Frank Castle’s most notorious foe, Jigsaw, is back – and this time, he’s not launching all-out assaults or wars in the street! Instead, he’s taking a more surgical approach to dismantling The Punisher, targeting his body, mind and soul with a game of death designed to spill innocent blood and to push Frank Castle to his absolute limit! The Punisher #2 feels like a piece of the bigger puzzle as it continues its reintroduction of these two classic characters.

Written by Benjamin Percy, The Punisher #2 is a good follow up to the debut continuing this new volume and direction for the character. It doesn’t quite stand on its own as an issue but still delivers some solid moments for Frank that feels like his classic ways, intimidating and leaving readers unsure as to what he’ll do next. Percy plays into a man hurting and desperate to find out answers as to why. While we don’t get the answer we’re looking for, we’re reminded of the abuse and wear he’s gone through, and at this point he’s a man driven by his obsession.

But, the issue is more than Frank as Percy lays the groundwork for whatever Jigsaw is planning. It’s been a long time since I read a comic with the character, but he always felt like the stooge as opposed to the heavy hitting villain. He was the weapon to real bad guy pointed at the Punisher. But, Percy seems to want to change that around having the character make a play to control the NYC underworld, which should create reverberations beyond just this series. It’s a solid next step for the character.

The art by Jose Luis Soares is good. With ink by Oren Junior, color by Frank D’Armata, and lettering by Cory Petit, the comic has a good look to it that delivers dark and dirty without it being hard to follow in the shadows or too depressing. The art works well for the vibe of the comic and you get a good sense of Frank’s struggles through the visuals. The Jigsaw reveals generally fall flat, never quite hitting like it’s wanted and instead move the moments along, explaining some details, as opposed to real surprises.

The Punisher #2 is a good second issue that builds off of the first and not rushing the story overall. It’s a piece of the puzzle that’ll hold up much better when all the issues are read together than on their own. Still, it’s nice to see this classic character back with a slightly new twist that adds a sense of vulnerability while also giving a classic villain a boost.

Story: Benjamin Percy Art: Jose Luis Soares
Ink: Oren Junior Color: Frank D’Armata Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

---

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle