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The Punisher (2016) (Collected Editions)
The Punisher, Vol. 1: On the Road
A by-the-numbers drug bust is about to take Frank Castle by surprise...and he HATES surprises. The horrible fallout threatens to send The Punisher into the heart of darkness, but Castle won't make that journey alone: A DEA agent is on his trail and attempting to get into his head...but what horrors will she find there, and will she survive the experience? Writer Becky Cloonan and quintessential Punisher artist Steve Dillon are forcing Frank Castle out of his comfort zone and taking him to the edge of the world he thought he knew!
COLLECTING: THE PUNISHER (2016) 1-6
COLLECTING: THE PUNISHER (2016) 1-6
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2017
26 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
Becky Cloonan
521 books396 followersBecky Cloonan is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo. In 2012 she became the first female artist to draw the main Batman title for DC Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
February 20, 2021
Worth reading just for THE Punisher artist extraordinaire, Steve Dillon. He makes even the worst Punisher story worth reading. Unfortunately, this is his last run as he died while drawing volume 2. As far as the story goes, this is Becky Cloonan doing her best Garth Ennis impression. You've got all the blood and gore, the kooky bad guys, in this case a bunch of rednecks, and your homicidal maniac, a dude named Face because he cuts off people's faces. It's pretty much your standard checklist for a Punisher story at this point.
October 14, 2016
A new drug is about to hit the market turning its users into killing machines – time for Frank Castle to shoot alla the mobsters trying to sell it!
Becky Cloonan teams up with Frank’s greatest artist, Steve Dillon, for her first Punisher story, On the Road. Dammit Cloontang, why’d it have to suck!?
Frank Castle vs The Mob is the template Punisher story. It’s been done I don’t know how many times over the decades, but my issue isn’t originality, it’s execution. It’s possible to do entertaining versions of this story – just look at Garth Ennis and Jason Aaron’s books - but Cloonan’s treatment is uninspired to say the least.
There’s a trying-too-hard-to-be-scary mobster called Face who, yes, likes to hack off people’s faces, and a pair of DEA agents whose presence is utterly superfluous. Meanwhile Frank mows down mobsters left and right wherever he goes which gets repetitive fast. There’s also a pointless extended flashback to a young Frank learning that war is hell. It’s such a poorly-constructed story.
Dillon’s art is great and his involvement was the only reason I picked up this series. As usual, expect a lot of very graphic violence, blood and gore but there are no fun cheeky moments he gets to draw like he did with Ennis, Aaron and Daniel Way’s Punisher stories – Cloonan’s script is in dire need of a personality.
Becky Cloonan’s a good writer – I highly recommend her By Chance or Providence trilogy and her ongoing Image title, Southern Cross – but when she works for the Big 2 her comics suddenly stink. Gotham Academy is pants and so’s her Punisher which makes me inclined to blame theidioters editors, at least in part. Even if you’re a Steve Dillon fan like me, I still wouldn’t recommend this one - Cloonan’s Punisher is nothing special with a very banal narrative that feels like it’s just ticking off items on a Punisher story list.
Becky Cloonan teams up with Frank’s greatest artist, Steve Dillon, for her first Punisher story, On the Road. Dammit Cloontang, why’d it have to suck!?
Frank Castle vs The Mob is the template Punisher story. It’s been done I don’t know how many times over the decades, but my issue isn’t originality, it’s execution. It’s possible to do entertaining versions of this story – just look at Garth Ennis and Jason Aaron’s books - but Cloonan’s treatment is uninspired to say the least.
There’s a trying-too-hard-to-be-scary mobster called Face who, yes, likes to hack off people’s faces, and a pair of DEA agents whose presence is utterly superfluous. Meanwhile Frank mows down mobsters left and right wherever he goes which gets repetitive fast. There’s also a pointless extended flashback to a young Frank learning that war is hell. It’s such a poorly-constructed story.
Dillon’s art is great and his involvement was the only reason I picked up this series. As usual, expect a lot of very graphic violence, blood and gore but there are no fun cheeky moments he gets to draw like he did with Ennis, Aaron and Daniel Way’s Punisher stories – Cloonan’s script is in dire need of a personality.
