Punisher. Tom 1

The Punisher (2004) (Collected Editions) #1-2

by Garth Ennis, Lewis LaRosa (Illustrator), Leandro Fernández (Illustrator)

Pierwszy tom mrocznej i pełnej przemocy opowieści, której bohaterem – a może antybohaterem – jest Frank Castle, czyli słynny Punisher. Kiedyś brutalnie zamordowano jego żonę i dzieci. Teraz w pojedynkę wymierza sprawiedliwość wszelkiej maści przestępcom. Jedna z dokonanych przez niego masakr burzy równowagę zbrodniczego półświatka i – jak się okazuje – ściąga na niego uwagę nie tylko mafii. Czego chce od samotnego mściciela CIA? I co zamierza Micro, dawny wspólnik Punishera, który najwyraźniej ma dla niego propozycję nie do odrzucenia?

Twórcą tej przez wielu uważanej za kultową opowieści jest laureat Nagrody Eisnera, scenarzysta Garth Ennis (Kaznodzieja, Hellblazer, Hitman). Za rysunki odpowiadają Lewis LaRosa (The Immortal Iron Fist, Citizen V and the V-Battalion Everlasting) oraz Leandro Fernández (Wolverine, Spider-Man: Splątana sieć, Deadpool: Wojna Wade’a Wilsona).

Punisher Max tom 1 zawiera zeszyty Punisher #1-12.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Crime, Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Ennis 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

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The PUNISHER is one of my favorites from comicdom. Who else could EVER get away with shooting WOLVERINE in the marble sack like this…?


I like that Frank Castle is more willing to “fight fire with napalm” in dealing with the scum of the criminal underworld. So when Garth Ennis, writer god of the all things comic, took over the title and created the Definitive Punisher character, I was brimming with happy. His The Punisher: Born was the best origin story since the Book of Genesis and is among the best graphic novels I have ever read.

Ennis, always a master at capturing the darker side of humanity, turned his jaded eye on the Punisher who went from a gun-toting Batman-type who isn’t shy about bending the law to "punish" evil to a ruthless, cold blooded killer of all things criminal. To that I say...PERFECT...I’m right there with you Garth...let’s go serve some hot justice pie to the rats terrorizing the streets.

However...uh...then Garth decided to make the darkness positively inky and turned the crazy all the way to 11. I think it might have been a tad too much. The Punisher is now a full fledged psycho who murders (in very large numbers) with absolutely no thought of moderation. He has jumped off the hinges and divorced remorse to where he is only living to kill the bad guys.

I do give Ennis credit in that this version of the Punisher is a logical progression from the madness that took root in Vietnam during The Punisher: Born and was finally set free following the brutal murder of his family. In fact, as we know from the end of "Born" his family's murder was "supernaturally" arranged in order to give birth to the Punisher...Let’s face it...Garth is good and knows his stuff.

As understandable as the character’s evolution is, I was still disappointed in just how far over the cliff the character has gone. There is nothing to sympathize with anymore. His "code" (aka madness) even requires him to turn on his friends and closest associates if they act contrary to his stringent version of right and wrong.

***Spoiler alert along with Graphic Content***…

This is what Punisher does to friends and associates that cross his line:

Still, even though I would have wished for a bit of a tone down on the psycho meter, I have to give Ennis huge props because I can understand how the character could have come to this. I mean if you have spent the last 30+ years killing thousands and thousands and thousands of people, it is likely to have had a wee bit of an effect on your psyche. Frank has simply bought himself a full on wessonality disorder.

Overall, I thought Ennis did his usual writing excellence and the story was good. I was just a little sad to see Punisher so fallen into darkness and it kept me from giving this a full 5 stars. However, I am looking forward to reading more of the series. 4.0 stars.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really regret reading this. It was stomach-churningly violent and full of visual imagery I wish I hadn't seen. I definitely had a sick feeling in my stomach with the over the top violence. Not that most of the people who met bad ends weren't bad guys, but I'm not a big fan of that kind of gratuitous violence, which is why I usually avoid Tarantino and Verhoeven movies, not to mention most modern horror movies.

