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The Punisher (2000/2001) (Collected Editions)
The Punisher, Vol. 2: Army of One
After a twisted team-up with Spider-man, the one-man-army known as the Punisher packs his bags for Grand Nixon Island. This South Pacific scrap of dirt is home to psychotic mercenary criminals focused on the nuclear annihilation of....Brussels? It's a Punisher-style conclusion featuring complete and total carnage!
Includes Punisher (2001) #1-7.
Includes Punisher (2001) #1-7.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,624 books3,170 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 27, 2015
Before I get into the review, let’s talk about Garth Ennis’ sense of humour: sometimes it’s a bit much, I agree. As big a fan as I am of the guy, I gave up on Preacher because the “jokes” just weren’t landing. I didn’t laugh at the guy who discovered he was gay after he was raped; I didn’t laugh at the “retarded because of inbreeding” descendant of Christ - but Ennis kept hammering these “jokes” over and over and over again until I gave up on the series in disgust (though I did laugh at Arseface!).
The Boys - Ennis went a bit overboard in places and quite often the joke was “haha, they do drugs and abuse people” which isn’t funny. And sometimes Ennis isn’t even as one-dimensional as that - have you read Dicks, his first comic with John McCrea? It’s just blandly stupid potty humour for no reason and it’s unreadable!
Ennis’ humour is crass, dark, and crude, and there’s a LOT of it in Army of One. But the difference is the joke is on individuals who aren’t real and are there to be laughed at, compared to groups of people Ennis point and laugh at in some of his lesser moments, eg. homosexuals or people born with learning difficulties (though the word “spackers” is freely tossed around in the first issue - it’s a derogatory term for someone with cerebral palsy). So, this one has a lot of off-colour humour in it, and not all of it works, but it’s ok to enjoy this one.
And we can all agree the French suck, right?
Alright, onto the review:
“So this is Christmas” deadpans Frank as he strangles a rapist, eyes not even fully open.
One of the greatest creative teams in comics, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, reunite for another brilliant Punisher book in Army of One. This is the Punisher Marvel Knights series, the unfairly out-of-print run (except for Welcome Back, Frank) that led into Ennis’ acclaimed The Punisher MAX series, which is actually MAX’s equal in terms of quality from what I’ve read of it.
Army of One is a rambling but compelling story that sees Frank save the European Union from a mad General with an atomic bomb. Along the way, Frank will have a brutal team-up with Spidey, fight a grotesque male Russian cyborg with giant bewbs, talk Detective Soap (yup, he’s back!) out of suicide, and take out a former Army buddy who once saved his life in ‘Nam.
It’s also an incredibly tasteless comic that I make no apologies for thoroughly enjoying. Ennis and Dillon bring so much pitch black humour and gory, righteous violence to the Punisher that it’s a delight to read. They manage to make Frank forklifting a cage full of men into the sea seem like a comedy routine (it’s alright, they were bad men)!
Ennis is in full-on gross-out humour for much of this book, bringing back his punching bag, Detective Soap, for a single sick joke where Soap unknowingly sleeps with his mother (yes, I laughed)! After re-introducing the Russian, this time with huge boobs - seemingly for no other reason than it’s funny to see a butch man with massive knockers? – Ennis throws in Spidey who instantly gets punched in the crotch! (If you haven’t read The Boys, it’s pretty clear from his Punisher books what Ennis thinks of the masks and tights that make up the Marvel Universe – there’s a reason there are no Avengers/X-Men books with Ennis’ name on!)
But it’s not just over-the-top in a funny sense, Ennis gives Frank an endless array of targets to kill with a ton of devastating toys. In no particular order, Frank disappears into a tropical island’s jungle and begins taking out scores of mercenaries by setting death traps; he blows up a plane; and, the coup de grace, kills thousands in one fell swoop. I think it was Anton Chekhov who said that if you introduce a gun into the story, the gun must at some point be fired; Ennis applies the same rule to a nuke.