Becky Cloonan’s a good writer – I highly recommend her By Chance or Providence trilogy and her ongoing Image title, Southern Cross – but when she works for the Big 2 her comics suddenly stink. Gotham Academy is pants and so’s her Punisher which makes me inclined to blame the
April 20, 2017
Ah, man, it was hard reading this after the death of the artist, the great Steve Dillon. I've been a fan of Dillon's work since his early days on 2000AD and his loss from the comicbook world hit me hard.
In the light of that, I wish I could say I enjoyed this story more. It's great having Steve back on the Punisher for one last run but Becky Cloonan's take on Frank just didn't click for me. She went the whole 'Frank-as-almost-mythical-force-of-nature' route, which has been done before, but so much of this just felt like violence for violence's sake. I particularly found the final scene of the last issue to be a bit overblown. Maybe that's what people want from the Punisher these days but that level of symbolism doesn't work for me when it comes to Frank.
Here's hoping it picks up in volume 2, especially as that book is Dillon's swan song... :-(
In the light of that, I wish I could say I enjoyed this story more. It's great having Steve back on the Punisher for one last run but Becky Cloonan's take on Frank just didn't click for me. She went the whole 'Frank-as-almost-mythical-force-of-nature' route, which has been done before, but so much of this just felt like violence for violence's sake. I particularly found the final scene of the last issue to be a bit overblown. Maybe that's what people want from the Punisher these days but that level of symbolism doesn't work for me when it comes to Frank.
Here's hoping it picks up in volume 2, especially as that book is Dillon's swan song... :-(
October 10, 2017
Frank gonna Frank.
RIP Steve Dillon, truly a loss to comic art.
RIP Steve Dillon, truly a loss to comic art.
March 2, 2020
"A rival drug interest?"
"No. This was the work of one man."
"ONE guy? No way."
I'm going to hand it to Becky Cloonan, she at least attempts to add characters and a fleshy plot to The Punisher. This arc deals with a super-soldier serum (typical), a psycho who likes cutting off people's faces and mounting them on the wall (wonder if Birds of Prey ripped this off from here? Or is the idea so old it's impossible to rip off?), and a hard female cop who is smart and out to get the bad guys at any cost.
The basic idea that everyone will be so eager to turn 'dweebs' and 'wimps' into psychotic, doped-up killers due to a drug seems a bit weird and immature to me, however. And the dealers are just going to give this to anyone: gangs, Joe Blow on the street, etc. etc. Makes you wonder what kind of chaotic and meaningless future they have in mind: they certainly haven't thought this out at all. They're idiots. And they deal the stuff, but they're sampling from their own stash, like fucking morons. They don't see the possible downsides of this at all. Because they're stupid.
Collection includes typical Punisher stuff, like people pissing themselves out of fear. An evil man strapping his little daughter into a bomb vest and using her as a weapon. Of course Castle slaughters him and takes the little girl for ice cream. The little girl angle would seem weird, but actually isn't considering some Punisher storylines. I've seen weirder, let's just say. And clumsy, but compared to some other stuff, you might believe it's a daggum work of art. So - ??? I guess how you interpret this will depend on how you ingest your Castle lore and what you expect from his authors.
There's some bullshit in here, like Castle leaving a suitcase with only a rook in it as a 'message' to the cops or some crap... it's weird. Not sure if I'm supposed to have read something before this, but I wasn't buying it.
Castle partnering with the angry female hardass cop and telling her to embrace her feelings of anger upon seems like it might be reasonable, if not predictable. Same could be said for zombie super-soldier failed experiments in the sewer.
Also interesting was the section on Castle working as a Marine while paired with an outside mercenary force (a la Blackwater or Anvil) and dealing with his... um... difficulty in obeying orders from men who don't share his averseness to murdering women and children.
TL;DR All in all, a solid, reasonably well-thought-out comic collection by Cloonan. I find her work more nuanced that Rucka's, but I understand not everyone wants nuanced. I personally have been spoiled by Netflix Marvel's Punisher and surprisingly thoughtful interpretation of Frank Castle, making him the most human I've ever seen him. Some are upset by that, only wanting a Castle who just murders people non-stop and has no human qualities, but of course for me the more human, the better. Perhaps if I had read this before being introduced to Bernthal's version, I would have given it higher marks. As it stands, three stars.
