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The Punisher (2018) (Collected Editions)
Каратель. Книга 1: Френкова світова війна
Френк Касл — ветеран морської піхоти з бойовими відзнаками, законослухняний громадянин і добропорядний сім’янин. Точніше, був таким, доки його родину випадково не розстріляли під час жорстокого бандитського нападу. З того дня він став уособленням холодної, виваженої відплати та самосуду. Френк Касл загинув разом із родиною. Від нього лишився тільки… Каратель.
Містить випуски: Каратель #1-5
Містить випуски: Каратель #1-5
128 pages, Paperback
First published February 20, 2019
23 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Rosenberg
786 books161 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
"I haven’t always been a writer. My parents are writers and my brother is a writer, and I resisted that as long as I could. When I was 17, I hopped in a band’s van and I went on tour for a summer, and that was it, that was what I wanted to do. I ran a record label for 10 years, a small indie punk label. I did everything in music that you can do that doesn’t involve having musical ability. Eventually the music business, probably in a similar way to comics, will just start to break your heart, and I realized one day that I kind of hated music. I was resigned to thinking, if I’m going to be involved in music forever, I’m going to hate it for the rest of my life. I just stopped. I stopped having any sort of business with music, any involvement.
I read comics my whole life, so I just naturally fell back into another medium that is marginalized and hard to make a living in."
Source: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles...
Writer of comics WE CAN NEVER GO HOME, SECRET WARS JOURNAL, OUR WORK FILLS THE PEWS, 12 REASONS TO DIE, & MENU.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
"I haven’t always been a writer. My parents are writers and my brother is a writer, and I resisted that as long as I could. When I was 17, I hopped in a band’s van and I went on tour for a summer, and that was it, that was what I wanted to do. I ran a record label for 10 years, a small indie punk label. I did everything in music that you can do that doesn’t involve having musical ability. Eventually the music business, probably in a similar way to comics, will just start to break your heart, and I realized one day that I kind of hated music. I was resigned to thinking, if I’m going to be involved in music forever, I’m going to hate it for the rest of my life. I just stopped. I stopped having any sort of business with music, any involvement.
I read comics my whole life, so I just naturally fell back into another medium that is marginalized and hard to make a living in."
Source: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles...
Writer of comics WE CAN NEVER GO HOME, SECRET WARS JOURNAL, OUR WORK FILLS THE PEWS, 12 REASONS TO DIE, & MENU.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 23, 2019
"I'll give it to you, Frank - you always find new and horrifying ways to end fights." -- Daredevil, nonplussed at the latest sadistic death of a villain
"Whatever it takes." -- Frank 'The Punisher' Castle, doesn't have time for Daredevil's s***
It may be slightly inappropriate reading only 48 hours before Christmas 2019 - although I'm the type of person who considers Die Hard to be a Yuletide movie - but the hyper-violent Vol. 1: World War Frank was as satisfying as a seasonal cold glass of eggnog. Our favorite determined vigilante uses anything at his disposal - various firearms, USMC Ka-Bar knife, grenades, the third rail of a subway (!) - to rid the New York City streets of incognito HYRDA operatives. Basically this volume is like one long bloodily crunchy action sequence - more BLAM, BANG, and RATATATAT descriptive sound words here than there are stars in the sky - but there's nothing wrong with that unapologetic and carnage-heavy scenario. It also features cameo and supporting appearances from a whole roster of Marvel superheroes either helping or hindering the quietly ferocious character in his messy work.
"Whatever it takes." -- Frank 'The Punisher' Castle, doesn't have time for Daredevil's s***
It may be slightly inappropriate reading only 48 hours before Christmas 2019 - although I'm the type of person who considers Die Hard to be a Yuletide movie - but the hyper-violent Vol. 1: World War Frank was as satisfying as a seasonal cold glass of eggnog. Our favorite determined vigilante uses anything at his disposal - various firearms, USMC Ka-Bar knife, grenades, the third rail of a subway (!) - to rid the New York City streets of incognito HYRDA operatives. Basically this volume is like one long bloodily crunchy action sequence - more BLAM, BANG, and RATATATAT descriptive sound words here than there are stars in the sky - but there's nothing wrong with that unapologetic and carnage-heavy scenario. It also features cameo and supporting appearances from a whole roster of Marvel superheroes either helping or hindering the quietly ferocious character in his messy work.
February 22, 2021
After the events of Secret Empire and Punisher: War Machine, Baron Zemo and The Punisher have major hate for one another. Zemo is now running Hydra and Castle has declared war on them. He gets some major licks in before Zemo puts a bounty on his head. The Punisher is also killing Hydra agents in broad daylight so he's got all of the NYC street heroes after him in addition to endless bad guys. The book is nonstop action and it's great. The one down side is some of Kudranski's art. It's hard to follow at times. He doesn't always think through his panel structure in some of the action sequences. Still, it's a great start to the series.
