enjoyed the way their story came to a conclusion. It was a cold ending, but still enjoyable.
Many of the story arcs were predictable, but still enjoyable nonetheless. One arc that I was intrigued by was Rawlins’ arc. For the duration of the book, his purpose and end goal is left as a mystery. But in the end, it didn’t have as much of a payoff as I wanted. I understand why he did what he did, the only thing is…. I didn’t care. I thought it was shaping up for some crazy final twist, but I was just left thinking, “Was that it?”
Conclusion:
I had a really good time with this book and would recommend it to just about any comic fan. There are some aspects of the story that drag on and aren’t as interesting. However, with the narrative focused back on Frank and the introduction of a tenacious Nick Fury, there’s a lot of fun to be had with this one.
June 1, 2018
Oh boy…
The first Punisher Max was nothing short of stupendous, seminal, and phenomenally forthright within and (perhaps more importantly) without its own demarcations. Punisher Max two, while falling short of its predecessor well makes up for it’s failures with a solid ending, blood-soaked brutality, and generally good romp. However, the third in this series is a true hit and miss affair that will either be loved or disdained with little wiggle-room for any opinion in between.
Right off the bat that one-eye patch wearing leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up to butter the tale. Yup, good ol’ Nicky Fury kicks things off with a hoot, a holler, and then a job offer. With a less than transparent line of reasoning, our anti-hero accepts the recently out-sourced opportunity. Intrigue unfurls and…
You guessed it… Russians!
The title withholds any mystery and indeed it is those Cossak-lineaged, alcoholic Vodka drinkers that are the bad guys here. True to spec-ops form, Frank is air-dropped in, a few twists and turns and presto! The story is finally off to the racetracks after the third issue.
With thematic nods to Aliens and atmospheric applications from Dawn of the Dead, the stage and tone are set. However, with a story already too convoluted, the much only continues to grow as the story goes on. Sure, there are some positives but, after the 50th body drops, the violence almost becomes blasé. Toss in a thinly veiled reduplication of the 9/11 attacks and the story only becomes more bogged down in its internal wiring.
More often than not, the narrative ultimately feels like it started off on the right rails. The references were there. As were the tried and true tropes. Yet, for all the raw talent, well over halfway through the series it feels more like the talent were writing themselves out of a mess rather than telling a great story.
In conclusion, there’s far more *meh* than *ah* moments. You might enjoy it. But more likely than not, your eyeballs will continue to roll over the illustrated awesomeness only to find a narrative enmeshed within a disappointing cocktail of over-saturated with mediocrity and convolution.
Gargle and spit.
The first Punisher Max was nothing short of stupendous, seminal, and phenomenally forthright within and (perhaps more importantly) without its own demarcations. Punisher Max two, while falling short of its predecessor well makes up for it’s failures with a solid ending, blood-soaked brutality, and generally good romp. However, the third in this series is a true hit and miss affair that will either be loved or disdained with little wiggle-room for any opinion in between.
Right off the bat that one-eye patch wearing leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up to butter the tale. Yup, good ol’ Nicky Fury kicks things off with a hoot, a holler, and then a job offer. With a less than transparent line of reasoning, our anti-hero accepts the recently out-sourced opportunity. Intrigue unfurls and…
You guessed it… Russians!
The title withholds any mystery and indeed it is those Cossak-lineaged, alcoholic Vodka drinkers that are the bad guys here. True to spec-ops form, Frank is air-dropped in, a few twists and turns and presto! The story is finally off to the racetracks after the third issue.
With thematic nods to Aliens and atmospheric applications from Dawn of the Dead, the stage and tone are set. However, with a story already too convoluted, the much only continues to grow as the story goes on. Sure, there are some positives but, after the 50th body drops, the violence almost becomes blasé. Toss in a thinly veiled reduplication of the 9/11 attacks and the story only becomes more bogged down in its internal wiring.
More often than not, the narrative ultimately feels like it started off on the right rails. The references were there. As were the tried and true tropes. Yet, for all the raw talent, well over halfway through the series it feels more like the talent were writing themselves out of a mess rather than telling a great story.
In conclusion, there’s far more *meh* than *ah* moments. You might enjoy it. But more likely than not, your eyeballs will continue to roll over the illustrated awesomeness only to find a narrative enmeshed within a disappointing cocktail of over-saturated with mediocrity and convolution.
Gargle and spit.
October 13, 2022
Not as good as the first, much better than the second.
January 30, 2018
Punisher 3. cilt, yani "Rusya Ana" baskı olarak (Marmara Çizgi) çok güzel, çevirisi (Egemen Görçek) gayet iyi.Kan gövdeyi götürüyor. Öyle böyle değil. Fakat, fakat özellikle yazar Garth Ennis'in senaryosunu neredeyse beğenmedim desem yeridir. Çizer Dougie Braithwaite'a hiçbir şey söyleyemem. Ancak Punisher'ı Rusya'ya götürüp büyük harflerle İMKANSIZ bir yere sokmak ve basitçe çıkarmak fazla şans, tesadüf barındırıyor. Paralı bir asker olarak Rus füze üssüne bir ve... Neyse. Bana çok zayıf bir metin olarak geldi. Dediğim gibi bu tamamen yazarın seçimi.
September 18, 2011
A girl with a deadly virus in her blood which could be used by the Russians to wipe out the Western world is being held in an underground nuclear silo and it's up to the Punisher to go in, get the girl, and get out.
Garth Ennis has come up with an excellent, action-packed story for Castle to get involved in. The book ticks over nicely and the scenes speed up as things go from bad to worse and Castle is backed into a corner.