"No. This was the work of one man."
"ONE guy? No way."
I'm going to hand it to Becky Cloonan, she at least attempts to add characters and a fleshy plot to The Punisher. This arc deals with a super-soldier serum (typical), a psycho who likes cutting off people's faces and mounting them on the wall (wonder if Birds of Prey ripped this off from here? Or is the idea so old it's impossible to rip off?), and a hard female cop who is smart and out to get the bad guys at any cost.
The basic idea that everyone will be so eager to turn 'dweebs' and 'wimps' into psychotic, doped-up killers due to a drug seems a bit weird and immature to me, however. And the dealers are just going to give this to anyone: gangs, Joe Blow on the street, etc. etc. Makes you wonder what kind of chaotic and meaningless future they have in mind: they certainly haven't thought this out at all. They're idiots. And they deal the stuff, but they're sampling from their own stash, like fucking morons. They don't see the possible downsides of this at all. Because they're stupid.
Collection includes typical Punisher stuff, like people pissing themselves out of fear. An evil man strapping his little daughter into a bomb vest and using her as a weapon. Of course Castle slaughters him and takes the little girl for ice cream. The little girl angle would seem weird, but actually isn't considering some Punisher storylines. I've seen weirder, let's just say. And clumsy, but compared to some other stuff, you might believe it's a daggum work of art. So - ??? I guess how you interpret this will depend on how you ingest your Castle lore and what you expect from his authors.
There's some bullshit in here, like Castle leaving a suitcase with only a rook in it as a 'message' to the cops or some crap... it's weird. Not sure if I'm supposed to have read something before this, but I wasn't buying it.
Castle partnering with the angry female hardass cop and telling her to embrace her feelings of anger upon seems like it might be reasonable, if not predictable. Same could be said for zombie super-soldier failed experiments in the sewer.
Also interesting was the section on Castle working as a Marine while paired with an outside mercenary force (a la Blackwater or Anvil) and dealing with his... um... difficulty in obeying orders from men who don't share his averseness to murdering women and children.
TL;DR All in all, a solid, reasonably well-thought-out comic collection by Cloonan. I find her work more nuanced that Rucka's, but I understand not everyone wants nuanced. I personally have been spoiled by Netflix Marvel's Punisher and surprisingly thoughtful interpretation of Frank Castle, making him the most human I've ever seen him. Some are upset by that, only wanting a Castle who just murders people non-stop and has no human qualities, but of course for me the more human, the better. Perhaps if I had read this before being introduced to Bernthal's version, I would have given it higher marks. As it stands, three stars.
April 3, 2018
Adequate Frank Castle vs. criminals story-line, in which he takes on a vicious and disturbing drug manufacturing / distributing organization (their newest product? 'EMC,' which crazily enhances the strength of the common mook who drops a dose) in the northeast U.S. It may be a case of comparing apples to oranges, but On the Road (other than its good artwork) seems sort of pedestrian on the heels of reading the explicit and superior Punisher Max: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1.
July 20, 2017
Fans of the older, 80-90s era Punisher comics will like this more. It's closer to the brutal edge that the Max series has. I was not a big fan of the one volume I read by Ennis. It made me feel sick to my stomach, honestly. This doesn't have that same level of violence, but it feels really sadistic. The Punisher is a bit more likable here than in that series. I use the term 'likable' lightly. He's not the emotionless sociopathic killer in evidence in the movie "Punisher: War Zone, which seems to capture the tone of the Max era Punisher. " But he is the kind of person who uses extreme prejudice in dealing with his enemies. I think the most disturbing aspects of this book are the way that people are harmed by the bad guys. I don't really feel sympathy for the bad guys, I just winced at the very violent ways they meant their ends, even if they deserved it. One of the more horrifying aspects was a man who remorselessly wired his own daughter to blow up to kill the Punisher. Fortunately, the Punisher saves her (I know it's a spoiler, but I'd want to know).
The artwork goes very well with the storyline. It's clean and well-rendered. It adds to the retro vibe, and Steve Dillon (RIP) captures the cruelty of the characters, and the indomitability of Frank Castle.