March 10, 2022
This was brutal and I loved it!
Idk whats with Rosenberg but man can write some solid comics when all he needs to do is make it brutal and bloody and he does that here. We meet up with Baron Zemo and Mandarin who want to make Bagalia a legal country and well here is Frank as he takes down the Mandarin and that raises red flags as he is on a crusade to take down criminals and he takes out HYDRA members and also other would be killers and heroes are after him and well he has to fight them and there is a fun team up with Punisher then the rescue by a certain widow and then on and again the same beats, him hunting Zemo and he heroes come in and well this time he is down. There is also a subplot with Jigsaw which teases big things to come.
Its a solid volume and OMG it is bloody and yeah sure the first issue is filled with text but its all setting up big things to come in this series and the writer thrives here. Plus I love the use of Punisher to comment on some political things here and its done in a very subtle manner. Plus I love the ending and it shows the shady side of Govt agents in a realistic way and as for the art its very dark and so hard to make things out sometimes but still good.
Idk whats with Rosenberg but man can write some solid comics when all he needs to do is make it brutal and bloody and he does that here. We meet up with Baron Zemo and Mandarin who want to make Bagalia a legal country and well here is Frank as he takes down the Mandarin and that raises red flags as he is on a crusade to take down criminals and he takes out HYDRA members and also other would be killers and heroes are after him and well he has to fight them and there is a fun team up with Punisher then the rescue by a certain widow and then on and again the same beats, him hunting Zemo and he heroes come in and well this time he is down. There is also a subplot with Jigsaw which teases big things to come.
Its a solid volume and OMG it is bloody and yeah sure the first issue is filled with text but its all setting up big things to come in this series and the writer thrives here. Plus I love the use of Punisher to comment on some political things here and its done in a very subtle manner. Plus I love the ending and it shows the shady side of Govt agents in a realistic way and as for the art its very dark and so hard to make things out sometimes but still good.
January 8, 2021
My personal preference is for Punisher stories in which Frank doesn't interact too much with the larger Marvel universe of costumed heroes and shady world domination-oriented organizations like Hydra...which is exactly what 90% of this book is all about, so not my cup of tea and I will likely not continue the arc.
Not exactly "grounded", but pretty cool nonetheless...
That said, the art was great and it was ludicrously violent, which is definitely a plus for this kind of character, so if my disclaimer above doesn't apply to you go for it, you'll find it a fast-paced blood spattered good time.
Not exactly "grounded", but pretty cool nonetheless...
That said, the art was great and it was ludicrously violent, which is definitely a plus for this kind of character, so if my disclaimer above doesn't apply to you go for it, you'll find it a fast-paced blood spattered good time.
July 2, 2019
Matthew Rosenberg transitions his Frank from out the Warmachine armor and into the fray of Hydra and all the villains they can use to kill him.
This really is world war frank. After Frank kills a major villain we have him being hunted by Zemo and Hydra and every B-list and C-List villain around. This is basically a high speed chase of Punisher trying to escape villains while also blowing people up and murdering. On top of that you get some big team ups, and a screwed up ending.
I really enjoyed this. Listen, Punisher doesn't have major depth. So if you give me some amazing set pieces, some funny moments, brutal kills, and great pacing you got my vote. Matthew hits all of that and it's fun from start to end. I'll be picking up the next volume, a 4 out of 5.
This really is world war frank. After Frank kills a major villain we have him being hunted by Zemo and Hydra and every B-list and C-List villain around. This is basically a high speed chase of Punisher trying to escape villains while also blowing people up and murdering. On top of that you get some big team ups, and a screwed up ending.
I really enjoyed this. Listen, Punisher doesn't have major depth. So if you give me some amazing set pieces, some funny moments, brutal kills, and great pacing you got my vote. Matthew hits all of that and it's fun from start to end. I'll be picking up the next volume, a 4 out of 5.
January 23, 2021
WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS DISCUSSION ABOUT STRONG VIOLENCE, IF THAT OFFENDS YOU DON’T READ THIS BOOK OR MY REVIEW!
”The best way to judge a man is by who keeps company with him... and who wants to kill him.”
This comic could have been pretty bad... but fortunately wasn’t.
What’s it about?
After the events of Secret Empire (ugh!), Frank Castle is coming after HYDRA... but that means that HYDRA, the police and many superheroes that are against Frank’s violent methods are after him!
Pros:
The story is actually pretty good. I was worried that following the events of Secret Empire would fuck this whole book up because Secret Empire was pretty stupid (including the Punisher things that happened in that book, thankfully you don’t have to read Secret Empire to get this) but it actually works out really well to make a pretty bad-ass and compelling story.
The art is fantastic. The color works perfectly in this and the art has some rather cool effects to it, including things that make some parts of the page look as if they’re popping out more.
Rosenberg writes Frank pretty well.