It's a gripping read with plenty of bloodshed, some cool action including a souped-up ninja hobbit. The artwork is good and Dougie Braithwaite brings the gore and chaos to life for the reader.
An excellent continuation of this brilliant series, and one of the best Punisher books out there. Garth Ennis scores again.
Garth Ennis has come up with an excellent, action-packed story for Castle to get involved in. The book ticks over nicely and the scenes speed up as things go from bad to worse and Castle is backed into a corner.
It's a gripping read with plenty of bloodshed, some cool action including a souped-up ninja hobbit. The artwork is good and Dougie Braithwaite brings the gore and chaos to life for the reader.
An excellent continuation of this brilliant series, and one of the best Punisher books out there. Garth Ennis scores again.
Read
January 13, 2021This will be edited later, I decided to keep my review for the series on the first one, and maybe go on with the series..
February 27, 2017
En esta ocasión Nick Furia recluta a Frank Castle para realizar una misión suicida dentro de las fronteras de Rusia, se trata de infiltrarse en una base de misiles nucleares para hacerse con un peligros virus... por supuesto la cosa se complica, no iba a ser tan sencillo como entrar y salir... la actuación de Castle (más que la suya la de un delta force que le acompaña en la misión) hace que haya un riesgo de un gran conflicto diplomático y pone al mundo al borde de la guerra nuclear.
June 22, 2022
Punisher Max: Mother Russia
By Garth Ennis (Writer), Doug Braithwaite (Artist)
Published by Marvel, 2005
Synopsis:
Punisher is tasked by Nick Fury to infiltrate a nuclear silo in Russia and retrieve a girl that has a deadly virus in her system in a preemptive strike.
Review:
We get the focus back on Frank as we had most of the spotlight on the colorful villains last volume. We see both sides of the coin named Frank Castle. We get to see the familial version of Frank when he interacts with Galina, a resemblance to the man he was before. Before the terrors took his family from him. And then we see who he truly is, he is the Punisher. The being that strikes terror in everyone and anything that crosses his path as he has more fury than hell hath. He is cold and tactical and when he faces off against a foe that is like him. It brings out the absolute frightening version of him.
The introduction of Nick Fury into the world of Punisher Max brings a lot of political intrigue with him, the Generals that Fury is working with know how to play the political game and that game has a very devious checkmate by their agent Rawlins. It shows the extend they are willing to take to get their results and this strangely feels a bit surreal. Their second agent Vanheim's relationship with Frank feels a bit flat as its extremely obvious what the outcome will be. I think its a bit of a lost opportunity to have a bit of a retort about the Punisher in the eyes of the military, its a discussion that is worthy to be had. The story doesn't end in a big bang. Trust me, that there is enough bangs for everyone but it's nice that what supposed to be a covert operation with a flat and quite note.
Star Rating = 4 stars out of 5
A nice change of scenery for Frank as he faces off against a foe quite like him while their is a lot of political intrigue and subterfuge is playing in the background.
By Garth Ennis (Writer), Doug Braithwaite (Artist)
Published by Marvel, 2005
Synopsis:
Punisher is tasked by Nick Fury to infiltrate a nuclear silo in Russia and retrieve a girl that has a deadly virus in her system in a preemptive strike.
Review:
We get the focus back on Frank as we had most of the spotlight on the colorful villains last volume. We see both sides of the coin named Frank Castle. We get to see the familial version of Frank when he interacts with Galina, a resemblance to the man he was before. Before the terrors took his family from him. And then we see who he truly is, he is the Punisher. The being that strikes terror in everyone and anything that crosses his path as he has more fury than hell hath. He is cold and tactical and when he faces off against a foe that is like him. It brings out the absolute frightening version of him.
The introduction of Nick Fury into the world of Punisher Max brings a lot of political intrigue with him, the Generals that Fury is working with know how to play the political game and that game has a very devious checkmate by their agent Rawlins. It shows the extend they are willing to take to get their results and this strangely feels a bit surreal. Their second agent Vanheim's relationship with Frank feels a bit flat as its extremely obvious what the outcome will be. I think its a bit of a lost opportunity to have a bit of a retort about the Punisher in the eyes of the military, its a discussion that is worthy to be had. The story doesn't end in a big bang. Trust me, that there is enough bangs for everyone but it's nice that what supposed to be a covert operation with a flat and quite note.
Star Rating = 4 stars out of 5
A nice change of scenery for Frank as he faces off against a foe quite like him while their is a lot of political intrigue and subterfuge is playing in the background.
July 2, 2011
Given away (to Craig?)
The Punisher seems to be his own worst enemy. His own badassitude, and the book's insistence on reminding us of it makes the outcome of every fight completely predictable, and given that fighting is pretty much all that he's capable of, that's a pretty big problem. Ennis seems to revel in his ability to curse and throw gore all over every panel, but after a while, it's horribly repetitive. There are only so many times that you can have a character say "fuck" or blow huge chunks of meat out of a person with some abnormally large weapon before you need to come up with something else.
And no, "he cares about children" isn't enough.
The Punisher seems to be his own worst enemy. His own badassitude, and the book's insistence on reminding us of it makes the outcome of every fight completely predictable, and given that fighting is pretty much all that he's capable of, that's a pretty big problem. Ennis seems to revel in his ability to curse and throw gore all over every panel, but after a while, it's horribly repetitive. There are only so many times that you can have a character say "fuck" or blow huge chunks of meat out of a person with some abnormally large weapon before you need to come up with something else.
And no, "he cares about children" isn't enough.
September 27, 2018
In the Beginning
Kitchen Irish
Caution: Minor spoilers ahead.