This storyline has a cynical and dark view of human nature in which The Punisher is a necessary force but the universe seems on the edge of meaningless.
The artwork goes very well with the storyline. It's clean and well-rendered. It adds to the retro vibe, and Steve Dillon (RIP) captures the cruelty of the characters, and the indomitability of Frank Castle.
This storyline has a cynical and dark view of human nature in which The Punisher is a necessary force but the universe seems on the edge of meaningless.
August 22, 2021
A Punisher outing much like any other as a promising start peters out into a string of generic shoot-outs and a ludicrous ending. It's a shame the powers that be seem to be making Steve Dillon alter his usual portrayal of Frank Castle to be younger and fuzzy-headed in order to look more like the guy on the Netflix series. And no more 'Nam, I guess.
February 14, 2022
Holy &@#$ there's so much dialogue censorship in this book, guys having their faces ripped off, fine... shots to the eye socket, sure... a brick to the face, entertaining... child abuse and drug use, why not... cursing? "Oh HELL NO!! We don't allow that in our comic books". Just stop being hypocrites and target the book for adults, you already have a parental advisory in the book's cover, what else do you need?
June 24, 2018
There must be a "Garth Ennis' how-to" related to Punisher stories out there and obviously Becky Cloonan got a copy.
Not to say it's a bad book, mind you. There's gore and ultra-violence, guns, a pure psycho, blades, a hard-ass DEA bitch, a wily former marine, hillbillies, bazookas... what's not to like?
But in the end, as hard as she tries to impersonate Ennis, Becky Cloonan doesn't go further than the how-to guidelines. So it's totally decent, in a pure fan service way. Hardcore Punisher fans certainly won't be disoriented. They won't be thrilled either.
The most impressive feature of the book is Steve Dillon's art. I've never been much of a fan but I must admit that these 6 issues are really good, supported by Frank Martin's coloring.
Not to say it's a bad book, mind you. There's gore and ultra-violence, guns, a pure psycho, blades, a hard-ass DEA bitch, a wily former marine, hillbillies, bazookas... what's not to like?
But in the end, as hard as she tries to impersonate Ennis, Becky Cloonan doesn't go further than the how-to guidelines. So it's totally decent, in a pure fan service way. Hardcore Punisher fans certainly won't be disoriented. They won't be thrilled either.
The most impressive feature of the book is Steve Dillon's art. I've never been much of a fan but I must admit that these 6 issues are really good, supported by Frank Martin's coloring.
December 16, 2017
Frank Castle!
Good story, great artwork and I'm stupid for not reading it earlier.
Cloonan is great and I love Dillon ever since Preacher, so yeah! I liked it.
Frank is hunting down a man named Face and well, actually no, he's hunting down an organisation that makes a drug called EMC that makes you super fucked up crazy and "enhances your strength" and well in reality it just makes you more pain tolerable, and not think about your moves and whatnot. Kinda like no fear, fight instead of flight kinda drug.
But yeah, he's going all guns blazing and stuff on those guys and it's a fast fun read and definitely reading right now the 2nd volume!
Nothing exceptional story-wise, but still fun with no cringy dialogue or stupid lines and shit like that. So give it a try for sure!
If you like Punisher, especially the Ennis Punisher. You'll like it for sure!
Good story, great artwork and I'm stupid for not reading it earlier.
Cloonan is great and I love Dillon ever since Preacher, so yeah! I liked it.
Frank is hunting down a man named Face and well, actually no, he's hunting down an organisation that makes a drug called EMC that makes you super fucked up crazy and "enhances your strength" and well in reality it just makes you more pain tolerable, and not think about your moves and whatnot. Kinda like no fear, fight instead of flight kinda drug.
But yeah, he's going all guns blazing and stuff on those guys and it's a fast fun read and definitely reading right now the 2nd volume!
Nothing exceptional story-wise, but still fun with no cringy dialogue or stupid lines and shit like that. So give it a try for sure!
If you like Punisher, especially the Ennis Punisher. You'll like it for sure!
September 25, 2017
The artwork by Steve Dillon is 5 stars, but the story is just ok. It's not bad, but probably this one is just for Punisher fans.