I won't say that Ennis doesn't get The Punisher. He probably does. I just don't like this presentation of him. Pretty much all the issues I had with the movie "Punisher: War Zone" I had with this book.

Thank God they toned down the violence a lot in the later runs of Punisher. Otherwise, I wouldn't be reading any more of these.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Персонаж Френк Касл чи його альтер еґо Каратель узагалі мені не знайомий. Якщо, звісно, не рахувати, що мені відомо про його існування. Так, я знаю, що про нього є серіал. Так, я знаю, що про нього є безліч коміксів. Так, я знаю, що про цього персонажа вже навіть є видані дві арки «Каратель: Френкова світова війна» та «Каратель: Війна в Баґалії» від Метью Розенберґа й Жимона Кудранські чи «Що якби Пітер Паркер став Карателем» українською мовою. Але руки ніяк не доходили до якогось цілеспрямованого знайомства із ним. Але ось у перекладі виходить перше делюкс видання «Каратель MAX» від сценариста Ґарта Енніса, у яке входять дві сюжетні арки «На початку» та «Ірландська кухня». До цього часу мені було відомо, що ран цього сценариста є одним із кращих про Карателя та й ті роботи Енніса, які вже були прочитані, відкинули будь-які сумніви щодо купівлі цього видання.

Перша арка є хорошим початком, як і маю надію серія загалом. Шкода тільки, що український читач поки не має змоги прочитати лімітовану серію «Каратель: Народження», від того ж Ґарта Енніса й худонжника Деріка Робертсона. Але додатково познайомившись із нею, скажу, що автор бере темп і тон, який він створив у «Народженні», і продовжує їх розвивати й покращувати вже у повноцінному рані. Як результат, йому вдається гарно поєднати між собою сувору атмосферу, непоганий малюнок, відверту оповідь і досить тривожні підказки про персонажів та їхні мотивації.

Сюжет у цій арці націлений на глибше знайомство читача із Френком Каслом, його давнім напарником Мікрочіпом та полюванню на Карателя для вигоди державних спецслужб. Френк Касл тут — холодний, дієвий, граничний соціопат, який являє собою шквал протиріч, які Енніс завжди відкрито демонструє нам. Він, звісно, показує за кого в цій історії потрібно вболівати, але також показує, що Френк, відверто кажучи, мало чим відрізняється від злочинців, з якими він стикається. Зображення сценаристом Мікрочіпа також є хорошим, показуючи його, як людину, яка відчайдушно прагне врятувати Френка, незважаючи на те, що він у глибині душі знає, що Френк не зацікавлений у порятунку.

Друга арка зміщує акценти і ми потрапляємо в центр ірландських розбірок в Нью-Йорку. Сценарист Ґарт Енніс виріс у Північній Ірландії, і тому має власний погляд на щоденні страждання, які зазнає роздроблена громада, і на тих, хто їх спричинив. Сюжетна арка «Ірландська кухня» має справу з обґрунтуванням проблем після еміграції до Нью-Йорка та новому поколінні, яке виростає там. Участь Карателя в катавасії розбірок ірландців починається тоді, коли він обідає, а ірландський паб вибухає навпроти забігайлівки, привертаючи увагу кількох персонажів ірландського походження.

Найбільш екстремальний із них — Фінн Кулі, людина настільки віддана своєму фанатизму, що його війна триває, незважаючи на те, що він втратив більшість рис обличчя, післятого того, коли бомба, яку він створював, передчасно вибухнула. Лише трохи нижче за шкалою знаходиться Маґінті, чудовисько з дредами, яке насолоджується тортурами людей. Тут є інші огидні люди, усі пов’язані з особливо відразливим і нещодавно померлим ірландським ґанґстером на ім’я Несбітт. Його прощання цьому світові полягає в тому, щоби налаштувати різні банди одна на одну, залишаючи кожній підказку про те, де заховані його гроші.