While on the trail of a murderer and child pimp, Frank gets drafted into a suicide mission by none other than Nick Fury. The job is straightforward. An under the table mission backed by a cabal of army generals and known only by a handful of people, to dive into Russia and recover a hidden bioweapon before the Russkies use it. Except things aren't simple, but then again they never are. And Frank isn't one for doing things the simple way....
This story serves as something of a departure from your typical Ennis affair, having more in common with espionage/spy thriller media than straight up urban crime. And it does make sense. After all, Frank is an veteran, so it stands to reason that if given enough of a incentive, he could travel overseas for a bit of punishing.
So let's break this down. For starters, the art is gorgeous. Braithwaite/Reinhold's art strikes a nice blend of LaRosa's realism and Fernandez's cartoonyness without feeling too one way or the other. I'd say it's definitely my favourite of the styles so far. The colours are vibrant with a good use of lighting and shadow to give off that spy thriller vibe. The characters for the most part look distinct and expressive - well as much as scowling manly men can - with the exception of a few minor characters here and there. There were times when I skimread over a section and mistook a couple of characters because they looked close to the same in appearance. Not a deal breaker but maybe they could have been a little more distinct.
The characters are for the most part well designed and all distinct from one another. One thing I've noticed on a repeat reading of this arc is that Braithwaite/Reinhold's depiction of Frank is a lot less expressive than Hernandez's version. He's a lot more stoic and calm in his facial expressions as opposed to Hernandez who was more open to Frank scowling, snarling or even almost yelling. It's also the first time that we see something of a softer side of Frank when he builds a rapport with Galina, a six year old girl who is integral to the plot of the story. It reminds you that beneath that sociopathy, there is still something of a human left inside of Frank Castle.
Nick meanwhile is a lot harder a figure here. He's a drinking, smoking, whoring, belt-whipping bastard, but he's also someone who actually gives a fuck about the world, even if he has to go about things in pragmatic/harsh way.
The third piece of this puzzle is Nicholaev Zakharov, an army general in the Russian Army who is dubbed the Man of Stone, and even at this stage, we see a lot of evidence to suggest that he is true to his name. A foil to Nick in a lot of ways, except Zakharov is a lot more efficient, a lot more sinister and a lot more willing to cross lines that even Nick won't. The rest of the cast are decent, with the army generals being a pack of conniving scumbags, Galina being a tragic little thing and Vanheim - a Green Beret sent with Frank - being the all American Boy Scout, albeit with some tricks up his sleeve. Of note is Rawlins, a CIA agent stationed in Saudi Arabia, who makes a much bigger impact in later arcs, but whose presence is felt throughout.
But its with the plot of the story that I have some of the biggest gripes. Like I said, the genre of this arc is more in line with spy thrillers than urban crime. Sort of like an R-rated James Bond. And with the genre shift comes a lot of the concepts associated with the genre, including:
- A biological weapon hidden inside a little girl.
- A false flag operation using homegrown terrorists.
- A silent bodyguard/dogsbody/martial arts master (ALA Oddjob)
- The hero tearing through trained soldiers like they were paper.
- A crazy-enough-to-work escape plan.
And while some of those concepts might work in a lighter read, the Punisher MAX series has always set himself in reality. So with the introduction of some of these factors - especially that last one - the plotline becomes all kinds of silly. It makes the series a fun read and while that's not a bad thing, the Punisher MAX series generally sets itself on the more cynical side, with the humour being as dark as a black bears nose in the middle of a tarpit. It makes the experience a little choppy with goofy setpieces overshadowing some of the more serious moments.
Mother Russia is still a good read, with good art, enjoyable characters but I think it could have been a better read overall. Towards the end, it almost feels like Ennis wrote himself into a corner. I think overall the story needed some more direction, give the players involved some room to breathe, more options that fell in line with the overall themes and vibe of the genre it was taking cues from.
Up next we have Up is down, Black is white.
Kitchen Irish
Caution: Minor spoilers ahead.
While on the trail of a murderer and child pimp, Frank gets drafted into a suicide mission by none other than Nick Fury. The job is straightforward. An under the table mission backed by a cabal of army generals and known only by a handful of people, to dive into Russia and recover a hidden bioweapon before the Russkies use it. Except things aren't simple, but then again they never are. And Frank isn't one for doing things the simple way....
This story serves as something of a departure from your typical Ennis affair, having more in common with espionage/spy thriller media than straight up urban crime. And it does make sense. After all, Frank is an veteran, so it stands to reason that if given enough of a incentive, he could travel overseas for a bit of punishing.
So let's break this down. For starters, the art is gorgeous. Braithwaite/Reinhold's art strikes a nice blend of LaRosa's realism and Fernandez's cartoonyness without feeling too one way or the other. I'd say it's definitely my favourite of the styles so far. The colours are vibrant with a good use of lighting and shadow to give off that spy thriller vibe. The characters for the most part look distinct and expressive - well as much as scowling manly men can - with the exception of a few minor characters here and there. There were times when I skimread over a section and mistook a couple of characters because they looked close to the same in appearance. Not a deal breaker but maybe they could have been a little more distinct.
The characters are for the most part well designed and all distinct from one another. One thing I've noticed on a repeat reading of this arc is that Braithwaite/Reinhold's depiction of Frank is a lot less expressive than Hernandez's version. He's a lot more stoic and calm in his facial expressions as opposed to Hernandez who was more open to Frank scowling, snarling or even almost yelling. It's also the first time that we see something of a softer side of Frank when he builds a rapport with Galina, a six year old girl who is integral to the plot of the story. It reminds you that beneath that sociopathy, there is still something of a human left inside of Frank Castle.
