Franken-Castle #19

Franken-Castle and Dark Wolverine battle it out in an end-all be-all fight to the death.

The Good

Overall, I did mildly enjoy this book, mainly because it was 100% ridiculous. People are getting hit by trains, chainsaws are run through torsos, explosions, gun shots, and so much more. It's like watching a cheesy over-the-top 80s action film starring Dolph Lungren... (The Punisher?) It's back and forth one-liner dialogue featuring stabbing. If this were an independant book, featuring two characters I've never heard of, I would have scored it a 3 or 3.5. Sadly, this is two b-list heroes in the Marvel Universe.

The Bad

Everything about the two featured people in this book was completely out-of-character. Daken seemed more of a Deadpool clone than anything: making jokes, dumb grin on his face, and more one-liners than a Smothers Brothers concert. As for Franken-Castle, I just don't care for him. The Punisher is one of my favorite Marvel characters, if done correctly. (See Ennis' Punisher run) Other than that, the character falls flat easily, especially in this book. It's a lame gimmick, and I already feel as though they're beating a dead horse with the Frankenstein meets Frank Castle stuff. I do like the art, but not for this book. It feels too comical, and the writing does a tad too, but it's just not funny. This whole story is just a bad idea.

The Verdict 2/5

I feel like I'm laughing at this book, rather than with it, and I'm not mocking it. I think the over-the-top action is the only saving grace to this book, but that's just because I really enjoy 80s action flicks. Best advice I can offer is to pass on this book. Just ignore it and wait for Punisher to become Punisher again.