Punisher #6
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Paul Azaceta (A/CA) Jesus Saiz
In Shops: Sep 07, 2022
SRP: $4.99
Frank Castle wants to end his war once and for all. But standing in his way is none other than the God of War himself, Ares, who sees the Punisher as his greatest disciple. A disciple who has forgotten his true self and must be reminded of the ways of war.
Punisher #6
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Paul Azaceta (A/CA) Jesus Saiz
In Shops: Sep 07, 2022
SRP: $4.99
Frank Castle wants to end his war once and for all. But standing in his way is none other than the God of War himself, Ares, who sees the Punisher as his greatest disciple. A disciple who has forgotten his true self and must be reminded of the ways of war.
Punisher #5
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Paul Azaceta (A/CA) Jesus Saiz
PARENTAL ADVISORY
In Shops: Aug 10, 2022
SRP: $4.99
Is the Punisher truly the Fist of the Beast and the predestined High Slayer of the Hand? Or is he nothing more than a prisoner of their lies? And if there’s one thing Frank Castle has never been particularly good at being…it’s a prisoner.
Punisher #4
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Paul Azaceta (A/CA) Jesus Saiz
PARENTAL ADVISORY
In Shops: Jul 13, 2022
SRP: $4.99
Frank Castle is determined to use the ninja warriors of the Hand to end his war once and for all. But the world’s newest and deadliest dealers in wildly powerful arms, the Apostles of War, are proving to be the Punisher’s toughest foes yet. And that’s not to mention the assassins Lady Bullseye and Lord Deathstrike who’ve been hired to expose the Punisher as a pretender to the throne of the Beast.
Punisher #3
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Paul Azaceta (A/CA) Jesus Saiz
PARENTAL ADVISORY
In Shops: May 25, 2022
SRP: $4.99
To finish his war once and for all, Frank Castle is molding the ninjas of the Hand into his own army of unstoppable killers, by teaching them the Way of the Punisher. The secret lies in a story from his past that he’s never revealed to anyone: the story of Frank’s first kill.
Punisher #2
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Paul Azaceta (A/CA) Jesus Saiz
PARENTAL ADVISORY
In Shops: Apr 27, 2022
SRP: $4.99
THE PUNISHER STORY TO END ALL PUNISHER STORIES CONTINUES!
The Hand has lost its way. What was once the world’s most fearsome organization of ninjas and killers has found itself defeated time and again by lesser foes. One priestess believes it’s because the Hand hasn’t had the proper leadership, the living embodiment of their dark god, the Beast. Enter the Punisher, the most accomplished murderer who has ever lived. A man determined to end his war, no matter what it takes.
Punisher #1
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Paul Azaceta (A/CA) Jesus Saiz
PARENTAL ADVISORY
In Shops: Mar 09, 2022
SRP: $5.99
WILL THE PUNISHER’S WAR END?
Born of tragedy. Devoted to war. Unstoppable in his rage. As the Punisher, Frank Castle has become the most accomplished killer the world has ever seen. Now it’s time for him to face his true destiny. What shocking secret from Frank’s past will convince him to take the reins of the Marvel Universe’s most notorious clan of assassins? And once Frank becomes the warlord of the deadly ninjas of the Hand, will it also mean an end for the Punisher? Or a whole new bloody beginning? Join the superstar team of writer Jason Aaron and artists Jes s Saiz and Paul Azaceta for an epic exploration of the dark and violent past and inevitable future of one of Marvel’s most iconic characters.
Punisher has felt like a character that has been kind of listless for a while now. He’s been a one-note character at times and when he’s deviated, it hasn’t really been good. He was an avenging angel, a take on Frankenstein’s monster, a Nazi fascist supporting Hydra, and now in Punisher #1, he’s the High Slayer for the Hand. Gone is the classic skull logo (sure to return one day) and in it’s place is… a different skull logo.
Written by Jason Aaron we get a bit of the past and the present in Punisher #1. We get a sense of the current focus on the Punisher and the Hand as well as how he came to be in his current position. Like far too many Batman and Spider-Man films, the comic opens with yet another perspective on the death of his family. It’s followed by an interesting collage of the character throughout the years skipping the three variations I mentioned above. Maybe we’re supposed to forget that? Maybe we’re subconsciously being told to eventually ignore and forget this variation as well? But I digress…
The comic is ok. We get the over the top violence we’d expect from the character and moments of levity like his pondering his need to learn how to use a sword better. Hasn’t he used one in the past? Whatever, there’s guns, lots of guns, and the Punisher generally going after a villain he’d be against. But, there feels like a disconnect here.
Why would the Punisher work with the Hand? He’s absolutely a character that embodies “the end justifies the means”. But, it still feels a bit weird. Thankfully Aaron gives us the “why”, but that doesn’t quite match up either. In a twist that has happened before the Punisher is offered something for his services and joining the Hand. It’s something he’s been offered… and rejected in a very memorable moment. No, not going to spoil it but hopefully Aaron will address the change of heart on this one.
Jesús Saiz and Paul Aza provide the art with colors by Dave Stewart and lettering by Cory Petit. The comic visually is pretty solid but feels a bit conservative in some ways. Hands get chopped off, so do heads, delivering some of the over-the-top violence we expect. Blood flies everywhere. But, there’s also not fetishistic dance of blood, gore, and destruction we’ve seen in previous comics. It’s on the bloodier side of things but generally about what we’d see in recent runs not written by Garth Ennis. It even feels dialed back at points focusing on the Punisher, his words and body language, than the action itself.
We may never know how much of the current co-opting of the character by the far right lead to this direction. But, it doesn’t quite feel like the Punisher. For a character who has had such an unwavering, black and white, view on crime, his current role makes him feel a bit like a hypocrite and a less interesting character.
Story: Jason Aaron Art: Jesús Saiz, Paul Azaceta
Color: Dave Stewart Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.8 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
Punisher #1
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Paul Azaceta (A/CA) Jesus Saiz
PARENTAL ADVISORY
In Shops: Mar 09, 2022
SRP: $5.99
WILL THE PUNISHER’S WAR END?
Born of tragedy. Devoted to war. Unstoppable in his rage. As the Punisher, Frank Castle has become the most accomplished killer the world has ever seen. Now it’s time for him to face his true destiny. What shocking secret from Frank’s past will convince him to take the reins of the Marvel Universe’s most notorious clan of assassins? And once Frank becomes the warlord of the deadly ninjas of the Hand, will it also mean an end for the Punisher? Or a whole new bloody beginning? Join the superstar team of writer Jason Aaron and artists Jes s Saiz and Paul Azaceta for an epic exploration of the dark and violent past and inevitable future of one of Marvel’s most iconic characters.
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Savage Land #5 (of 5)
(W) Zac Thompson (A) German Garcia, Alvaro Lopez (CA) Jesus Saiz
In Shops: Feb 02, 2022
SRP: $3.99
THE SLEEPER SERIES OF THE YEAR! AiPT calls it “visually stunning, luminous.” Comic-Watch.com says the series “isn’t at all what fans are expecting, and that’s an excellent thing.” Black Nerd Problems calls it a “subversive but fun book that questions its heroes and unpacks the history behind their rise.” Why are you still reading, True Believer? Get KA-ZAR on your pull list before you miss the stunning conclusion of the Plunders’ take-no-prisoners fight to save the Savage Land!