The action scenes are frequent and bad-ass! This is definitely more gritty and bloody than most of Marvel’s lineup (especially lately, they sometimes seem more tame now than they were in the 1980s-2000s) but I personally like gritty and violent action when reading something like Punisher! So yeah, don’t read this if you want something smiley and/or family friendly that you might typically expect from a Marvel comic but hopefully you don’t expect or want that from a Punisher book in the first place!
There’s a few decent comic relief moments despite mostly being a very serious comic.
This book is pretty surprising in terms of twists and such. I was not expecting some of the things that happen here. At first I thought it was rather predictable but the last 2 issues or so had some surprises.
There’s some pretty cool stuff where Punisher ends up fighting and/or teaming up with some well known Marvel superheroes. It ends up being pretty cool. I especially loved one particular issue where Punisher ends up having to fight/team up with Daredevil, it is done so well!
Cons:
The villains are a bit bland. They’re just basic HYDRA associated villains and their goons for the most part. With the exception of one classic Punisher villain that I won’t spoil it’s a bit “meh” in the villain department.
Marvel keeps doing that annoying thing of censoring the language in an R-rated comic. I wouldn’t mind except it’s so frequent (as in, sometimes multiple times on one page and always several times in one issue) and it kinda takes me out of the story. I also don’t know who they’re doing this for since this comic is already pretty dark and violent (and not in a serious themes and a few deaths but still overall fun and often humorous way like Avengers Endgame. I mean people getting riddled with bullets, knives going through people’s heads from the jaw up, body parts being cut off, etc. kinda violent). Seriously, the comics code has been gone for a while so I wish Marvel would quit trying to appease approximately 10 people with this kinda shit (hopefully the success of DC’s Black Label line will show Marvel they can go uncensored but being controlled by Mickey Mouse who keeps things as kid friendly as possible who knows).
The ending seemed kinda rushed IMO and didn’t feel like a particularly good ending in general.
Overall:
Many of you probably know that The Punisher is probably my favorite Marvel character (you might not see me talk about him as much since I usually read some of the early Punisher issues from my collection and tend not to review single issues from publishers that usually have trades (I should maybe find out what issues make up certain collections so I can review more of those old school Punisher storylines, IDK)). Rosenberg seems to also be a fan and I think this book would most likely satisfy the typical Punisher fan. That’s not to say it’s a flawless masterpiece but it’s pretty damn good. I’ll definitely add the second volume of this run to my reading list.
Worth checking out if you’re a Punisher fan.
4/5
”The best way to judge a man is by who keeps company with him... and who wants to kill him.”
This comic could have been pretty bad... but fortunately wasn’t.
What’s it about?
After the events of Secret Empire (ugh!), Frank Castle is coming after HYDRA... but that means that HYDRA, the police and many superheroes that are against Frank’s violent methods are after him!
Pros:
The story is actually pretty good. I was worried that following the events of Secret Empire would fuck this whole book up because Secret Empire was pretty stupid (including the Punisher things that happened in that book, thankfully you don’t have to read Secret Empire to get this) but it actually works out really well to make a pretty bad-ass and compelling story.
The art is fantastic. The color works perfectly in this and the art has some rather cool effects to it, including things that make some parts of the page look as if they’re popping out more.
Rosenberg writes Frank pretty well.
The action scenes are frequent and bad-ass! This is definitely more gritty and bloody than most of Marvel’s lineup (especially lately, they sometimes seem more tame now than they were in the 1980s-2000s) but I personally like gritty and violent action when reading something like Punisher! So yeah, don’t read this if you want something smiley and/or family friendly that you might typically expect from a Marvel comic but hopefully you don’t expect or want that from a Punisher book in the first place!
There’s a few decent comic relief moments despite mostly being a very serious comic.
This book is pretty surprising in terms of twists and such. I was not expecting some of the things that happen here. At first I thought it was rather predictable but the last 2 issues or so had some surprises.
There’s some pretty cool stuff where Punisher ends up fighting and/or teaming up with some well known Marvel superheroes. It ends up being pretty cool. I especially loved one particular issue where Punisher ends up having to fight/team up with Daredevil, it is done so well!
Cons:
The villains are a bit bland. They’re just basic HYDRA associated villains and their goons for the most part. With the exception of one classic Punisher villain that I won’t spoil it’s a bit “meh” in the villain department.
Marvel keeps doing that annoying thing of censoring the language in an R-rated comic. I wouldn’t mind except it’s so frequent (as in, sometimes multiple times on one page and always several times in one issue) and it kinda takes me out of the story. I also don’t know who they’re doing this for since this comic is already pretty dark and violent (and not in a serious themes and a few deaths but still overall fun and often humorous way like Avengers Endgame. I mean people getting riddled with bullets, knives going through people’s heads from the jaw up, body parts being cut off, etc. kinda violent). Seriously, the comics code has been gone for a while so I wish Marvel would quit trying to appease approximately 10 people with this kinda shit (hopefully the success of DC’s Black Label line will show Marvel they can go uncensored but being controlled by Mickey Mouse who keeps things as kid friendly as possible who knows).