After the comedic madness of the Soap issue and the excessive everything in the main storyline, Ennis shifts gears to a more solemn tone. There’s a one-shot where Frank has to put down an old army buddy who’s gone nuts and, having murdered his wife and kids, has begun killing anyone in his way. Frank talks to the reader about the man his friend used to be, who was a hero who saved his life, humanising him in a way that makes Frank’s task all the more poignant at the end of the chapter.
It sounds insane to go from farce to ultra-violence to slapstick to sombre realism, but Ennis manages it effortlessly here. It doesn’t feel awkward or out of place or even that surprising - that’s how talented a writer this guy is.
The one issue I didn’t think worked completely was the silent issue scripted/drawn by Steve Dillon that closes out the volume. It took me a couple reads to get what happened but even then it wasn’t that great. Dillon may be the definitive Punisher artist - and he is - but he needs Ennis, and vice versa.
Army of One is the funniest Marvel book I’ve read in quite some time. Maybe because Marvel just don’t push the boat out that much these days (this book’s over 10 years old) though it’s probably because there’s only one Garth Ennis. It’s definitely not for the kids but if you’ve got a flexible sense of humour and don’t mind a lot of twisted vulgarity in your comics, you’ll love this - I sure did!
Another great Punisher book from Ennis and Dillon!
The Boys - Ennis went a bit overboard in places and quite often the joke was “haha, they do drugs and abuse people” which isn’t funny. And sometimes Ennis isn’t even as one-dimensional as that - have you read Dicks, his first comic with John McCrea? It’s just blandly stupid potty humour for no reason and it’s unreadable!
Ennis’ humour is crass, dark, and crude, and there’s a LOT of it in Army of One. But the difference is the joke is on individuals who aren’t real and are there to be laughed at, compared to groups of people Ennis point and laugh at in some of his lesser moments, eg. homosexuals or people born with learning difficulties (though the word “spackers” is freely tossed around in the first issue - it’s a derogatory term for someone with cerebral palsy). So, this one has a lot of off-colour humour in it, and not all of it works, but it’s ok to enjoy this one.
And we can all agree the French suck, right?
Alright, onto the review:
“So this is Christmas” deadpans Frank as he strangles a rapist, eyes not even fully open.
One of the greatest creative teams in comics, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, reunite for another brilliant Punisher book in Army of One. This is the Punisher Marvel Knights series, the unfairly out-of-print run (except for Welcome Back, Frank) that led into Ennis’ acclaimed The Punisher MAX series, which is actually MAX’s equal in terms of quality from what I’ve read of it.
Army of One is a rambling but compelling story that sees Frank save the European Union from a mad General with an atomic bomb. Along the way, Frank will have a brutal team-up with Spidey, fight a grotesque male Russian cyborg with giant bewbs, talk Detective Soap (yup, he’s back!) out of suicide, and take out a former Army buddy who once saved his life in ‘Nam.
It’s also an incredibly tasteless comic that I make no apologies for thoroughly enjoying. Ennis and Dillon bring so much pitch black humour and gory, righteous violence to the Punisher that it’s a delight to read. They manage to make Frank forklifting a cage full of men into the sea seem like a comedy routine (it’s alright, they were bad men)!
Ennis is in full-on gross-out humour for much of this book, bringing back his punching bag, Detective Soap, for a single sick joke where Soap unknowingly sleeps with his mother (yes, I laughed)! After re-introducing the Russian, this time with huge boobs - seemingly for no other reason than it’s funny to see a butch man with massive knockers? – Ennis throws in Spidey who instantly gets punched in the crotch! (If you haven’t read The Boys, it’s pretty clear from his Punisher books what Ennis thinks of the masks and tights that make up the Marvel Universe – there’s a reason there are no Avengers/X-Men books with Ennis’ name on!)
But it’s not just over-the-top in a funny sense, Ennis gives Frank an endless array of targets to kill with a ton of devastating toys. In no particular order, Frank disappears into a tropical island’s jungle and begins taking out scores of mercenaries by setting death traps; he blows up a plane; and, the coup de grace, kills thousands in one fell swoop. I think it was Anton Chekhov who said that if you introduce a gun into the story, the gun must at some point be fired; Ennis applies the same rule to a nuke.