Перед лицем цього нищівно жорстокого світу, який складається з основних біологічних характеристик людської раси, Френк Касл формує власне почуття моралі в цих бетонних джунглях. Однак він створює сенс за допомогою явно нехарактерних для супергероя засобів — вогнепальної зброї, вибухівки та кулачного бою. Не просто задовольняючись тим, що тицькає носом негідників у власне лайно — Каратель підриває все і все на своєму шляху, щоби, зрештою, досягти мети свого власного безкомпромісного моралізаторського проекту. Ґарт Енніс показав цього персонажа ідеально для мене, щоб я без задньої думки зміг полюбити Карателя та цікавитися коміксами про нього й від інших сценаристів.

Комікс годний!

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Garth Ennis first started writing the Punisher, he did it with some humor. I think the idea of writing about such a violent character in a PG environment seemed a little silly to him, and it came through in the storylines. Not that it wasn't good, but it just had a bit of a different vibe to it.

However, when he started writing the MAX series, which is for mature readers, he changed his tone. This is dark, violent and gritty, just the way the character should be written! The Punisher doesn't appeal to everyone, and that's understandable. If you don't care for the character, this series probably won't change your mind. However, if you do, then this is the series for you! This series will also appeal to fans of men's adventure novels, such as Mack Bolan, Able Team, Phoenix Force, etc. Just great, take-no-prisoner's action!

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was really disappointing. Garth Ennis writing The Punisher for Marvel's MAX imprint (the "mature readers"--a.k.a. boobs and blood--line) seems like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, freed from the restriction of not being able to use curse words or show heads blowing up, Ennis came up with two six-issue story arcs that were nothing but curse words and heads blowing up. And when I say "nothing but," I mean literally, "nothing but." Sure, it's fun for a few pages, but after the thrill of curse words and heads blowing up wears off, one begins to hunger for an interesting story. Or at least a few jokes.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read a lot of the punisher's various series but this grim, nasty Garth Ennis work just might be the penultimate punisher series. I think what really clicks, aside from the excellent art work, is that it pulls no punches in depicting how cold blooded and steadfastly resolute Frank Castle is in punishing criminals. And Ennis is not sanctimonious in this depiction or moralizing or trying psychoanalyse the man. He's starkly and very satisfyingly depicting the Punisher's ruthless war of attrition against all criminals.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the artwork but man I just do not care for Garth Ennis dialogue. Whether it’s Punisher or Preacher whatever. We get it you like cuss words! You like sexually explicit words! He writes like an edgy 12 year old boy. But he DOES understand the character of the Punisher and writes him well. The other characters? Not so much!

[Guillermo Galvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Punisher. He's a killing machine whose only purpose in life is to take it away. In the first couple of pages he's already wasting bad guys. Heads are blowing apart in detail. Guts are flinging through the air like confetti. God bless him.

I don't want some sissy rendition like the first Marvel movie (not the 80's one which is cool). Under no circumstances should the Punisher ever talk about his feeling. First off, the man has none whatsoever. This collection portrayed him truthfully and for that I gave it a 5.

The story was half-way decent. There's mafia guys, Irish terrorists, and dudes who never die like they're cranked out on angel dust. The lulls serve well for pacing out the action. The only thing I ding this comic on is the use of the word, "Fuck." I'm not hung up on the word and I use it daily myself. My issue is that it was fired off every.. single.. fucking time! It got so ridiculous that speech bubbles contained the word three or four times. Jesus! The English language is rich in profanity, there's no excuse. After a while it took the adult level down to "little kid that learned the F-word" level. It got so ridiculous that the writers started throwing in the word into sentences where it served no point whatsoever.

It's a minor gripe really. But if you're going to cuss, do it right for fuck's sake.