Nick meanwhile is a lot harder a figure here. He's a drinking, smoking, whoring, belt-whipping bastard, but he's also someone who actually gives a fuck about the world, even if he has to go about things in pragmatic/harsh way.
The third piece of this puzzle is Nicholaev Zakharov, an army general in the Russian Army who is dubbed the Man of Stone, and even at this stage, we see a lot of evidence to suggest that he is true to his name. A foil to Nick in a lot of ways, except Zakharov is a lot more efficient, a lot more sinister and a lot more willing to cross lines that even Nick won't. The rest of the cast are decent, with the army generals being a pack of conniving scumbags, Galina being a tragic little thing and Vanheim - a Green Beret sent with Frank - being the all American Boy Scout, albeit with some tricks up his sleeve. Of note is Rawlins, a CIA agent stationed in Saudi Arabia, who makes a much bigger impact in later arcs, but whose presence is felt throughout.
But its with the plot of the story that I have some of the biggest gripes. Like I said, the genre of this arc is more in line with spy thrillers than urban crime. Sort of like an R-rated James Bond. And with the genre shift comes a lot of the concepts associated with the genre, including:
- A biological weapon hidden inside a little girl.
- A false flag operation using homegrown terrorists.
- A silent bodyguard/dogsbody/martial arts master (ALA Oddjob)
- The hero tearing through trained soldiers like they were paper.
- A crazy-enough-to-work escape plan.
And while some of those concepts might work in a lighter read, the Punisher MAX series has always set himself in reality. So with the introduction of some of these factors - especially that last one - the plotline becomes all kinds of silly. It makes the series a fun read and while that's not a bad thing, the Punisher MAX series generally sets itself on the more cynical side, with the humour being as dark as a black bears nose in the middle of a tarpit. It makes the experience a little choppy with goofy setpieces overshadowing some of the more serious moments.
Mother Russia is still a good read, with good art, enjoyable characters but I think it could have been a better read overall. Towards the end, it almost feels like Ennis wrote himself into a corner. I think overall the story needed some more direction, give the players involved some room to breathe, more options that fell in line with the overall themes and vibe of the genre it was taking cues from.
Up next we have Up is down, Black is white.
January 16, 2020
Hodně solidní punisherovskej příběh.
July 21, 2016
After two "Punisher vs. the Mob" stories, Ennis wisely decided to mix things up by sending Frank on a mission to Russia!
Nick Fury (the old, Cold War-era White Nick Fury, not "Samuel Motherfucking Jackson" Nick Fury, though Jackson would just chew up some of Fury's bitter and scathing dialogue in this story) offers Castle major access to the entire U.S. law enforcement intelligence network in exchange for doing a job for a cadre of Army & Air Force Generals: Frank and "walking action figure" Vanheim out of Delta Force are to break into a remote missile silo and extract a 6-year-old girl who's been infected with a dormant super-virus. In 24 hours the antidote in her system will chew the virus away, and the U.S. Military wants to extract it, bottle it and weaponize it before that happens. Naturally, all sort of trouble awaits, especially when a particularly ruthless and intelligent Russian General realizes Frank and Vanheim are much more than they seem...
Lean, mean and full a number of delightful twists and pulsing action sequences, "Mother Russia" is R-rated comic book mayhem at its best. This one features some terrific one-liners (such as when Fury ensures the Generals he can handle his own intel, but that if ever needs advice on how to crawl up the President's ass without the benefit of covering fire he'll be sure to ask them...), a cast of some truly despicable villains (General Zakharov, the "Man of Stone"; Zakharov's deadly henchman, a diminutive martial arts master known only as "The Mongolian"; sinister C.I.A. Agent Rawlins; and the afore mentioned cadre of Generals), and moments of genuine pathos as Castle is reminded of the last time he tried to help a 6-year old girl and failed...his own daughter.
Highly recommended!
Nick Fury (the old, Cold War-era White Nick Fury, not "Samuel Motherfucking Jackson" Nick Fury, though Jackson would just chew up some of Fury's bitter and scathing dialogue in this story) offers Castle major access to the entire U.S. law enforcement intelligence network in exchange for doing a job for a cadre of Army & Air Force Generals: Frank and "walking action figure" Vanheim out of Delta Force are to break into a remote missile silo and extract a 6-year-old girl who's been infected with a dormant super-virus. In 24 hours the antidote in her system will chew the virus away, and the U.S. Military wants to extract it, bottle it and weaponize it before that happens. Naturally, all sort of trouble awaits, especially when a particularly ruthless and intelligent Russian General realizes Frank and Vanheim are much more than they seem...
Lean, mean and full a number of delightful twists and pulsing action sequences, "Mother Russia" is R-rated comic book mayhem at its best. This one features some terrific one-liners (such as when Fury ensures the Generals he can handle his own intel, but that if ever needs advice on how to crawl up the President's ass without the benefit of covering fire he'll be sure to ask them...), a cast of some truly despicable villains (General Zakharov, the "Man of Stone"; Zakharov's deadly henchman, a diminutive martial arts master known only as "The Mongolian"; sinister C.I.A. Agent Rawlins; and the afore mentioned cadre of Generals), and moments of genuine pathos as Castle is reminded of the last time he tried to help a 6-year old girl and failed...his own daughter.
Highly recommended!
March 14, 2010
Garth Ennis scores again with yet another great Punisher story. This one sees Frank working with General Nick Fury on a secret mission to rescue a little girl, who has been injected with a super virus, from a Russian military base. I enjoyed this story much more than the previous one. The pace was a lot better, and the whole thing felt like an episode of 24. I liked that Garth used this moment to give frank a touch of humanity, too, as he so rarely shows it, being a merciless killing machine. Interacting with the girl reminds Frank of what it was like to have once been a father, something he has long since forgotten, and so it makes him super protective of her. There is a great "hell yeah" moment when Frank rallies his strength and beats the holy hell out of his opponent to save her. Good stuff.