After the comedic madness of the Soap issue and the excessive everything in the main storyline, Ennis shifts gears to a more solemn tone. There’s a one-shot where Frank has to put down an old army buddy who’s gone nuts and, having murdered his wife and kids, has begun killing anyone in his way. Frank talks to the reader about the man his friend used to be, who was a hero who saved his life, humanising him in a way that makes Frank’s task all the more poignant at the end of the chapter.
It sounds insane to go from farce to ultra-violence to slapstick to sombre realism, but Ennis manages it effortlessly here. It doesn’t feel awkward or out of place or even that surprising - that’s how talented a writer this guy is.
The one issue I didn’t think worked completely was the silent issue scripted/drawn by Steve Dillon that closes out the volume. It took me a couple reads to get what happened but even then it wasn’t that great. Dillon may be the definitive Punisher artist - and he is - but he needs Ennis, and vice versa.
Army of One is the funniest Marvel book I’ve read in quite some time. Maybe because Marvel just don’t push the boat out that much these days (this book’s over 10 years old) though it’s probably because there’s only one Garth Ennis. It’s definitely not for the kids but if you’ve got a flexible sense of humour and don’t mind a lot of twisted vulgarity in your comics, you’ll love this - I sure did!
Another great Punisher book from Ennis and Dillon!
June 1, 2019
Ennis and Dillon return to the Punisher with their trademark tasteless and crude humor... and it's hilarious. This story goes even more over the top than Welcome Back, Frank requiring more of a suspension of disbelief. The "team-up" with Spider-Man may be the greatest team-up in their long history of team-ups. Ennis's disdain of superheroes is quite apparent (later, even more explored in his The Boys).
May 4, 2021
Frank goes on a mission to eliminate all sort of evil people but he has to fight the russian again or go against General Kreigkoff and spoil his whole plan of bombarding EU and doing something on Grand Nixon Island and the whole thing was cool and after that he has to deal with and put down a friend who was having a breakdown and then there is this silent issue with him taking down a drug dealer topboss and its so good and well done, the art sequence there is just amazing. Great volume and it doesn't hold back on the brutality of it. Ennis writing is pure raw and channels the whole grit and bloodiness that a Frank castle book should be.
January 31, 2022
Spanning 12 issues, Volume 1 of The Punisher isn't limited to just a single story. There are 2 different story arcs and 3 single shots.
The first arc and two single shots by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon are incredibly violent, gritty, ridiculous and even funny (in a sick sense of way). They really succeed in bringing the Punisher to life.
The single shot by Ron Zimmerman was so utterly wasteful and forgettable, that I didn't even remember anything about it, by the time I finished the book.
'Taxi Wars' is the second story arc and does manage to be entertaining. However, it doesn't reach the height of standard left by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
The first arc and two single shots by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon are incredibly violent, gritty, ridiculous and even funny (in a sick sense of way). They really succeed in bringing the Punisher to life.
The single shot by Ron Zimmerman was so utterly wasteful and forgettable, that I didn't even remember anything about it, by the time I finished the book.
'Taxi Wars' is the second story arc and does manage to be entertaining. However, it doesn't reach the height of standard left by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
September 24, 2016
Although this is a different story, the readers get to meet some of the characters from the previous The Punisher, Vol. 1: Welcome Back, Frank.
After a run-in with in New York City, Frank follows him to Grand Nixon Island, which is inhabited by thousands of mercenaries under the command of one General Kreigkopf. Once on the island, Frank does what he does best, punish.
The sixth issue is about Frank trying to find one of his comrades from the Vietnam War who has lost his mind and has killed his family. The seventh issue is a silent one by Steve Dillon.
The book is full of Ennis' signature dark humor which I have grown to love more and more.
After a run-in with in New York City, Frank follows him to Grand Nixon Island, which is inhabited by thousands of mercenaries under the command of one General Kreigkopf. Once on the island, Frank does what he does best, punish.