June 7, 2020
After reading today how some dumbass cops have been misappropriating the Punisher logo, I thought I’d dig into some new comics and see what Frank Castle has been up to lately.
And, surprise, surprise, what he’s been up to is the same old thing that he’s been doing ever since he showed up in the pages of Spider-Man back in the 1970s, murdering people, mostly bad guys, in a symphony of bloodshed and violence.
So listen, cops...I know I presume a lot here by telling you what to do, but the Punisher logo, no matter how cool you think it looks, just doesn’t make for good optics, if you know what I mean. Especially not now.
(And please don’t murder me. I’m just trying to be helpful here.)
Thanks to Jon Bernthal, Netflix breathed a little life into the Punisher over the last couple of years. I enjoyed it mostly, although it dragged in a few places and frankly (ar!) some of the supporting characters got a bit tiresome. But that’s the problem with The Punisher in general and it’s especially the problem with this lame comic in particular...murdering bad guys just gets a bit boring, and that’s pretty much the whole premise of this silly snooze fest. Sure there’s some new drug that makes people go crazy and some generic bad guy who likes to skin people’s faces, but it’s mostly Frank shooting and stabbing people. And once or twice blowing them up.
And don’t look for any Jack Kerouac tie-ins here, either; you’ll just come away disappointed. I’m not even sure why it’s called “On the Road” in the first place. Frank’s got his creepy conversion van, sure; that hasn’t changed since the ‘70s, but he isn’t any more mobile than usual. And why is there a parental advisory on the cover warning us that this comic is NOT for kids if it features a little girl who likes dinosaurs and the whole damn thing is written at a fourth grade level?
Don’t ask me...
And, surprise, surprise, what he’s been up to is the same old thing that he’s been doing ever since he showed up in the pages of Spider-Man back in the 1970s, murdering people, mostly bad guys, in a symphony of bloodshed and violence.
So listen, cops...I know I presume a lot here by telling you what to do, but the Punisher logo, no matter how cool you think it looks, just doesn’t make for good optics, if you know what I mean. Especially not now.
(And please don’t murder me. I’m just trying to be helpful here.)
Thanks to Jon Bernthal, Netflix breathed a little life into the Punisher over the last couple of years. I enjoyed it mostly, although it dragged in a few places and frankly (ar!) some of the supporting characters got a bit tiresome. But that’s the problem with The Punisher in general and it’s especially the problem with this lame comic in particular...murdering bad guys just gets a bit boring, and that’s pretty much the whole premise of this silly snooze fest. Sure there’s some new drug that makes people go crazy and some generic bad guy who likes to skin people’s faces, but it’s mostly Frank shooting and stabbing people. And once or twice blowing them up.
And don’t look for any Jack Kerouac tie-ins here, either; you’ll just come away disappointed. I’m not even sure why it’s called “On the Road” in the first place. Frank’s got his creepy conversion van, sure; that hasn’t changed since the ‘70s, but he isn’t any more mobile than usual. And why is there a parental advisory on the cover warning us that this comic is NOT for kids if it features a little girl who likes dinosaurs and the whole damn thing is written at a fourth grade level?
Don’t ask me...
June 30, 2017
The Punisher is my favorite comic character, so I have to admit to some bias.
This series reminded me of the Ennis/Dillon run (RIP Steve Dillon, I'm still in shock about that) which is a huge plus as those stories are classics. The story wasn't exactly ground breaking, but it was the same gritty action I expect from a Punisher story. Overall I like this series and I'm curious to see where it goes next.
This series reminded me of the Ennis/Dillon run (RIP Steve Dillon, I'm still in shock about that) which is a huge plus as those stories are classics. The story wasn't exactly ground breaking, but it was the same gritty action I expect from a Punisher story. Overall I like this series and I'm curious to see where it goes next.
January 27, 2018
Poor Steve Dillon died working on this, so his last work was Punisher. Fitting, and Cloonan provides an OK story, with a long lost "colleague" of Frank's.
Some scenes were put right into the Netflix show, and that was cool. But the show is way better than this.
Decent, but not essential.
Some scenes were put right into the Netflix show, and that was cool. But the show is way better than this.
Decent, but not essential.