The ending seemed kinda rushed IMO and didn’t feel like a particularly good ending in general.
Overall:
Many of you probably know that The Punisher is probably my favorite Marvel character (you might not see me talk about him as much since I usually read some of the early Punisher issues from my collection and tend not to review single issues from publishers that usually have trades (I should maybe find out what issues make up certain collections so I can review more of those old school Punisher storylines, IDK)). Rosenberg seems to also be a fan and I think this book would most likely satisfy the typical Punisher fan. That’s not to say it’s a flawless masterpiece but it’s pretty damn good. I’ll definitely add the second volume of this run to my reading list.
Worth checking out if you’re a Punisher fan.
4/5
July 23, 2019
After killing a major villain at a UN assembly Frank, still on an atonement path for his actions during Secret Empire, is on the run, chased by... well, everybody.
So honestly there's no real depth here, just a 5 issues chase in NY to bring down the Punisher, but boy, it really is enjoyable. Frank is monolithic just like you like him, delivering a few killer punchlines here and there, the kill ratio is way over the charts- and gory, mind you- and the action is non-stop OTT.
Yes, Rosernberg just nailed the character to near perfect and maintains interestest all along with a bad ass final twist.
I'm not a huge fan of the art, a bit static on my opinion, but the storytelling is good enough with a good dark final rendering.
So honestly there's no real depth here, just a 5 issues chase in NY to bring down the Punisher, but boy, it really is enjoyable. Frank is monolithic just like you like him, delivering a few killer punchlines here and there, the kill ratio is way over the charts- and gory, mind you- and the action is non-stop OTT.
Yes, Rosernberg just nailed the character to near perfect and maintains interestest all along with a bad ass final twist.
I'm not a huge fan of the art, a bit static on my opinion, but the storytelling is good enough with a good dark final rendering.
March 10, 2019
I really hadnt read much beyond the Max run by Ennis. So I did feel a little lost with regards to entire Hydra stuff. I just didnt like this much at all. I think i must be one of the few who didnt.
July 31, 2019
Flash Bang ultra-violence....minimal dialogue. Yeah it's okay...it is what it is.
August 11, 2019
It is fun to see Frank back to destroying everything - as others trying to step in to stop him.
February 16, 2019
The art starts off terrible and is distracting from the okay story, but as the story progressed, it was able to stand on its own despite the art and I enjoyed it. It is a bit annoying that they keep hitting reset on Frank every year or so, but this is a fun story with several guest heroes trying to bring Frank in.
I am pretty sure the art is made with that iphone app that turns photos into paintings and there is some color correction added to make the panels flow. In the first few issues it is distractin, and I spent most of my time wondering where he was finding the pictures or if he paid someone to pose and then why this is a thing. In the final two issues, I guess there are two different models playing Frank because the face does not always match.
Anyway, probably worth reading for the story. The art is distracting at times but not to the detriment of the story overall. Good action in the second half of the book.
I am pretty sure the art is made with that iphone app that turns photos into paintings and there is some color correction added to make the panels flow. In the first few issues it is distractin, and I spent most of my time wondering where he was finding the pictures or if he paid someone to pose and then why this is a thing. In the final two issues, I guess there are two different models playing Frank because the face does not always match.
Anyway, probably worth reading for the story. The art is distracting at times but not to the detriment of the story overall. Good action in the second half of the book.
December 21, 2019
Not up to the standard of Rosenberg's work on War Machine Punisher. Plus the artwork is rather poor and the action scenes are very hard to follow.
September 7, 2019
Todo mundo sabe que eu não sou o maior fã de Frank Castle, o Justiceiro, mas que tenho um certo "guilty pleasure" em ler as histórias dele. Esta aqui, parece ser mais interessante do que as histórias que vinham sendo publicadas anteriormente a essa fase. Esta, escrita pelo roteirista Matthew Rosenberg, parece ter acertado um pouco mais na mão, mostrando aquele Frank Castle que tem um modus operandi anterior às modificações que Garth Ennis fez com o personagem no inicío dos anos 2000 e que todos os autores posteriores se puseram a copiar desde então. Neste encadernado, Frank Castle luta para cancelar as ações da Hidra, organização para a qual ele trabalhou enganado pelo Steve Rogers de Império Secreto. Contudo, essa "fase" do Justiceiro não foi explorada em suas histórias e, por isso, não conseguimos perceber o impacto desse enredo impactando no personagem. Essa edição, que a Panini retoma o número um, em sua versão brasileira também possui um tipo diferente de papel. Se trata de um couchê mais encorpado, com uma gramatura um nível acima do que se costuma usar neste tipo de publicação e, por isso, a lombada ficou maior e a publicação com maior peso.