The sixth issue is about Frank trying to find one of his comrades from the Vietnam War who has lost his mind and has killed his family. The seventh issue is a silent one by Steve Dillon.
The book is full of Ennis' signature dark humor which I have grown to love more and more.
November 1, 2015
Solid, gritty, though not as terrifying as the later MAX series.
Couple of one-off issues round out this solid book. One story of mercy in the dark recesses of the city, another - the Silent issue, which I think was a line-wide thing in 2002.
Ennis can craft a great story out of almost nothing and make me feel what's going through someone's head. Dillon surprisingly doesn't suck at storytelling either, when he's working without an Ennis script. Who knew?
Couple of one-off issues round out this solid book. One story of mercy in the dark recesses of the city, another - the Silent issue, which I think was a line-wide thing in 2002.
Ennis can craft a great story out of almost nothing and make me feel what's going through someone's head. Dillon surprisingly doesn't suck at storytelling either, when he's working without an Ennis script. Who knew?
May 24, 2021
Well, this was disappointing.
The first volume of The Punisher is an absolute masterpiece. I would even say the story is perfect. This volume? Eh. I mean, I guess it's okay.
While the first volume felt very planned out and focused, this book was all over the place. There are three storylines in this book; two little ones and one big one at the start. The "big" storyline was pretty dull. It opened in an interesting way but then went nowhere. The two smaller stories felt like they were written to fill in the space. Nothing remarkable at all.
To be honest though, the storyline wasn't really what disappointed me so much. The first book in this series had an arguably thinner premise (with The Punisher hunting down some random crime family) but what made that book so spectacular was the constant introduction of new elements and humour.
This volume had very little of either. There were very few jokes, and the jokes that were there relied heavily on characters from the previous volume.
Perhaps my expectations hurt my experience, but I still feel this book just doesn't reach any level of worth reading. Maybe the next volume will be better. We'll see.
The first volume of The Punisher is an absolute masterpiece. I would even say the story is perfect. This volume? Eh. I mean, I guess it's okay.
While the first volume felt very planned out and focused, this book was all over the place. There are three storylines in this book; two little ones and one big one at the start. The "big" storyline was pretty dull. It opened in an interesting way but then went nowhere. The two smaller stories felt like they were written to fill in the space. Nothing remarkable at all.
To be honest though, the storyline wasn't really what disappointed me so much. The first book in this series had an arguably thinner premise (with The Punisher hunting down some random crime family) but what made that book so spectacular was the constant introduction of new elements and humour.
This volume had very little of either. There were very few jokes, and the jokes that were there relied heavily on characters from the previous volume.
Perhaps my expectations hurt my experience, but I still feel this book just doesn't reach any level of worth reading. Maybe the next volume will be better. We'll see.
July 3, 2016
Well, the Russian was my least favorite part of the last Punisher volume, so I was disappointed to see him return here. Glad he is definitely (?) gone now... Other than that the story was fine. There's a funny Spider-Man team up, and plenty of violence.
November 5, 2022
welcome back, frank
February 17, 2025
The success of
Welcome Back, Frank
basically guaranteed Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon would get more opportunities making Punisher comics if they wanted to, and the result was the 2001 ongoing series under the Marvel Knights banner. "Army of One" collects the first seven issues of the series, all drawn by Dillon and inked by Jimmy Palmiotti.
"Army of One" really highlights the best and worst of Ennis' impulses as a writer. The stories can really dig into meaningful moments involving PTSD and the struggles of veterans, but then the crass humor can be dialed to a new level to deliver some of the more cringe-inducing (and poorly aging) sequences too. Issue #6 ("Do Not Fall in New York City") remains one of the strongest issues of the series, with Frank helping out a former comrade from the Vietnam War out in a poignant and heartfelt story. Similarly, the following issue (the wordless 'Nuff Said issue) shows the tragedy behind the street violence that claims unintended victims far too often. But amidst these stories are ones involving the return of the Russian, who has found for himself a new body that is meant to just serve as one big lewd joke. It's not really funny, though Ennis and Dillon clearly do since the joke is reframed several times over this volume.