If I have any complaints, it's that I feel Garth comes close to pushing the envelope with Nick Fury's character. Fury is normally a hard-as-nails, takes-no-bullshit military guy, but this Fury is that times ten - with a penchant for sleeping with hookers thrown in the mix. It's a little hard to swallow, I guess. For godsakes, at one point, Fury beats the shit out of a high ranking general with his belt. My other gripe is that I hated the art work. Frank looks way too grizzled and old. I don't mind him looking grizzled and old, so much, but jesus, this guy looks like shit. I kind of miss Steve "Use the same face for every character" Dillon.
If I have any complaints, it's that I feel Garth comes close to pushing the envelope with Nick Fury's character. Fury is normally a hard-as-nails, takes-no-bullshit military guy, but this Fury is that times ten - with a penchant for sleeping with hookers thrown in the mix. It's a little hard to swallow, I guess. For godsakes, at one point, Fury beats the shit out of a high ranking general with his belt. My other gripe is that I hated the art work. Frank looks way too grizzled and old. I don't mind him looking grizzled and old, so much, but jesus, this guy looks like shit. I kind of miss Steve "Use the same face for every character" Dillon.
October 28, 2022
Погана російська мова та місцями кривий арт, над яким найбільше старався колорист, а не художник. Джуе прямолінійний сюжет із заплутаноими через велику кількість та невиразними персонажами, типова історія про "вірус та дитину", не раз вже таке було та не раз буде.
Місцями видно, що про сому росію автор має вельми слабке уявлення, що найбільше проступає через зображення архітектури, одягу та побуту. Слава Богу, що хоч без особливої клюкви, а просто з видачею Канади із водкою та ветеранами і бандюганами за Росію... або... секундочку...
Їдемо далі!
бо тут нам хоча б Ніка Ф’юрі підвезли, може і сюжети стануть маштабніше, навіть лишаючись "бандою тижня", побачимо
Місцями видно, що про сому росію автор має вельми слабке уявлення, що найбільше проступає через зображення архітектури, одягу та побуту. Слава Богу, що хоч без особливої клюкви, а просто з видачею Канади із водкою та ветеранами і бандюганами за Росію... або... секундочку...
Їдемо далі!
бо тут нам хоча б Ніка Ф’юрі підвезли, може і сюжети стануть маштабніше, навіть лишаючись "бандою тижня", побачимо
January 18, 2016
This highly-regarded run proves to be better than the majority of Garth Ennis' comic works, but ultimately feels like watching Die Hard with as many unnecessary, shock-mongering uses of ethnic pejoratives (Garth Ennis LOVES any chance to include the n-word in his works.).
September 3, 2010
Holy Shit, Batman, these ain't yer grandpappy's comics! Powerful stuff in here.
May 25, 2016
Well this was interesting, tense and action packed but interesting.
September 30, 2019
Ennis kontynuuje swój krwawy run, nie biorąc jeńców po drodze, przez co lektura jest wybitnie przyjemna. Nie jest bez wad, ale miodnoś�� wypływająca spośród stron, rekompensuje w moim przypadku fabularne głupotki. Jest efektywnie i efektownie. Zaczyna się dość standardowo jak na Franka.
Punisher zaczaił się na jednego z wyjątkowo okrutnych Rosjan, który w skutek błędów sądowych wyszedł z paki. Jak się okazuje, było to zamierzonym działaniem, jakim pokierował nie kto inny jak Nick Fury. Frank z reguły jest prawie nieuchwytny, więc taka zagrywka umożliwiła tym obu spotkanie. I zawarcie pewnego dealu. Stawka jak na Castle jest ogromna. Światowy pokój i życie jednej dziewczynki. Tak zaczyna się historia rodem z Bonda. Rosjanie, broń biologiczna, broń atomowa. Najwyższa stawka.
Tyle, że o ile Bond stara się działać, o ile może bez stosowania rozwiązań siłowych, tak Frank i członek Delta Force, jaki został z nim wysłany, preferują rozwiązanie pozostawiające za sobą stygnące ciała i spaloną ziemię. Stawką jest życie dziewczynki, niejakiej Galiny. Ojciec-naukowiec, aby ratować wyniki swojej pracy, umieścił w jej ciele wirusa. Bezduszne, prawda? Ale zaraz potem wstrzyknął jej antidotum, które w ciągu 24h ma zniszczyć wirusa. Cel był konkretny. Wywiezienie zarazka poza granice Rosji, ale jego krajanie pokapowali się co i jak. Oba mocarstwa walczą zatem o broń, która może przesądzić w wyniku ewentualnego przyszłego, światowego konfliktu w wyjątkowo paskudny i szybki sposób...
Tyle, że Frank kicha na to. Całe te lata walk zniszczyły go doszczętnie fizycznie jak i mentalnie, a mimo to i tak jakaś forma instynktu ojcowskiego w nim drzemie. To właśnie uratowanie dziecka będzie czynnikiem, jaki zdeterminuje jego działania. Choć nie wszystko jest tym czym wygląda. Jednocześnie w drugim, równoległym wątku mamy konflikt na linii generalicja USA a Nick Fury. Fury to stary wyga gier na wyższym szczeblu, który ma jednak swój własny, twardy kodeks, którym się kieruje. To czysty rasowo sukinkot, ale z odpowiednim poczuciem moralności, którego celem jest odzyskanie władzy nad SHIELD by ratować ten parszywy świat. Nie da się nie lubić tego gościa, kiedy bez ceregiel spuszcza manto pasem jednemu z dowódców armii USA.