The artwork was beautiful and you get a lot of pages for what you paid. All Punisher fans will enjoy this. There's a pulp-like edge that goes very well with a dark character like the Punisher. Can't wait to check out the next collection.

[Jonathan Schildbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too Damn Much. With each of two storylines containing severed genitals and women who freely speak in the most vulgar terms about their sexual preferences and/or history of molestation (and speak of little else) as well as constant explicit violence, this volume leaves a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste. It is almost as if Garth Ennis, rather than being told that he was free to use more "adult" language and to include more graphic violence, was told instead that he was REQUIRED to use more "adult" language and include more graphic violence--on every page. There are some interesting scenes, some intriguing characters, and the overall plots of the stories have enough to them that they could have been pretty damn good. The artwork is excellent, despite being rather disgusting at times. But everything is so over-the-top in a largely humorless way (or perhaps with humor that is so coupled with graphic violence) that it becomes more disturbing than entertaining. There is more than too much expository dialogue--sometimes going on for several pages at a time, as well as scenes that engage in tasteless "jokes" with no real payoff--like Finn in a bar repeatedly using "the N word" oblivious to the presence of numerous black men all around him. It is almost as if, free from the constraints of writing for a broader audience, Ennis cranked out a rough draft--crude as can be, and with maximum body-count--when it could have been just as dark, just as "adult," but much more sophisticated.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really really good. Will certainly continue with this.

[Earl Grey Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

After seeing the Punisher appear in the Daredevil TV Show, I was intrigued by this character and wanted to learn more about him. It was interesting to see his philosophy of straight up murdering bad people (gang members, murderers, thieves, etc.) versus Daredevil's desire to bring them to justice through the legal system.

I was hoping to see more of this juxtaposition of different beliefs in the actual comic book series. Instead, all I saw was ultraviolence as the Punisher killed anyone that was a threat to him. Excessive violence for the sake of violence is not of interest to me (though middle school me might have liked it).

Because this first volume was just about the extravagant and bloody situations the protagonist faced without any real deeper philosophical discussion on morality, I have no desire to continue this series.

[mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall good, but the humor didn’t land super hard with me, and I wasn’t a huge fan of his characterization in this one.

[RG · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so explosive and action packed. We have a 4 issue beginning in Vietnam, sort of a backstory to Franks start. We then get a story involving the Mob and a second involving the Irish. The characters in this are what sets it apart. Loved it

[Emily Matview · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garth Ennis reinvigorated the Punisher character with his Marvel Knights series, bringing him back to his 70s action movie roots after a brief stint as an angel (don’t ask).


The MAX series, though? Well, the MAX series kicks the Knights run’s ass.


In the first arc collected here, Frank is betrayed by a once trusted ally. In the second, he goes toe to toe with a gang of Irish thugs.

The juvenile humor that populated the Knights series is drastically toned down. Punisher is now a grizzled vet of Vietnam, aged in real time and with a single-minded focused on upholding his version of the law. Dude is in his 70s and still kicking ass. Basically, he’s the original Liam Neeson from “Taken.”

He's a John Wayne quote come to life: “Well, son, since you haven’t learned to respect your elders, it’s time you learned to respect your betters.”

Ennis just “gets” the Punisher.

Case in point: restoring his war of origin to Vietnam. Sure, this ages him considerably, but Frank Castle was created to be ‘Nam’s version of Captain America, and the way those characters reflect their wars is important. Punisher is made of fear, mistrust and moral ambiguity. And he doesn’t wait until he’s attacked – he’s the aggressor in his war.

Maybe not so coincidentally, the book punishes its readers with a tone that can be oppressively bleak. The Punisher knows he’s ultimately going to lose this war. It’s a numbers game, so he’ll just take out as many criminals as possible until his card is punched.

And since the book takes place outside of normal continuity and lacks traditional superheroes, you know Frank Castle is going to do a whole lot of punishing before that day comes.