The first issue serves to reset the baseline for the series following the events of Welcome Back, Frank, with Martin Soap being demoted from Commissioner back to the lead detective behind the Punisher task force. Talking Soap down from offing himself, Frank comes to an agreement to work with Soap to clean up the streets of New York. Frank's first full adventure in this ongoing series involves a blood-soaked team-up with Spider-Man, one that leaves the Wall-Crawler aghast at Punisher's crude sense of justice. Issues #3-5 take Frank abroad to Grand Nixon Island, a staging ground for an atomic strike on Brussels where a rogue paramilitary group hopes to destabilize the world. Capping off with the two strongest issues in the series, "Army of One" ends on a high note.
The 2001 Punisher series does, in many ways, serve as the staging ground for the much stronger Punisher MAX run down the line. You'll get plenty of Frank Castle stories that revel in the violence and slapstick crude humor, but also moments of sentimentality and somberness too. Ennis is without a doubt a talented writer, though perhaps a little inconsistent.
"Army of One" really highlights the best and worst of Ennis' impulses as a writer. The stories can really dig into meaningful moments involving PTSD and the struggles of veterans, but then the crass humor can be dialed to a new level to deliver some of the more cringe-inducing (and poorly aging) sequences too. Issue #6 ("Do Not Fall in New York City") remains one of the strongest issues of the series, with Frank helping out a former comrade from the Vietnam War out in a poignant and heartfelt story. Similarly, the following issue (the wordless 'Nuff Said issue) shows the tragedy behind the street violence that claims unintended victims far too often. But amidst these stories are ones involving the return of the Russian, who has found for himself a new body that is meant to just serve as one big lewd joke. It's not really funny, though Ennis and Dillon clearly do since the joke is reframed several times over this volume.
The first issue serves to reset the baseline for the series following the events of Welcome Back, Frank, with Martin Soap being demoted from Commissioner back to the lead detective behind the Punisher task force. Talking Soap down from offing himself, Frank comes to an agreement to work with Soap to clean up the streets of New York. Frank's first full adventure in this ongoing series involves a blood-soaked team-up with Spider-Man, one that leaves the Wall-Crawler aghast at Punisher's crude sense of justice. Issues #3-5 take Frank abroad to Grand Nixon Island, a staging ground for an atomic strike on Brussels where a rogue paramilitary group hopes to destabilize the world. Capping off with the two strongest issues in the series, "Army of One" ends on a high note.
The 2001 Punisher series does, in many ways, serve as the staging ground for the much stronger Punisher MAX run down the line. You'll get plenty of Frank Castle stories that revel in the violence and slapstick crude humor, but also moments of sentimentality and somberness too. Ennis is without a doubt a talented writer, though perhaps a little inconsistent.
Read
April 9, 2019Following the successful Welcome Back, Frank, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon waste no time delivering the goods for the Punisher Marvel Knights ongoing series. They kick things off with a five-issue story where Frank goes after a paramilitary group on a remote island. This one is basically a comedy, with hilarious cameos from Detective Soap, Spider-Man, and the (resurrected) Russian. Great pacing, great dialogue, great action all around. Then we get a powerful one-shot about Frank’s old war buddy losing it in New York, plus an equally affecting, if slightly confusing, silent issue helmed by Dillon. Ennis are Dillon are masters at crafting multi-issue epics, but I think these one-and-done Punisher stories often work just as well.
An excellent book.
An excellent book.
July 23, 2025
A tale of highs and lows...
This is a bunch of stories coupled together.
Some are more than one issue long, like the one where Punisher goes to an island to rescue a mob member, but others are one issue only.
I liked some of this very much.
For example the one where Punisher "helps" an old friend from Vietnam was really good.
Another one that was great was the one without words, I just did this art driven stories.
But my main issue with this book is the island story.
Why on earth would the world allow this island to exist? Is just stupid.
Also this book tries to get a lot of shock value for free with things like the Russian having breast. Just dumb and juvenile.