Komiks ponownie wygląda krwawo, szaro. Jest tu brudno, a ukazany świat mimo przebłysków dobra, w formie małego dziecka, jest miejscem zdegenerowanym, zgniłym. Frank wydaje się narzędziem, którzy tak jak przy amputacji kończyny zakażonej gangreną, wydaje się jedynym słusznym rozwiązaniem na ratunek całości. Komiks czyta się jednym tchem. Nie jest bez wad, jak sposób w jaki nasz bohater w końcu opuścił bazę, ale na takie rzeczy przymykam oko. W końcu to po części fantastyka. Gorąco polecam.
Punisher zaczaił się na jednego z wyjątkowo okrutnych Rosjan, który w skutek błędów sądowych wyszedł z paki. Jak się okazuje, było to zamierzonym działaniem, jakim pokierował nie kto inny jak Nick Fury. Frank z reguły jest prawie nieuchwytny, więc taka zagrywka umożliwiła tym obu spotkanie. I zawarcie pewnego dealu. Stawka jak na Castle jest ogromna. Światowy pokój i życie jednej dziewczynki. Tak zaczyna się historia rodem z Bonda. Rosjanie, broń biologiczna, broń atomowa. Najwyższa stawka.
Tyle, że o ile Bond stara się działać, o ile może bez stosowania rozwiązań siłowych, tak Frank i członek Delta Force, jaki został z nim wysłany, preferują rozwiązanie pozostawiające za sobą stygnące ciała i spaloną ziemię. Stawką jest życie dziewczynki, niejakiej Galiny. Ojciec-naukowiec, aby ratować wyniki swojej pracy, umieścił w jej ciele wirusa. Bezduszne, prawda? Ale zaraz potem wstrzyknął jej antidotum, które w ciągu 24h ma zniszczyć wirusa. Cel był konkretny. Wywiezienie zarazka poza granice Rosji, ale jego krajanie pokapowali się co i jak. Oba mocarstwa walczą zatem o broń, która może przesądzić w wyniku ewentualnego przyszłego, światowego konfliktu w wyjątkowo paskudny i szybki sposób...
Tyle, że Frank kicha na to. Całe te lata walk zniszczyły go doszczętnie fizycznie jak i mentalnie, a mimo to i tak jakaś forma instynktu ojcowskiego w nim drzemie. To właśnie uratowanie dziecka będzie czynnikiem, jaki zdeterminuje jego działania. Choć nie wszystko jest tym czym wygląda. Jednocześnie w drugim, równoległym wątku mamy konflikt na linii generalicja USA a Nick Fury. Fury to stary wyga gier na wyższym szczeblu, który ma jednak swój własny, twardy kodeks, którym się kieruje. To czysty rasowo sukinkot, ale z odpowiednim poczuciem moralności, którego celem jest odzyskanie władzy nad SHIELD by ratować ten parszywy świat. Nie da się nie lubić tego gościa, kiedy bez ceregiel spuszcza manto pasem jednemu z dowódców armii USA.
Komiks ponownie wygląda krwawo, szaro. Jest tu brudno, a ukazany świat mimo przebłysków dobra, w formie małego dziecka, jest miejscem zdegenerowanym, zgniłym. Frank wydaje się narzędziem, którzy tak jak przy amputacji kończyny zakażonej gangreną, wydaje się jedynym słusznym rozwiązaniem na ratunek całości. Komiks czyta się jednym tchem. Nie jest bez wad, jak sposób w jaki nasz bohater w końcu opuścił bazę, ale na takie rzeczy przymykam oko. W końcu to po części fantastyka. Gorąco polecam.
July 23, 2024
Punisher MAX Vol. 3: Mother Russia
Marvel. Collects issues 13-18
Frank is hunting Leon Rastovich. He escaped the Punisher last time by turning himself in to the police. Sentenced to thirty years to life for murder and prostitution, Leon got an early release. Lucky for Frank.
He finds Leon dining at his Mother’s home. Neither survive the experience.
The body count continues to rise. Out of the shadows steps… Nick Fury. Fury was responsible for Leon’s early release. Fury needs to “…talk a little business” with the Punisher.
The business is a job in Russia. Fury’s win – He gets S.H.I.E.L.D. back for good. Frank’s win – He gets user names and passwords for a laundry list of anacronym association like F.B.I., C.I.A., etc.
“Log on any time you want and you’ll know everything they know.”
The mission - sneak into a Russian nuclear missile silo to rescue a six-year-old girl Galena, who is home to a flesh-eating super virus and its antidote courtesy of her father, the inventor of the virus. The drawback – Frank has a sidekick, Captain Martin Vanheim, ex-DELTA Force. Frank describes him as a “walking action figure.”
The duo survive a bar fight, infiltrate the missile silo, find the target, and then things go to Hell.
Vanheim does not survive the mission. Frank and Galena do.
There’s a Plan B involving a hijacked plane as a fake terrorist strike at Moscow as a diversion. Moscow shoots the plane down. Fury is not happy and lets the gathered generals know via a belt-whipping.
Endgame. The antidote killed the virus in Galena’s system. Frank would not let anyone touch her.
High noon. Soldiers against the Punisher and Fury. “Any time you like.” The soldiers blink first.
Bust on all sides. No virus. The promised passwords to Frank most likely changed. The win - Galena lives.
Nice touches in this volume like Frank communicating with Galena (once a father, always a father) and Fury communicating with the military brass (Fury does not tolerate shmucks).
Best quote by Frank - “You work for the Devil, you better be ready to die for him.”
