Punisher Max #10
The NYPD declares war on Frank and The Kingpin decides that Bullseye's too much of a liability and that his services will no longer be required.
The Good
I've been enjoying these covers by Dave Johnson, especially the Bullseye themed covers of the past few issues.
I've loved Steve Dillon's artwork since the first page of preacher. In fact, the only reason I picked up this series was because I saw his name on the cover. I think his art style is perfectly suited for the Punisher's world. It's very cartoony but not silly, if that makes any sense, and a perfect fit for the over the top action of the Punisher.
Following up Garth Ennis' landmark and mammoth run is no simple feat. In fact, it's quite the herculean task, but Aaron manages to jump in and capture most of the things that made Ennis' run so amazing while making his own imprints along the way. Aaron's Max is very much a spiritual successor to Ennis', especially his portrayal of Frank Castle. Under Aaron's pen Frank is a force of nature, the living embodiment of war, a man possessed.
The highlight of Aaron's run has to be his take on some of Marvel's iconic villains. Last arc he did an amazing job of re-imagining the Kingpin for the Max universe. This arc he's done the same for Bullseye, in fact, I 'd say he's done an even better job of it. Aaron's Bullseye is everything I loved about the 616 version with a bit more insanity thrown into the mix. Take 616 Bullseye's skills and toss in Anton's singular focus on his target in No Country for Old Men and you'd have a rough idea of who Aaron's Bullseye is. I mean this guy's bat crap cuckoo cuckoo, people. And I absolutely love it! Every page with this guy is a truly a treat. He's an unhinged lunatic who's as lethal as he's insane. His life is now so totally dedicated to killing Frank that he's "becoming" Frank. In previous issues he's gone as far as to kidnap himself a few families and have them killed in order to understand what makes Frank tick.
Kingpin's been growing more and more concerned by Bullseye's unconventional methods. They're bad for business, and Wilson Fisk is a man who's all about his business. Kingpin finally decides that something has to be done about Bullseye, something along the line of termination. Well it doesn't quite work out that way. Even in his obsessed, trance like state he's a major force to be reckoned with. While he's "talking to Frank" Bullseye dismantles Kingpin's would be assassins as easily as he would a M-16, even managing to bring Kingpin to his knees.
In the midst of his insane ramblings Bullseye stumbles upon the answer to the riddle that is Frank Castle. This revelation really took me by surprise, not the discovery itself, but how I have missed it all these years. Thanks to this series I'll never look at Punisher the same again.
The Bad
Despite being the star of this series Frank reads more like an idea than a man. This series has been more about what he is than who he is. And while I liked the way Ennis went about doing that, Aaron has yet to find a way to effectively do so. While I fully commend what he's done with Punisher's villains during his run, he's left much to be desired in his characterization of Frank. Franks more like a piece of scenery that the other characters react to. Frank's foes and allies are much more fleshed out than he is. I get that Frank's a force of nature, an unstoppable juggernaut of violence and rage, but who's the man behind the mask?
The irregular schedule of this title has been more than a bit annoying. Issues come out so irregularly that I thought it had been cancelled.
The Verdict
Buy This Comic!!!
While Aaron's Punisher leaves something to be desired, he's hitting all the right notes on his villains and supporting cast. I didn't expect anybody to step into Garth Ennis' big boots and continue making this title as fun to read, but Aaron's managed to do so and that's a very, very huge accomplishment.