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[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, Garth Ennis was born to write the Punisher.
This is what the MAX imprint is there for, to take a comic like this and make it extreme, like it would be, with no worries about censorship.
This consists of the first 2 stories: In the Beginning (1-6) and Kitchen Irish (7-12).

In the Beginning concerns the origins in some ways of the Punisher, and shows Frank taking out a large chunk of Mafioso family, and the chaos that results...lots of bodies, lots of mayhem and carnage, and we see just how bad Frank can be, as his death count in this book alone is probably 100+. We also see the return of Microchip, a former partner of Frank's, and we see the CIA try and recruit Frank, for all the good it does them.

Kitchen Irish is set in Hell's Kitchen and involves, shockingly, the Irish Mafia that still exists there. IRA-style bombing in NYC, Frank gets involved, and runs into his old friend Yorkie Mitchell (MI-6) and 4 different gangs of Irish all trying to take hold, and what lengths they will go to to get the power back.

Both are very well illustrated, gruesome, brutal, uncompromising, and all the better for it. I hope it doesn't say anything bad about me that I thoroughly enjoyed the Punisher when he's let loose, and not like the tame version we see in Marvel's main continuity.
Here Frank Castle is still the Vietnam Era vet, who's family was killed in 76, so at the time this was published, he would have been nearly 30 years at war, in his mid-50s, and showing it.
I love the older Punisher, you can see the wear and tear on his face and in his soul. This shows what it has done to him to be at war so long and so alone. This is not a world of superheroes, and that's perfect.

I already loved Vols 3 and 5, so Vol 2 is next...too bad Ennis only did 5 Volumes (60 issues), I could probably read these again and again.
So gritty, the squint of Frank stolen right from Clint Eastwood...

Not for kids, but definitely impressive stuff.

[Clint · Rating 2 out of 5]

The more Ennis I read, the less I like him. Though he seems to understand the Punisher, he fills the landscape of the story with a lot of garbage. This book is a painting of a landfill.

It's funny how in comics we use that term: understand. When a new writer takes a character in a new direction that has them making moves and decisions that are outside of their character we say that writer "doesn't understand" the character. When the character exists in an established universe (in this case the Marvel Universe), we hate these breaks in "understanding" even more. This volume came in the first wave of Marvel MAX titles. Marvel had just announced that they would no longer kowtow to the Comics Code Authority and that they would use their own rating system for age appropriateness. This would have been a perfect time to stop "understanding" the Punisher.

The Punisher worked in the Universe-before-MAX because of his extremism. When the whole world around him is a plate of machismo and violence, he no longer stands out. So sure, the Punisher is in-character. The Punisher is understood. But he's not in a book that I want to read.

[Tomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

We are following main protagonist, Frank Castle, as he fights for USA in Vietnam War where he takes justice in his hands from time to time. With his full unit slaughtered he is transported back home but war has made scars in him that won't heal. With his wife and kid killed by mafia he decided to take justice in his hands but in a weird unjust way. A mafia member or a civilian, it is no different to him if the person stands in his way.

One day in New York he gets caught in an attack between different mafia gangs. Now he is on track of them all and they have no chance.

I didn't know what to expect and I didn't get much. The story is sad, there is never any satisfaction for Frank in his doing. Artwork is realistic with some really brutal scenes with a lot of blood and human fluids all over the place. Even though I read whole this story it didn't resonate with anything in me. I have absolutely no desire to read more. There are better comic books than this.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the Punisher is a bad ass in the normal marvel universe. In this one, people can swear, talk about sex and be mutilated beyond recognition. I just reread this book and had the same impression I did before. It just isn't interesting. Ennis does well with his usual violence and the art is typical of more lifelike drawings with thick outlines and shading. In general, Frank Castle is cool, but the stories he is involved in here just don't thrill me. Unless you're a hardcore Punisher fan, skip this one.