July 14, 2025
So, I picked up Becky Cloonan's first volume of Punisher, hoping for something fresh, but honestly, it felt pretty by-the-numbers. While there were certainly some fun, violent moments that you'd expect from the psycho known as Punisher, the entire plot felt so typical that I could have probably guessed it all after just reading issue #1.
The story beats were overly familiar, and the villain just came across as lame, which really didn't help things. All in all, this volume felt pretty skippable. I'd give it a 2 out of 5.
The story beats were overly familiar, and the villain just came across as lame, which really didn't help things. All in all, this volume felt pretty skippable. I'd give it a 2 out of 5.
October 1, 2022
The Punisher murders dudes. It gets bloody. One of the villains makes trophies out of skinned faces. If you like The Punisher, you'll like this. It didn't blow me away, but it has some of your typical badass Punisher moments. The art is also excellent.
August 20, 2017
Great update to Punisher for modern times
In this tale, Frank Castle is a veteran of Iraq, not Vietnam - so the timeline is a bit easier to understand. This one is more about the tale itself than Frank Castle, but still - what a tale. Be warned though, like many Frank Castle tales, this one holds its own unique brand of terror.
Still - great update to the Punisher series!
In this tale, Frank Castle is a veteran of Iraq, not Vietnam - so the timeline is a bit easier to understand. This one is more about the tale itself than Frank Castle, but still - what a tale. Be warned though, like many Frank Castle tales, this one holds its own unique brand of terror.
Still - great update to the Punisher series!
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February 15, 2017I think this run may be Steve Dillon's last work, and on one level at least he went out on one of the protagonists with whom he was most associated - I'd say Frank is right behind Constantine and Jesse as the face I picture when I picture Steve Dillon art. I mean, imagine if his career had ended with one of those colossal wastes of his time and talent like the years he wasted on Wolverine Origins! But still, for all the advances recent years have seen in terms of making creator-owned work more profitable for more people, I understand there must have been bills and such which made things like that a more compelling proposition than his great lost, last epic with Garth Ennis, City Lights - a non-genre story I always pictured as 'Heartland' writ large, and which'll be up there with the Big Numbers omnibus as the first thing I'll grab if I ever ended up in an alternate world comics shop.
Still, this is what we have. And it's not bad at all. For the most part Cloonan keeps us in fairly straight Punisher territory, resisting the urge either to separate out entirely from the MU like the Max series, or go all in with superhumans like Remender and Rucka did. Which is to say, she balances the two by having Frank up against a ring of Blackwater analogue mercenaries (I think we're near the point of needing a moratorium on these types as adversaries, if I'm honest) dealing a new drug which gives people temporary strength and speed boosts, and in large doses turns them into an approximation of rage zombies. This is the right sort of just-beyond-plausible setting for the Punisher, and then on top of that she finds a few ingeniously awful new specimens of villainous behaviour for him to pay back in kind. She even, helped by some typically deft face work from Dillon, manages to get away with briefly giving Frank a kid sidekick. Though I could have done without the last issue, updating Castle's military service from the 'Nam to one of America's desert wars. You can do what you want in shifting Stark's captivity upstream from Korea, in saying the universe's sliding timeline means Reed Richards' first flight was after the Twin Towers fell...but the Punisher's origin will always be Born.
Still, this is what we have. And it's not bad at all. For the most part Cloonan keeps us in fairly straight Punisher territory, resisting the urge either to separate out entirely from the MU like the Max series, or go all in with superhumans like Remender and Rucka did. Which is to say, she balances the two by having Frank up against a ring of Blackwater analogue mercenaries (I think we're near the point of needing a moratorium on these types as adversaries, if I'm honest) dealing a new drug which gives people temporary strength and speed boosts, and in large doses turns them into an approximation of rage zombies. This is the right sort of just-beyond-plausible setting for the Punisher, and then on top of that she finds a few ingeniously awful new specimens of villainous behaviour for him to pay back in kind. She even, helped by some typically deft face work from Dillon, manages to get away with briefly giving Frank a kid sidekick. Though I could have done without the last issue, updating Castle's military service from the 'Nam to one of America's desert wars. You can do what you want in shifting Stark's captivity upstream from Korea, in saying the universe's sliding timeline means Reed Richards' first flight was after the Twin Towers fell...but the Punisher's origin will always be Born.
