Comic Vine Review

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The Punisher #11 - Boiling Point

4

With crime spilling into Los Angeles' streets, who will protect the city now that Punisher's gone?

The Good

One of my favorite things about THE PUNISHER #11 is it doesn't feel like a single page is wasted. On each and every page, writer Nathan Edmondson is doing something to move the plot forward. And you know what? I'm totally immersed in this crime-infested world and want to see more and more of it. While I will say the prison plot feels like it's resolved a little too swiftly, I do question how much longer that could have lasted and it does successfully shed more light on why Castle was even there in the first place. It wasn't the most expansive plot around, but it felt like proper follow-up to his time with Black Widow and allows for a familiar face to reenter the picture. It's unclear just how long this character will stay in the story, but it does generate a more humanizing scene with Frank Castle. When we think of the Punisher, we often think of a man who will go through anything to complete his objective. He's almost more machine than man when it comes to all he's endured throughout the years. However, after everything he's encountered, you can't blame him for showing a brief sign of weakness while he's talking with someone he trusts. He is human, after all. If anything, what he does to escape the prison should counter any ideas of Frank going soft.

Artist Mitch Gerads (Matthew Wilson helped with colors) presents an impressively cinematic experience for our eyes. I really, really like many of the layouts and how they focus on individual actions. The character's actions are very precise and this makes the experience feel more fluid and prevents it from ever seeming static. I'm a big fan of how he handles Frank, too. The anti-hero always looks like he's been through hell and won't stand for any nonsense, even when he's just talking on the phone. It's a fitting for the guy, isn't it? There's quite a few panels where vibrant colors fill up the background and ooze into the environment and it's appropriate for what's going on. I enjoyed the shade of blue that filled the prison as Frank interrogated Ruiz and the bright shades of red perfectly complimented the violent strikes. There's a panel of a bloodied Frank being dragged away and the entire panel's just white and red. It's so simple but the strong contrast makes the moment so much more powerful.

The Bad

I can't help but feel like the Howling Commandos are the weak point of this series. We may get some major payoff down the road, but as of right now, it seems like they just randomly pop in and out of the picture. However, the name of the person they're looking for has me curious to see what Edmondson has in store for us.

As much as I enjoy the artwork, the first panel had something very distracting: floating heads on the seats. Now, it's just one panel so it's not a big deal, but we're talking about the very first panel of the comic. It looks like they were rushed in well after the panel was seemingly finished. When you're reading a digital copy which expands each panel, something like this really does stand out.

Man, Officer Stone can't catch a break, can she? Just when we think she's finally going to begin this badass mission, she's busted by her fellow cops? I'm sure there's plenty of good stuff to come, but I'm hoping this isn't the last we see of Stone taking action.

The Verdict

THE PUNISHER #11 is plot-heavy and never lost sight of my attention. This story arc has so many pieces in motion, but it doesn't feel convoluted at all. It keeps a firm focus on giving us more insight into Frank Castle while successfully balancing interesting developments with the supporting characters and villains. New readers may feel a tad lost, but the way it's written gives you everything you really need to know. For example, you'll have no idea who the cameo is, but you'll understand the relationship the character has with Frank. Edmondson and Gerads may not be doing anything drastically new with the character, but what they are doing is gripping and incredibly entertaining.