December 17, 2019
I often think that the best Punisher stories are those when he interacts with the rest of the Marvel Universe in a meaningful way, such as his Civil War era stories. This one certainly starts off promisingly, with Frank going after the Hydra forces that turned him into a Nazi during the Secret Empire. (How did he think being a Nazi was a good idea? I'm still not sure.)
But Rosenberg just doesn't fulfill that promise in a particularly meaningful way. Instead we get five issues of a running fight that's kind of cool in a super-competent-Jason-Bourne sort of way, but which doesn't have much in the way of character or depth.
And then we get the inevitable cliffhanger ending that plagues too many trades these days. Sigh.
But Rosenberg just doesn't fulfill that promise in a particularly meaningful way. Instead we get five issues of a running fight that's kind of cool in a super-competent-Jason-Bourne sort of way, but which doesn't have much in the way of character or depth.
And then we get the inevitable cliffhanger ending that plagues too many trades these days. Sigh.
March 13, 2019
Once again, a better direction with The Punisher. A bit of intrigue, a bit of fighting with named villains and heroes. Fun stuff.
June 24, 2022
Wait wait everyone hold the fuck up. Maybe I don't like the Punisher, I just like the guy who plays him in the show?!? But yeah seriously because this was garbage lol.
It was so generic and I understand this is just a violent character who kills everyone but also??? Yes give me nothing king!!! He's going against basic ass HYDRA and Baron Zemo and words cannot express how uninteresting this take was. Baron Zemo sucks here too like his outfit and mask is hideous and dude was one step away from cackling madly.
We get to see other known characters even though it was really pointless. Seeing him fight them wasn't exciting. (Except when he flatassed Iron Fist lol no one talks enough about how much that dude sucks and how stupid his entire costume is.)
Black Widow makes an appearance for one page and I'm still head scratching at wtf the point of that was. There was no follow up either like was it just to show off her ugly skintight suit or the bad haircut?
Daredevil was really good in here though! Probably the only good edition to the revolving door of random characters showing up. A lot of problems I think could have been solved by putting the T in teamwork because goddamn. Seeing the other characters that I love just makes me wish I was reading their comics, rip.
I read another Punisher comic that did the same but the excessive censored cussing took me out. The entire plot is just graphic violence in here? The character exists just to kill everyone but um no if you cuss in my violent Marvel comic book I'm gonna call the police. Shit is so dumb. Oh pardon my language.
I hated the art. This will never make sense to anyone but me but this kind of art to my eyes is like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. It's ugly and I hate looking at it. I thought it was hilarious when Frank cut a guy's hand off and then bit a finger off his other hand lmao like the violence was just why. Do every gross violent thing wow so interesting, such a good story.
This character is truly so boring. He has no personality and we barely see him do a single thing besides go on a killing spree with 30 guns, a knife, a rocket launcher, and a fetish for skull t-shirts. I guess if that's what you are into though??
I'm just nitpicking now but it was annoying when people called him Francis or Frankie.
It was so generic and I understand this is just a violent character who kills everyone but also??? Yes give me nothing king!!! He's going against basic ass HYDRA and Baron Zemo and words cannot express how uninteresting this take was. Baron Zemo sucks here too like his outfit and mask is hideous and dude was one step away from cackling madly.
We get to see other known characters even though it was really pointless. Seeing him fight them wasn't exciting. (Except when he flatassed Iron Fist lol no one talks enough about how much that dude sucks and how stupid his entire costume is.)
Black Widow makes an appearance for one page and I'm still head scratching at wtf the point of that was. There was no follow up either like was it just to show off her ugly skintight suit or the bad haircut?
Daredevil was really good in here though! Probably the only good edition to the revolving door of random characters showing up. A lot of problems I think could have been solved by putting the T in teamwork because goddamn. Seeing the other characters that I love just makes me wish I was reading their comics, rip.
I read another Punisher comic that did the same but the excessive censored cussing took me out. The entire plot is just graphic violence in here? The character exists just to kill everyone but um no if you cuss in my violent Marvel comic book I'm gonna call the police. Shit is so dumb. Oh pardon my language.
I hated the art. This will never make sense to anyone but me but this kind of art to my eyes is like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. It's ugly and I hate looking at it. I thought it was hilarious when Frank cut a guy's hand off and then bit a finger off his other hand lmao like the violence was just why. Do every gross violent thing wow so interesting, such a good story.
This character is truly so boring. He has no personality and we barely see him do a single thing besides go on a killing spree with 30 guns, a knife, a rocket launcher, and a fetish for skull t-shirts. I guess if that's what you are into though??
I'm just nitpicking now but it was annoying when people called him Francis or Frankie.
March 13, 2021
Strange to say this about something so violent but I just laughed and laughed throughout this book. Why? I think there were two reasons.