I keep being disappointed in the Punisher, I was hoping for peak comics and it's just meh up to this point.
This is a bunch of stories coupled together.
Some are more than one issue long, like the one where Punisher goes to an island to rescue a mob member, but others are one issue only.
I liked some of this very much.
For example the one where Punisher "helps" an old friend from Vietnam was really good.
Another one that was great was the one without words, I just did this art driven stories.
But my main issue with this book is the island story.
Why on earth would the world allow this island to exist? Is just stupid.
Also this book tries to get a lot of shock value for free with things like the Russian having breast. Just dumb and juvenile.
I keep being disappointed in the Punisher, I was hoping for peak comics and it's just meh up to this point.
April 14, 2025
Garth Ennis subverts the reader's expectations with the Punisher: Army of One by leaning into campness and takes Frank Castle off the streets of New York and puts him on a global adventure with the threat of World War III in the mix. Although this bold direction that Garth Ennis takes with the Punisher might not resonate with readers the same way his previous gritty and grounded story Welcome Back, Frank did. It certainly is a entertaining and intriguing follow up to one of the most definitive Punisher stories.
August 8, 2017
More ridiculous goodness. The Grand Nixon Island storyline has got to have one of the most hilariously excessive endings to an Ennis Punisher story, which is really saying something.
January 8, 2018
this was even more bizarre than the first volume yet, oddly, more entertaining too
February 14, 2019
Absolutely amazing!
June 27, 2021
There are some things in this one I'm not sure how I feel about, but overall it was a fun story and the wordless issue by Steve Dillon was a 10.
August 16, 2022
6/10
This story was a goofy continuation of the Russian's arc. It was fun but it was a little atmosphere-breaking.
This story was a goofy continuation of the Russian's arc. It was fun but it was a little atmosphere-breaking.
December 21, 2022
Really interesting story, loved the writing and pencils.
July 25, 2021
After being attacked by an enemy he thought to be definitively dead, the Punisher follows the trail of those behind the attack to the lawless Grand Nixon Island, where a sadistic general is plotting a devastating terrorist attack. His pursuit of the guilty ultimately leads Frank Castle to the halls of power in Washington itself.
I've always liked the Punisher (and Jon Bernthal is the definitive screen version, no matter what you say) as a great example of a character straddling the line between avenging hero and ruthless murderer but this was my first foray into the Marvel Knights era of the character and I was a little nervous to begin with, worried that it would just be too dark and gritty for my tastes.
As it turns out, Ennis brings a surprising amount of humour to this story and whilst some of it is a bit juvenile (the Russian's cybernetically enhanced body now has enormous breasts), there's more than enough wry humour, very much in the vein of 2000AD, to take the edge off of the extreme violence threaded throughout the book.
Ennis also stops the book from getting too dark by having Frank's enemies be unambiguously terrible people and absolutely deserving of punishment. As such, you find yourself almost gleeful at the brutal ends inflicted upon these heinous characters.
That's not to say there's not nuance, however, as Frank has to hunt down and confront a spree-killer who once heroically saved his life in Vietnam.
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I've always liked the Punisher (and Jon Bernthal is the definitive screen version, no matter what you say) as a great example of a character straddling the line between avenging hero and ruthless murderer but this was my first foray into the Marvel Knights era of the character and I was a little nervous to begin with, worried that it would just be too dark and gritty for my tastes.
As it turns out, Ennis brings a surprising amount of humour to this story and whilst some of it is a bit juvenile (the Russian's cybernetically enhanced body now has enormous breasts), there's more than enough wry humour, very much in the vein of 2000AD, to take the edge off of the extreme violence threaded throughout the book.
Ennis also stops the book from getting too dark by having Frank's enemies be unambiguously terrible people and absolutely deserving of punishment. As such, you find yourself almost gleeful at the brutal ends inflicted upon these heinous characters.
That's not to say there's not nuance, however, as Frank has to hunt down and confront a spree-killer who once heroically saved his life in Vietnam.