Best quote by Fury - “Make sure it’s important next time. The woman I like charge by the hour.”
Marvel. Collects issues 13-18
Frank is hunting Leon Rastovich. He escaped the Punisher last time by turning himself in to the police. Sentenced to thirty years to life for murder and prostitution, Leon got an early release. Lucky for Frank.
He finds Leon dining at his Mother’s home. Neither survive the experience.
The body count continues to rise. Out of the shadows steps… Nick Fury. Fury was responsible for Leon’s early release. Fury needs to “…talk a little business” with the Punisher.
The business is a job in Russia. Fury’s win – He gets S.H.I.E.L.D. back for good. Frank’s win – He gets user names and passwords for a laundry list of anacronym association like F.B.I., C.I.A., etc.
“Log on any time you want and you’ll know everything they know.”
The mission - sneak into a Russian nuclear missile silo to rescue a six-year-old girl Galena, who is home to a flesh-eating super virus and its antidote courtesy of her father, the inventor of the virus. The drawback – Frank has a sidekick, Captain Martin Vanheim, ex-DELTA Force. Frank describes him as a “walking action figure.”
The duo survive a bar fight, infiltrate the missile silo, find the target, and then things go to Hell.
Vanheim does not survive the mission. Frank and Galena do.
There’s a Plan B involving a hijacked plane as a fake terrorist strike at Moscow as a diversion. Moscow shoots the plane down. Fury is not happy and lets the gathered generals know via a belt-whipping.
Endgame. The antidote killed the virus in Galena’s system. Frank would not let anyone touch her.
High noon. Soldiers against the Punisher and Fury. “Any time you like.” The soldiers blink first.
Bust on all sides. No virus. The promised passwords to Frank most likely changed. The win - Galena lives.
Nice touches in this volume like Frank communicating with Galena (once a father, always a father) and Fury communicating with the military brass (Fury does not tolerate shmucks).
Best quote by Frank - “You work for the Devil, you better be ready to die for him.”
Best quote by Fury - “Make sure it’s important next time. The woman I like charge by the hour.”
February 10, 2018
Mother Russia:
After expecting from the last story to see this series begin to go downhill, Mother Russia pulls it right out of the fire. It isn't without flaws. But it is still my favourite so far. The interior art is excellent, though the covers/chapter breaks aren't as good as previous stories. But the story is fantastic. This one is worth reading alone, without any of the others. I was skeptical at first, because of the portrayal of Nick Fury and Frank Castle's characters. They are established at the beginning of this book in a way perfect for this story, but inconsistent with how they are portrayed elsewhere. For Nick Fury, in the Punisher Max world he is being portrayed as nearly as much of an antihero as Castle. He's a whoring, grizzled, bad mouthed asshole. This I can forgive if I read it as an interpretation of his character in a different universe, this one, one in which colourful Avengers and Spider-men don't really fit, either. But Frank Castle is established early in this story as someone a little too willing to work with Nick Fury, who is himself working with the military. It was made clear in earlier stories of this same collection that Castle won't do this. However, I believe the story in its completion justifies the hole. It's just that good. I can imagine a few minor changes that could have been made to close that hole, and justified The Punisher teaming up. These minor story details aren't clearly communicated. But room is made for them so that I can allow the discrepancies to slide. All that said, the story taken as its own story outside of any continuity is just excellent. It is tightly plotted, character driven, tense, and in the end, beautiful. Frank Castle's character is developed in some very beautiful ways that honour his past and even more clearly define his motivations and convictions now. Without giving too much away, Ennis does this mostly through Castle's relationship with an innocent little girl. Great story.
Five Stars
February, 2018
After expecting from the last story to see this series begin to go downhill, Mother Russia pulls it right out of the fire. It isn't without flaws. But it is still my favourite so far. The interior art is excellent, though the covers/chapter breaks aren't as good as previous stories. But the story is fantastic. This one is worth reading alone, without any of the others. I was skeptical at first, because of the portrayal of Nick Fury and Frank Castle's characters. They are established at the beginning of this book in a way perfect for this story, but inconsistent with how they are portrayed elsewhere. For Nick Fury, in the Punisher Max world he is being portrayed as nearly as much of an antihero as Castle. He's a whoring, grizzled, bad mouthed asshole. This I can forgive if I read it as an interpretation of his character in a different universe, this one, one in which colourful Avengers and Spider-men don't really fit, either. But Frank Castle is established early in this story as someone a little too willing to work with Nick Fury, who is himself working with the military. It was made clear in earlier stories of this same collection that Castle won't do this. However, I believe the story in its completion justifies the hole. It's just that good. I can imagine a few minor changes that could have been made to close that hole, and justified The Punisher teaming up. These minor story details aren't clearly communicated. But room is made for them so that I can allow the discrepancies to slide. All that said, the story taken as its own story outside of any continuity is just excellent. It is tightly plotted, character driven, tense, and in the end, beautiful. Frank Castle's character is developed in some very beautiful ways that honour his past and even more clearly define his motivations and convictions now. Without giving too much away, Ennis does this mostly through Castle's relationship with an innocent little girl. Great story.
Five Stars
February, 2018
July 27, 2025
Una de hazañas bélicas o de operaciones encubiertas con toques que me recordaron a la saga Metal Gear. Muy disfrutable, con un Nick Furia distinto, bastante menos ejemplar y con una dureza y un patriotismo que se mueve en tonos mucho más oscuros y más próximos al mundo del espionaje en la vida real. Es cierto que a medida que va avanzando la misión el guion se va volviendo más loco y termina pareciendo una peli de Michael Bay, pero tampoco le queda mal.