Frank is a completely implausible character. Not a powered hero, just a man with a skull on his t-shirt, but he can always dodge a hail of bullets, come back from a cosmic zap, or bounce up after being run over by a tank. Rosenberg embraces that ridiculousness and pushes it to its logical, hilarious extreme in this run.
Also, reading comics regularly means embracing, or at least accepting, a world without any real consequences for the villains, many of whom are mass murderers. Batman never just kills the Joker, even knowing Joker will just escape Arkham again. The real world popularity of the villains’ stories dictates they must reappear over and over, free and well enough to go on another killing spree.
Reading a comic in which the protagonist (I hesitate to say “good guy”) simply murders everyone doing evil, starting with the lowliest green-suited Hydra henchmen, is so shockingly jarring it made me laugh. It just went so scrapingly hard against all the established tropes of comics!
The artwork is rich, dark, and detailed without being too busy. It is perfect for the story throughout all three volumes.
Finally, at the end of the third volume of this excellent series, Mr. Rosenberg reflects on his years of writing Punisher and I found that essay interesting and insightful.
Frank is a completely implausible character. Not a powered hero, just a man with a skull on his t-shirt, but he can always dodge a hail of bullets, come back from a cosmic zap, or bounce up after being run over by a tank. Rosenberg embraces that ridiculousness and pushes it to its logical, hilarious extreme in this run.
Also, reading comics regularly means embracing, or at least accepting, a world without any real consequences for the villains, many of whom are mass murderers. Batman never just kills the Joker, even knowing Joker will just escape Arkham again. The real world popularity of the villains’ stories dictates they must reappear over and over, free and well enough to go on another killing spree.
Reading a comic in which the protagonist (I hesitate to say “good guy”) simply murders everyone doing evil, starting with the lowliest green-suited Hydra henchmen, is so shockingly jarring it made me laugh. It just went so scrapingly hard against all the established tropes of comics!
The artwork is rich, dark, and detailed without being too busy. It is perfect for the story throughout all three volumes.
Finally, at the end of the third volume of this excellent series, Mr. Rosenberg reflects on his years of writing Punisher and I found that essay interesting and insightful.
March 21, 2019
In which Frank Castle tries to fix his massive screw up from the secret empire arc.
February 27, 2019
What violent and gorey Punisher fun!
Normally I'm a bit against Punisher wanking around with heroes of MU, but then again, it can not be avoided. But Rosenberg makes it work oh so well and he really gets the Punisher. What fun. Looking forward the offering.
Normally I'm a bit against Punisher wanking around with heroes of MU, but then again, it can not be avoided. But Rosenberg makes it work oh so well and he really gets the Punisher. What fun. Looking forward the offering.
February 24, 2021
I was in the middle of writing a longer review when Goodreads, out of the kindness of its heart, deleted the draft, so I’ll just give you all the Sparknotes version:
-Matthew Rosenberg is great, but he’s kinda limited here.
-As inventive as Rosenberg is at finding creative ways for Frank to kill people, it’s obvious that this is toned-down to appeal to the largest audience possible, which... isn’t a great way to write Punisher.
-Frank Castle is seldom that interesting of a character anyways, especially if your writer’s name isn’t Garth Ennis.
-Having Castle go up against established characters, hero or villain, often erases any tension from the scenario (“Holy @&$&, did Punisher just kill Spider-Man!?!?” No, he probably didn’t).
-Follow Remender’s example: if you can’t make your Punisher comic properly bloody and violent, just be straight up ridiculous with the action — this needed a Donny Cates or Chip Zdarsky, not Rosenberg on a lease.
-Matthew Rosenberg is great, but he’s kinda limited here.
-As inventive as Rosenberg is at finding creative ways for Frank to kill people, it’s obvious that this is toned-down to appeal to the largest audience possible, which... isn’t a great way to write Punisher.
-Frank Castle is seldom that interesting of a character anyways, especially if your writer’s name isn’t Garth Ennis.
-Having Castle go up against established characters, hero or villain, often erases any tension from the scenario (“Holy @&$&, did Punisher just kill Spider-Man!?!?” No, he probably didn’t).
-Follow Remender’s example: if you can’t make your Punisher comic properly bloody and violent, just be straight up ridiculous with the action — this needed a Donny Cates or Chip Zdarsky, not Rosenberg on a lease.
June 16, 2024
I’ve read a little of Rosenberg’s stuff and generally I think he’s a good writer. Punisher takes on Hydra here and he isn’t fucking around. The Mandarin fight could have been more but I loved how Frank took his rings and gave em to Dr. Strange.
Khoul to see him get the best of Power Man & Iron Fist and he even makes Bucky look like a bitch.
Khoul to see him get the best of Power Man & Iron Fist and he even makes Bucky look like a bitch.
February 4, 2020
Минулого тижня вийшов перший український переклад коміксу про такого персонажа Marvel як Каратель: «Френкова світова війна. Том 1» від Рідна мова. Я з цим чуваком знайомий лише з ТВ, як і більшість українських читачів (я так думаю). Відповідно враження в мене від нього просте – це крутий дядько, який їбашить поганців насмерть.