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October 6, 2021
Po zacnym powrocie Franka do łask komiksożerców nadszedł czas na kontynuację i przyznam, że Ennis zbił mnie nieco za pantałyku. Army of One jest o klasę gorsze od poprzednika. Tak jakby scenarzysta dostał zadyszki...
Castle kontynuuje swoje krwawe porachunki na terenie Nowego Yorku, nieświadom, że ktoś tam obserwuje go z ukrycia i koniec końców nadejdzie chwila konfrontacji z nieznajomym... Którym okazuje się nie kto inny jak obecny w poprzedniku Rosjanin... Serio...
Tyle, że Punisher w poprzednim tomie zrobił mu dość spore kuku, na tyle mocne, że jego obecność sprawia, że i tak przegięte przygody mściciela zaczynam traktować jako fantastykę bardziej niż kiedykolwiek. (neh, wcześniej były anioły, co się czepiasz, Krzychu).
Wszystko to sprawiło, że moje podejście do całości nieznacznie się zmieniło. Na gorsze. Rosjanin. Zmodyfikowany człowiek, o ciele kobiety z wyeksponowanymi nadmiernie dwoma elementami, którymi może sam się bawić (sic!). Co Ennis brał przy wymyślaniu takiego wątku. Nic tylko pozazdrościć. Dalej jest już ciekawiej, bo Punisher na chwilę łączy siły ze Spidermanem. Pajęczak nie robi tu zbyt wiele, ale scena gdy robi za "tarczę", bo jego ciało jest w stanie znieść więcej. Bezcenne. Szkoda, że takich momentów jest tu tak mało.
Nie długo potem Frank ląduje na pewnej wyspie, która wydaje się być wypełniona po brzegi bronią i najemnikami. Castle zbierze tutaj całkiem spore żniwo, tylko po to aby dorwać niejakiego byłego generała Kreigkopf, któremu zaczyna być bliżej terrorysty niż żołnierza. Druga część tomu była już o wiele lepsza, pozwalając Frankowi na zabawy w partyzantkę i takiego swoistego Rambo.
Drugi tom Punishera jest dość nierówny. Są tutaj fragmenty nudne, ale i takie przy których otwiera się oczy ze zdumienia (vide końcówka i metoda na załatwienie przeciwników). Uleciała gdzieś ta czysta radocha z pierwszego tomu, ale tutaj nie jest źle. Choć mogło by być lepiej.
Castle kontynuuje swoje krwawe porachunki na terenie Nowego Yorku, nieświadom, że ktoś tam obserwuje go z ukrycia i koniec końców nadejdzie chwila konfrontacji z nieznajomym... Którym okazuje się nie kto inny jak obecny w poprzedniku Rosjanin... Serio...
Tyle, że Punisher w poprzednim tomie zrobił mu dość spore kuku, na tyle mocne, że jego obecność sprawia, że i tak przegięte przygody mściciela zaczynam traktować jako fantastykę bardziej niż kiedykolwiek. (neh, wcześniej były anioły, co się czepiasz, Krzychu).
Wszystko to sprawiło, że moje podejście do całości nieznacznie się zmieniło. Na gorsze. Rosjanin. Zmodyfikowany człowiek, o ciele kobiety z wyeksponowanymi nadmiernie dwoma elementami, którymi może sam się bawić (sic!). Co Ennis brał przy wymyślaniu takiego wątku. Nic tylko pozazdrościć. Dalej jest już ciekawiej, bo Punisher na chwilę łączy siły ze Spidermanem. Pajęczak nie robi tu zbyt wiele, ale scena gdy robi za "tarczę", bo jego ciało jest w stanie znieść więcej. Bezcenne. Szkoda, że takich momentów jest tu tak mało.
Nie długo potem Frank ląduje na pewnej wyspie, która wydaje się być wypełniona po brzegi bronią i najemnikami. Castle zbierze tutaj całkiem spore żniwo, tylko po to aby dorwać niejakiego byłego generała Kreigkopf, któremu zaczyna być bliżej terrorysty niż żołnierza. Druga część tomu była już o wiele lepsza, pozwalając Frankowi na zabawy w partyzantkę i takiego swoistego Rambo.