[Jay Rox · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a great read about Frank Castle fighting the mob & dealing with the government as usual very action packed. the second half features less punisher & more about rival gangs fighting over a hidden treasure witch I found a lot more intertaining with plot twist that made the second story less predictable

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This...THIS is how it's done. After a lot of BS about graphic novels being for adults for the past thirty years, finally one that delivers. Rock on, Frank Castle, and keep your powder dry!

[Pierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garth Ennis. Brilliant as always.

[Ivan Markovskyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually don`t read MARVEL comics, not because I have something against them it`s just how it is. This one won`t change it, I picked up the Punisher comic only because of the TV show.

I heard a lot about how Garth Ennis` run on the Punisher is one of the best on the character if not the definitive version of it. Because I never read any other stories about Frank Castle I can`t say anything about whether or not this opinion is true. I can say for sure that its first volume is dark. Almost miserably dark. Striving for a “mature” “realistic” approach went this story into the land of grimdark, and I get it, Frank Castle isn`t a very merry dude and on the daily basis, he`s dealing with the purest scum of the New-York`s underbelly. But when everything is dark and ugly and violent it starts to feel monotone very soon. Also, there`re no sympathetic or even interesting characters here. Frank is an emotionless killing machine and… that’s the whole character. He`s basically your typical manly stoic badass protagonist. Funny thing, because of the art on the first half of the book Frank sometimes looks like a Clint Eastwood, that reminds me of the Roland Deschain from The Dark Tower - another stoic badass that I grow tired of later on in the series. Don`t get me wrong, I like badass man characters and I have nothing against dark and mature “realistic” tone, but it should be balanced in order to work, at least for me. When every character is violent and unlikable and this didn`t change throughout of the book it stops evoke any emotions out of the reader – even that visceral feeling of the violence. The two stories presented here is perfectly fine, showcasing the nature of the protagonist and the world he lives in. The second one has a twist at the end that I saw from the mile away, still satisfactory though. Art is also OK, liked the covers more than pages itself.

Again, I cannot say that praise The Punisher MAX as a whole and this book, in particular, getting is unearned. I cannot say that it is a bad version of the Punisher. All I can say that it is not appealing to me.

[Curtis · Rating 2 out of 5]

--2.5 stars rounded down--

There's something about Garth Ennis writing that always leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth. That being said, I did find this very readable, somewhat enjoyable and read it through to the end in one sitting. Still though, after I finish, I'm left mostly with negative feelings about the experience.

It's not the violence or the bad language that bothers me, or anything else that could potentially be offensive to those of a more delicate disposition than mine. The problem is that Ennis has a way of making these moments, particularly the violence, feel so cheap and nasty, like he's saying 'Here - look at this! Look at what I made happen! Isn't that gross?!'. I just don't find it very stylish.

These moments ALWAYS remind me that I'm reading a comic, which is a fact that I want to forget when losing myself in the world the creative team is trying so hard to craft for me. They detract so much from my enjoyment because suddenly the fact that this is a comic aimed at teenage boys is deafening, and I just think about how juvenile attempts at shock value just don't work on me anymore. I want moments like these but I want them to feel natural, like they HAD to happen, and not that somebody just threw them in to get a cheap laugh or a wince out of me.

The most interesting thing about this book, and the moments where Ennis shows he could do better, are the few conversations about whether Frank is using his family's memory to justify something he takes pleasure in. I really would've liked it if there were more of this kind of thing, even if his core fanbase wouldn't. Instead, we get barely any examination of Frank as a character other than these few conversations (which he takes no real part in), and no character development whatsoever throughout. It all just ends up feeling very two-dimensional.

Anyway, as I said above, I found the whole thing very readable and somewhat enjoyable, and even though I won't be reading anymore of these, I don't feel it was time wasted. It's a stay of execution for Ennis, who I'm almost ready to write off, but not quite.

[Alexander Engel-Hodgkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9/5

This collected edition contains the complete In The Beginning and Kitchen Irish story arcs. I enjoyed both for the most part, though Kitchen Irish got a little silly the further it progressed. In The Beginning was quite good. Ennis did a good job in showcasing Frank's burnt-out, locked-in mentality that doesn't always make a whole lot of sense when you look into it too deeply. It makes sense for the character, certainly, and sells just how bad things have gotten for him.