В цьому мальописі приблизно саме так, але є дуже великі відмінності з тим, що ми бачили на екрані. Цей том розповідає нам про те як Каратель почав свою війну з Гідрою та Бароном Земо, зокрема. Хоча в передісторії коротко розказують про те, чому він так на них обізлився, але цього замало, щоб дати прийнятну мотивацію персонажу, якщо ти не читав про події, які передують цьому сюжету. Це прокляття багатьох коміксів, які мають стосунок до всесвітів супергероїв, але це зовсім не виправдання, особливо на фоні інших серій, які виглядають повноцінно і як частина всесвіту, і як окрема історія.
Щодо малюнку – не можу сказати, що він прямо аж жахливий, але класним його точно не назвеш. Розмитий фон, на якому домальовані деякі деталі та персонажі, виглядає халтурно і не викликає бажання роздивлятися його більш прискіпливо. Та й роздивлятися тут немає що, бо деталізація дуже погана. дещо схоже було в «П'ять кошмарів» Непереможної Залізної Людини, але там це компенсувалося цікавим сюжетом. Тут же просто місиво без будь-якого сенсу та логіки.
Після прочитання склалося стійке враження, що автори не намагалися створити щось круте та оригінальне. Вони просто намагалися максимально швидко написати щось про Карателя взагалі не заглиблюючись в переживання персонажа і не будуючи складних історій. Вони лише чули, що Каратель має криваво їбашити всіх і понапихали цю концепціє де треба і де не треб��. Але толку від цього ніякого, бо це лише обгортка без начинки. Обгортки не смачні, навіть якщо гарні та інтригуючі.
Можу порекомендувати його хіба що затятим фанатам Marvel або самого персонажа.
Оцінка: 3/10
В цьому мальописі приблизно саме так, але є дуже великі відмінності з тим, що ми бачили на екрані. Цей том розповідає нам про те як Каратель почав свою війну з Гідрою та Бароном Земо, зокрема. Хоча в передісторії коротко розказують про те, чому він так на них обізлився, але цього замало, щоб дати прийнятну мотивацію персонажу, якщо ти не читав про події, які передують цьому сюжету. Це прокляття багатьох коміксів, які мають стосунок до всесвітів супергероїв, але це зовсім не виправдання, особливо на фоні інших серій, які виглядають повноцінно і як частина всесвіту, і як окрема історія.
Щодо малюнку – не можу сказати, що він прямо аж жахливий, але класним його точно не назвеш. Розмитий фон, на якому домальовані деякі деталі та персонажі, виглядає халтурно і не викликає бажання роздивлятися його більш прискіпливо. Та й роздивлятися тут немає що, бо деталізація дуже погана. дещо схоже було в «П'ять кошмарів» Непереможної Залізної Людини, але там це компенсувалося цікавим сюжетом. Тут же просто місиво без будь-якого сенсу та логіки.
Після прочитання склалося стійке враження, що автори не намагалися створити щось круте та оригінальне. Вони просто намагалися максимально швидко написати щось про Карателя взагалі не заглиблюючись в переживання персонажа і не будуючи складних історій. Вони лише чули, що Каратель має криваво їбашити всіх і понапихали цю концепціє де треба і де не треб��. Але толку від цього ніякого, бо це лише обгортка без начинки. Обгортки не смачні, навіть якщо гарні та інтригуючі.
Можу порекомендувати його хіба що затятим фанатам Marvel або самого персонажа.
Оцінка: 3/10
February 3, 2024
Frank's war against criminals is a never-ending endeavor. In this series, he takes on Bagalia, a place that protects criminals and seeks to become an independent nation. However, by targeting it, the Punisher becomes the target. As he rampages through NY, he must also escape those who want to stop him without killing him (Daredevil, Luke Cage, and others). That's a lot of enemies for just one man, and the only way to survive is to create havoc.
This is a volume that seems to be filled with violence on almost every page from beginning to end. No surprise here as we are talking about the Punisher, and it was great to see the Punisher always coming up on top, always surviving, and even managing some dark humor here and there. In terms of story, that is pretty much it as the idea is simple: Frank wants to destroy Hydra and Hydra wants to kill Frank.
Personally, I prefer when the Punisher is set in a more realistic setting with little, preferably no, interaction with other superheroes as this tends to take me out of the story. And when it is not the presence of the superheroes that ruins it for me, it is the presence of those Hydra soldiers with ridiculous outfits that does it.
Hopefully, we'll get Punisher stories like that one day. In the meantime, we'll make do with this enjoyable but not unforgettable series.