Drugi tom Punishera jest dość nierówny. Są tutaj fragmenty nudne, ale i takie przy których otwiera się oczy ze zdumienia (vide końcówka i metoda na załatwienie przeciwników). Uleciała gdzieś ta czysta radocha z pierwszego tomu, ale tutaj nie jest źle. Choć mogło by być lepiej.
January 16, 2014
The Punisher, Vol. 1: Welcome Back, Frank was great, but this... is a letdown. With Ennis you've almost always got this awkward tension between compelling characterization and one-dimensional straw men, the latter too often being a venue for Ennis to indulge and revel in misappropriate cruelty. Preacher usually landed on the right side of this, as did Hitman, but there was one moment in particular here with Detective Soap (from the last volume) that really went out of bounds. Same with the French character; while Ennnis does actually find something legitimate to castigate the French for, and somewhat hedges with his French-bashing based on whose mouths he puts all the insults into, it's still... trite, I guess? Pandering, at best. And not really that funny. On top of that, the plots are a bit threadbare. I've read that Ennis' run doesn't really pick up until it's rebooted as a "Max" series; perhaps once he can go farther with the violence, he can rely less on caricature? Eh, we'll see... if I get that far.
June 21, 2016
The first five issues are largely forgettable schlock, but the last two issues, written post-9/11, are fascinating. I remember hanging in the comic shop the week following the tragedy, issue after issue a flood of somber-looking super heroes looking on at Ground Zero impotently. But not the Punisher. These two stories (the second, told entirely without dialogue) drive home that New York is a cess pool, an indifferent black hole that swallows young and old, good and evil alike. A meat grinder, where every citizen is turning the handle.
This feels profoundly ballsy in light of how nervous I remember storytellers and citizens alike were in the aftermath, unsure of what could and could not be said about the city or its people. So hats off to Mr. Ennis and not giving in to the then-tempting notion to have Frank Castle collapse in tears in front of the Statue of Liberty. Comic book characters don't need to be indistinct pieces in the machine of societal coping, they don't need to bend their "good" to the world's needs. And Lord knows, the last person we need to feign compassion is the Punisher.
This feels profoundly ballsy in light of how nervous I remember storytellers and citizens alike were in the aftermath, unsure of what could and could not be said about the city or its people. So hats off to Mr. Ennis and not giving in to the then-tempting notion to have Frank Castle collapse in tears in front of the Statue of Liberty. Comic book characters don't need to be indistinct pieces in the machine of societal coping, they don't need to bend their "good" to the world's needs. And Lord knows, the last person we need to feign compassion is the Punisher.
March 29, 2016
I never cared for the Punisher until Garth Ennis (with Steve Dillon and later Goran Parlov) took over the title. His oeuvre starts with Punisher Marvel Knights, 'Welcome Back, Frank', then his 37-issue run on the same title, and finally his 10-TPB Punisher Max collection. These books (including this book) fully embrace the dark, sociopathic worldview of a violent vigilante. Ennis's work is twisted, profane and irreverent and he was the perfect match for the Punisher. He turned a boring and predictable title into an exciting and dark-humoured surprise. If you don't like the Punisher, but you like Garth Ennis, check it out. If you don't like Garth Ennis, but you like the Punisher, check it out. If you don't like either, don't bother.
October 10, 2011
These Punishers Ennis did before Punisher was turned to a MAX title lack the last punch. Do not get me wrong. These are entertaining as hell. Funny and violent but also deep and tragic. But lacking the last uuumph.
September 3, 2010
You will laugh your ass off. How many books can guarantee that?
Read
August 11, 2011A decent Punisher collection,though not as good as the later Max volumes.The Wolverine appearance is played more for laughs than anything else .
April 10, 2013
Hvězdička navrch za Rusáka a Spider-Mana...
June 6, 2016
The "Don't Fall into New York" issue is a real highlight.
January 21, 2018
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3/5 stars}
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
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