The art is okay. I don't care much for the 'smeared' colouring style they utilized sometimes, but it was mostly good. There are multiple pages dedicated to showing the development of individual comic pages in the rear section of this volume, from pencils to colours, which is really cool to see.

Ennis's writing suits the material, but it gets a little repetitive in its gratuitous and juvenile nature sometimes. I'm not one to decry profanity and slurs in fiction if it suits its material, but even with that being said, Ennis overdoes it a tad. He also clearly writes what he knows. I only read the first collected volume of The Boys which contained the first twelve issues of that series, because it was so fucking stupid that I was losing braincells. I did notice, however, the similarities between that and this: such as the focus on Irish culture (being an Irishman himself, that's understandable), and the third arc in both series focusing on Russia. Of course, both series also have gratuitously over-the-top graphic violence and excessive profanity, but the execution with this first batch of Punisher issues is a lot more tolerable and a lot less idiotic.

So as a Punisher fan who has heard endless praise for Ennis's run for ages, I'm happy to report that this first volume was pretty entertaining. For the most part.

[Angel Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

So as you folks know, I’m fairly new to the comic book world, but I’ve been going in hard. I recently picked up and devoured Punisher Max Vol 1. I enjoyed this series a lot, so much so that I’m going to read all the other volumes.

I’ve always enjoyed The Punisher and even when Dolph Lundgren butchered the character back in the 80s, I still watched the movie. That being said, the current series on Netflix is freaking amazing! At first I had my doubts about Jon Bernthal in this role, I knew him as Shane, not the Punisher. But wow did he prove me wrong on that one! Big respect on his amazing work in this role, absolutely phenomenal.

This volume a few periods from Frank Castle’s life. From some of his time in Vietnam to dealing with other baddies in the mob. If you are fan of the Punisher, pick this up, it’s dope.

You know that Frank is big on doing the right thing, even if that means breaking the rules. For instance, if you are an officer who is not doing his job in the field, well, you might just accidentally lose your damn life. If you leave your wife for another woman, and talk to Frank about it (who’s wife was murdered) he might tell you to run. If he does, you better run, or you will probably get your ass whooped! And lord help you if you hurt innocents, even in combat, Frank doesn’t tolerate that! He’s a brutal killer with a code.

I loved this series. Volume One is available on Comixology via the “unlimited” plan. Get it there or at your favorite comic book store!

[Sebastian Asaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took my time, and I can say Garth knows how to write a good punisher story and he chooses fantastic artists to put across his image to visually represent to readers what is happening, the art with the writing goes very well together both very good quality. In my personal opinion if you are someone who questions morality and tries to put the punisher into a real world sense you may see that the concept of him does not really work or make sense sometimes, but if you get immersed into Garth's world and try to go with the flow and escape from reality (which I assume most people buying and reading book/graphic novels and watch TV and listen to music do) lots of fun can be had here as Garth makes these criminals that Frank goes after seem like really bad people who can not be saved and are brutal to everyone else around them. There were a few characters I was sad to see go in some of the stories but that is the beauty of this Garth's work he makes you feel emotions through his story, he doesn't over develop characters so there is not too much of a hang up attachment when someone dies but there is still enough to get something out of you when you see their head blown off. The punisher who is the star of the show in this book has the right amount of character development and back story enough to make you understand his motives, one thing is for certain though he just wants to punish and that is what the character is and what he is meant to be so again don't think too much on morality and reality, otherwise I can not recommend this book to you. I would give this book 5 starts but some of the story plots I had to just skim over (that could just be my problem as an individual) to make sure I understood the full picture and what was coming ahead, but do not get the wrong idea these stories are just simple enough to not make scratch your head all the way through which is a good thing from time to time. Some of the panels and I mean very few, could sometimes be very hard to discern and most of the time it was the lack of dialogue in them (again art is subjective and maybe someone who read this may have had no problems at all) but all in all a good read and can recommend to anyone wanting a good raw punisher book and a great place to start, with great violent art.