June 22, 2022
This is so @#$^%#$ funny. It has a parenteral advisory on the cover and is violent as $#!& but all of the cussing is censored like??? Like oh we have people having their faces ripped off (why always the face ripping!!), eyes getting stabbed out, so much shooting and stabbing, child abuse, and so much murder but cussing??? In MY comic?? Absolutely not. Maybe it wouldn't have been so noticeable if there wasn't so much censored cussing but it was a lot lmao.
Otherwise this was super generic and very bland. I get the Punisher is mr violent kill kill which is fine but he had no personality. The ending was such a let down too and also ridiculous at the same time.
Also the art was hideous.
Otherwise this was super generic and very bland. I get the Punisher is mr violent kill kill which is fine but he had no personality. The ending was such a let down too and also ridiculous at the same time.
Also the art was hideous.
January 26, 2022
Not bad, but nothing very original, either. Cloonan does a pretty good Garth Ennis impersonation, and Steve Dillon does a pretty good Steve Dillon, too (it is sad that he died while drawing this, but it isn't his best work by a longshot)...
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August 21, 2021Becky Cloonan writes a decidedly okay Punisher story. Frank is on the trail of drug dealers, clashing with the DEA along the way. It’s predictable and the side characters don’t stand out at all. There are some good moments though, and I was pleasantly surprised how brutal the action was for a non-MAX title. Plus, Steve Dillon drawing the Punisher is always welcome, even if Frank is only de-aged to match the Netflix show.
March 24, 2017
I was expecting a bit more originality from Becky cloonan . Felt like I was reading Garth Ennis punisher's run. Never been a fan of Dillon art . The story is simple and not very engaging unfortunately.
I think I'm over the punisher'd character, i was over it a long time ago but I wanted to give Cloonan a chance. Maybe I was expecting too much.
I think I'm over the punisher'd character, i was over it a long time ago but I wanted to give Cloonan a chance. Maybe I was expecting too much.
March 3, 2018
I generally don't read the mainstream titles, but I picked up volume 2 of this trilogy from a display at the library, and realized I had better start at the beginning.
Frank Castle takes on a drug cartel, and yes, mayhem ensues. Good clean artwork, and a creepy villain called "The Face", who may be nicknamed because of his impeccable grooming habits, or the fact that he skins the faces off his victims.
Certainly not the comics I read as a kid, but wonderfully entertaining nonetheless.
Frank Castle takes on a drug cartel, and yes, mayhem ensues. Good clean artwork, and a creepy villain called "The Face", who may be nicknamed because of his impeccable grooming habits, or the fact that he skins the faces off his victims.
Certainly not the comics I read as a kid, but wonderfully entertaining nonetheless.
August 7, 2019
The Punisher vs the CIA and/or mercenaries? Why not? I see they have updated the Punishers time frame, from being a Vietnam vet to an Iraq vet. Lots of gruesome action. Onto to the next Punisher volume. Let's see who is next in line for Frank.
July 1, 2017
Good writing by Cloonan and overall good art by Dillon (RIP), but I've never liked Dillon's face styles in art. Overall it's a good read but nothing I'd rush to recommend grabbing.
January 6, 2018
Enjoyable enough if you like your comics ultraviolent but not terribly memorable.
October 14, 2022
Really enjoyed this storyline and art. Made me want Frank to hunt down Olaf.
Really wish we got more but unfortunately Steve Dillion passed during it.
Really wish we got more but unfortunately Steve Dillion passed during it.
June 1, 2018
A pretty good, fast-paced Punisher story to start off this series, but it would be much better if Becky Cloonan had also been able to illustrate it. Her writing is on point, but Steve Dillon's visual story-telling is off and confusing at times.
February 18, 2019
As far as I can tell, the Punisher is a comic series know for its gratuitous violence. I mean, there's even a parental advisory right there on the cover that this is for adults and children shouldn't be allowed to read it. So, given all of these indicators that this is solely for a mature audience... why the hell are all the swear words censored!? I mean really, everything that's happening and you're worried about swear words?
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