This is a volume that seems to be filled with violence on almost every page from beginning to end. No surprise here as we are talking about the Punisher, and it was great to see the Punisher always coming up on top, always surviving, and even managing some dark humor here and there. In terms of story, that is pretty much it as the idea is simple: Frank wants to destroy Hydra and Hydra wants to kill Frank.
Personally, I prefer when the Punisher is set in a more realistic setting with little, preferably no, interaction with other superheroes as this tends to take me out of the story. And when it is not the presence of the superheroes that ruins it for me, it is the presence of those Hydra soldiers with ridiculous outfits that does it.
Hopefully, we'll get Punisher stories like that one day. In the meantime, we'll make do with this enjoyable but not unforgettable series.
August 31, 2019
4.5 Stars
The best Punisher stories fit in two categories. The ones where he's firmly set in the Marvel Universe and we see Marvel heroes show up, or the kind that are set in the real world and there's no hint of superheroes. This one has the superheroes and it's really good. The Punisher has a vendetta against Hydra after he feels they used him during the Secret Empire deal, so he's taking them down hard. He's cutting such a path of destruction he ends up with heroes trying to stop him as well as a bounty on his head attracting bad guys, including an old "friend". Punisher also kills a pretty major marvel character, but it wouldn't surprise me if he had already returned by now.
The art is good and reminds me of Tim Bradstreet, but at times misses the mark.
Overall a really strong start to yet another Punisher series.
The best Punisher stories fit in two categories. The ones where he's firmly set in the Marvel Universe and we see Marvel heroes show up, or the kind that are set in the real world and there's no hint of superheroes. This one has the superheroes and it's really good. The Punisher has a vendetta against Hydra after he feels they used him during the Secret Empire deal, so he's taking them down hard. He's cutting such a path of destruction he ends up with heroes trying to stop him as well as a bounty on his head attracting bad guys, including an old "friend". Punisher also kills a pretty major marvel character, but it wouldn't surprise me if he had already returned by now.
The art is good and reminds me of Tim Bradstreet, but at times misses the mark.
Overall a really strong start to yet another Punisher series.
October 22, 2020
An exciting, visceral, and gritty new chapter in the life of the Punisher, Frank Castle is a man on a mission once more. Seeking redemption of his own making after being tricked into working for HYDRA, Frank finds himself hunting down not mobsters or drug dealers, but Baron Zemo and all those who work for HYDRA. Seeing the Punisher bring his own violent brand of justice to an organization like HYDRA really elevates Frank’s heroics and vigilantism as a whole. Seeing the various heroes of the Marvel universe try to bring Frank in as he causes mayhem and takes out iconic villains will engage fans greatly as the series unfolds.
October 13, 2023
Matthew Rosenberg’s Punisher is a little different to what we would expect, and that might be detrimental. Taking a character like Punisher, who usually operates on a street level self-contained plane, and putting him in the big leagues might not be the best. He can build those tense Punisher moments, but they’re unfortunately bogged down with heavy wider-universe lore and mischaracterisations that arise from trying to fit other characters into a Punisher story. It seems like Punisher is still playing by Punisher storytelling rules, while the writing and story structure is trying to force him into more of an Iron Man or Daredevil role
March 10, 2021
Switching things up to have Frank Castle interacting with heroes and villains more than he normally does was actually a positive change for me. I feel like there are only so many times I can watch Frank kill his way through yet another mob family of depraved sadists before the effect is completely lost. Rosenberg switched it up here in style and Kudranski and Fabela delivered with some great art and colours to make it all click along at-pace. This is my favourite of Rosenberg's Punisher volumes so far.
September 4, 2021
I was not impressed. And perhaps I am missing some lead up information, which wouldn’t be a surprise. I felt like I walked in mid plot and perhaps I should have done a little more research before picking this one up.
The plot is an old tattered one we have seen too much of from MCU. The dialogue was painfully bad at times. And I hated how Frank was drawn. I’m use to a taller more broad chest and a stronger jaw line. This rendition gave me a short weasel vibe that distracted me.
I won’t be getting the next volume.
The plot is an old tattered one we have seen too much of from MCU. The dialogue was painfully bad at times. And I hated how Frank was drawn. I’m use to a taller more broad chest and a stronger jaw line. This rendition gave me a short weasel vibe that distracted me.
I won’t be getting the next volume.
September 3, 2021
Yes, four stars is probably a bit generous. But, besides the providing an oddly off-model Frank Castle (and even that might just be me?), there was nothing wrong here. The Punisher fights some goons, some superheroes, and some supervillains, all to an enjoyable effect. There's always an inherent weakness of including the Punisher in the broader Marvel-verse and taking on bad guys who will be back before the comic even leaves the printer, but I can turn my brain off to enjoy it.
October 6, 2019
Great villains for Frank to go up against here. My main issue with the book is Frank is frequently put into impossible situations then the writer eeks the character out of them by basically giving him an insane tactical advantage over certain characters that are at least on the Punisher's level, as far as fighting abilities are concerned.
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