Contains three stories :
BORN : 9 (Great art and story telling)
IN THE BEGINNING : 9 (Great art, punisher drawn like old Clint Eastwood, Story well constructed and not confusing)
KITCHEN IRISH : 8 (Great art again, a bit harder to understand intitally but ties itself up well, big bonus to the characters found in this story definitely it's highlight)

Post note :
This punisher max series is set separate from the mcu Canon which means Garth has all the freedom to write the punisher the way the punisher SHOULD be with no restrictions or confinements.

9/10

[Brian Rosenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Punisher MAX Vol. 1: In the Beginning
Collects issue 1-6
One of my favorite comic authors, Garth Ennis, returns to write about the life and times of Frank Castle, The Punisher. SOLD!
It’s Don Massimo’s 100th birthday. So many wise guys in one place to celebrate. Plus one – The Punisher crashes the party. Welcome to World War III.
Cut to Don Massimo’s funeral. Guess who shows up? More funerals guaranteed.
Cut to Micro who worked with Frank for ten years, helped him kill over eight hundred people. Now Micro is working with the CIA.
Micro has a heart-to-heart with Frank and makes him an offer – going after real monsters, those that kill thousands with a command, the World leaders that impact the planet, a license to kill those monsters backed by the US government. Frank declines. The Punisher works for no one. “Eventually, they let you down.” Amen to that.
The Mob shows up at Micro and The Punisher’s location, shooting the other CIA agents. Another agent, O’Brien appears to make the save. Almost.
Time for the showdown – Mob Vs CIA Vs The Punisher. Place your bets.
Agent O’Brien needs her own series. Her scandalous comments throughout the series are as bold as they are ridiculous. What a feisty character!
Great covers by Tim Bradstreet.

[Michael Emond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second time reading it and I still enjoy it a lot. Ennis is the perfect writer for Punisher. Not overly sentimental or stories about "what makes him tick"? Just good solid driven adventures that give a bit of character development without ruining who the Punisher is - an unbreakable man driven to take down crime. In this volume you get 2 6-issue series. The art in both of them is phenomenal.
The first arc involves a black-ops group trying to recruit Frank Castle (Punisher) to fight their war while the remnants of a mafia family try to kill him. Solid, good, adventure.
The second one is about a number of Irish gangs fighting over the inheritance of an old man. Not as tight a story but still excellent. Without being preachy it takes a look at the Irish groups who used violence to fight for their independence.
Overall, Punisher the way I like him, violent and single-minded in his obsession. Without a doubt this Max series by Ennis was my favourite extended look at the character.

[Diamante Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone who has been a fan of The Punisher for years but has only just now begun to delve into the graphic novel world of this grimy vigilante, I can definitely say this is the ultimate primer on Frank Castle's origins in Vietnam and a great character study. I found myself breathless at the death and devastation that cultivated the monster waiting to emerge from deep within The Punisher's psyche. At the point that Frank Castle gives into the still unidentified entity that allowed him to pursue those who dwell in greed, death, and gluttony, we are also reminded that there is usually a great price to pay for the purpose of destroying of evil. Great series, looking forward to finishing the rest of the volumes!

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like 3.75 or something. It was pretty brutal in parts, so be warned.

Frank Castle is crazy. I enjoyed seeing it. I also liked the art and the fact that the story didn't try to hold anything back. But still...
There's so much unnecessary swearing and dirty talk. I sometimes had a hard time taking it seriously. I'm fine with swearing, but not to this level. It seemed like the author was trying to be edgy, but ended up making his characters look fucking stupid. Sometimes I was just like, CHILL. I get it, these mob guys are hardcore.

Worth a read if you don't mind violence and are interested in the Punisher.