ENGLISH
A war exploit or covert operations story with touches that reminded me of the Metal Gear saga. Very enjoyable, with a different Nick Fury, considerably less exemplary, and with a toughness and patriotism that moves in much darker tones, closer to the world of real-life espionage. It's true that as the mission progresses, the script gets crazier and ends up resembling a Michael Bay movie, but it's still quite good.
ENGLISH
A war exploit or covert operations story with touches that reminded me of the Metal Gear saga. Very enjoyable, with a different Nick Fury, considerably less exemplary, and with a toughness and patriotism that moves in much darker tones, closer to the world of real-life espionage. It's true that as the mission progresses, the script gets crazier and ends up resembling a Michael Bay movie, but it's still quite good.
February 26, 2024
If it hadn't already occurred, any pretense of "realism" should be blown out the door with this arc, with the Punisher being conscripted by Nick Fury and a gaggle of generals to storm a Russian nuclear missile silo to rescue a child carrying a biological weapon within her blood. This is essentially Ennis doing a braindead action movie premise; it just turns out very entertaining, with Ennis indulging in the ridiculousness of the situation as best he can. There's a more active lean towards Ennis' brand of humor throughout here, so once again, enjoyment is largely linked to how much one can stomach it. This is one of the more inessential entries in his Max run, but is a clear step up from Kitchen Irish to an extent that I can at least recommend giving it a shot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2017
Nick Fury tiene entre manos una misión suicida, que requiere de alguien que pueda infiltrarse en una base rusa,salvar una niña, traer un veneno, barrer con lo que se cruce y ¿quien mejor que Frank Castle?. Acá habrá un monton de referencias a la guerra fria, al terrorismo, a la politica, a lo correcto y la chungueria habitual de Ennis ( ese enano, por dios...) y con arte precioso de Doug Braithwaite,que es detallado,oscuro y muy efectivo contandote la historia,además ayuda un montón las tintas de Bill Reinhold, mientras que el color de Raul Treviño es muy bueno, y eso que tenia detrás a un grande como Dean White,pero se defiende y cumple con aplausos.
June 4, 2019
When Nick Fury comes knocking Frank Castle knows there is something serious going around. When offered access to intelligence information about hard-core criminals he is more than interested to take part in action. Soon he will find himself again behind enemy lines trying to survive both soldiers from the land he invaded but also idiotic actions made by his compatriots. He can only count on Fury to cover his back.
Great action story in which Punisher stars as a true hero, fighting tricksters and liars on his own team to save innocent life. Because for Punisher war is more than calling.
Recommended for all Punisher fans.
Great action story in which Punisher stars as a true hero, fighting tricksters and liars on his own team to save innocent life. Because for Punisher war is more than calling.
Recommended for all Punisher fans.
September 4, 2022
Boží! Punisher a plukovník Fury společně. To je dvojka, kterou prostě chcete. Furyho mám fakt rád. Je to nekorektní sexistický parchant, který má všechny na háku, ale na jeho slovo je spoleh. To je ten správný hrdina pro dnešní dobu. No zkrátka jeho přítomnost v příběhu mě fakt potěšila. K tomu si přidejte fakt, že je to špionážní thriller jako kráva. Je tam tajná akce v Rusku, jaderné silo, proradní američtí generálové a jeden ruský generál, který není úplně vylízaný idiot. A taky jeden z nejšílenějších plánu Franka Castla. No a v neposlední řadě skvělá kresba Dougieho. Tohle jsem si hodně užil.
February 13, 2024
This story was awesome!
A little Russian girl has a biological weapon hidden in her blood that could wipe out the western world, and Nick Fury tasks the Punisher with extracting this girl from an underground missile silo in Russia. Garth Ennis writes a great Nick Fury.
We get to see a bit of humanity in Frank due to his extremely protective nature when it comes to children. Once Frank gets to the girl in the missile silo, there are great moments with Frank being protective of the girl, mixed with extremely badass situations due to Frank being trapped in the silo with an army of Russians after him.
I'm loving this run of the Punisher. A great read for any comic book fan.
A little Russian girl has a biological weapon hidden in her blood that could wipe out the western world, and Nick Fury tasks the Punisher with extracting this girl from an underground missile silo in Russia. Garth Ennis writes a great Nick Fury.
We get to see a bit of humanity in Frank due to his extremely protective nature when it comes to children. Once Frank gets to the girl in the missile silo, there are great moments with Frank being protective of the girl, mixed with extremely badass situations due to Frank being trapped in the silo with an army of Russians after him.
I'm loving this run of the Punisher. A great read for any comic book fan.
February 5, 2019
Frank je vyslaný Nickom Furym do Ruska, aby sa postaral o biologickú zbraň. Tá je v podobe malého dievčatka Galiny. A tak sa náš/váš Punisher zahrá na Kevina Costnera. A Ivanovia na to nezabudnú.
V tomto príbehu ja vlastnbe nemám čo vytknúť. Je to jazda od začiatku, do konca. Kde sa Frank objaví, tam za sebou zanecháva telá.
Fury je kapitola sama o sebe. More, keby bol taký aj vo svojom MCU spracovaní, boh nás ochrańuj. Jackson môže ostať.
No skrátka, bavil som sa královsky. A to som len na tretej knihe.
V tomto príbehu ja vlastnbe nemám čo vytknúť. Je to jazda od začiatku, do konca. Kde sa Frank objaví, tam za sebou zanecháva telá.
Fury je kapitola sama o sebe. More, keby bol taký aj vo svojom MCU spracovaní, boh nás ochrańuj. Jackson môže ostať.
No skrátka, bavil som sa královsky. A to som len na tretej knihe.
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