Hammerhead? No. Punisher? Yes.
I'm a newcomer to the Brand New day variety of Spider-Man. While Dan Slott's regular run on Amazing starting with Big Time caught my attention and made me a true believer, I hadn't really read Amazing Spider-Man since the middle of the Clone Saga. Once Slott had his claws in me, I decided to go back and check out everything from the beginning of Brand New Day.
While I found this volume to be entertaining, it wasn't spectacular. That reaction really comes down to two factors: Hammerhead and Chris Bachalo's art. Hammerhead has never interested me. In a universe of morally and entertainingly interesting villains, Hammerhead pretty much ranks somewhere near the bottom. He's a guy who essentially rams things with his head. Rhino does that pretty good himself and he seems like a more entertaining character to read. I have to give the creators points for trying to make Hammerhead somewhat interesting, but the essential kernel of the character is still dull, blunt headbutting.
While I'm usually a fan of Bachalo's art, it totally falls flat here. Things seem to get rushed and confusing during the middle of each issue. I'm not sure if that's because it was legitimately a rushed job or if something just wasn't clicking for me. Regardless, I felt like it was a serious drag on an otherwise above average story.
The final story in this volume was a real treat. I fancy myself as a Punisher aficionado and feel like this was one of the best Punisher/Spider-Man stories ever told. It's funny and has great pacing. While the entire trade gets a three-star average, this final story is definitely a five-star story and worth reading for anyone interested in good team-up stories. Skip the rest and seek out this issue solo.