The Punisher #1
Marvel Comics
Written by: Becky Cloonan
Art by: Steve Dillon
The title says it all, in this first issue of The Punisher, Frank Castle is back! An organization is selling drugs that give the user powers but the DEA is on the case and ready to stop them. That’s until the Punisher beats them to it killing everyone in his path except an old CO named Olaf. The issue closes with a psycho sadist named “The Face” being tasked with taking out the Punisher. As usual my summary will never do this issue justice so please do yourself a favor and buy it.
Diving straight in I love this comic. The creative team of writer Becky Cloonan and returning Punisher artist Steve Dillon nailed it with this issue! Starting with Cloonan who came out swinging with a strong start to what I hope will be a long series. This is my first introduction to her work and I have to say I’m impressed. Everything we learn about the Punisher is said by side characters, Frank doesn’t say a single word, not even a grunt. I love that version of Castle, a man with extreme focus and rage on his own mission to kill bad people. Cloonan seems to get this character in a way that hasn’t been done in a while, it’s refreshing.
Steve Dillon is the returning artist who’s i worked on the Punisher in the past with Garth Ennis, Daniel Way, Jason Aaron and now Cloonan. Art in my opinion can be hard to judge because it is just an opinion and that can change person to person. That being said I really liked Dillon’s art in this issue. His facial expressions were spot on along with his intense depictions of action. He also draws my favorite depiction of Castle as a man in peak physical condition but not larger than life; he is believable yet intimidating.
To close this out I’ll say the Punisher is one of my favorite Marvel characters and it’s great to see him handled well. Moving forward I can’t wait to see what this creative team puts out. As always, do yourself a favor and buy this book.