Brief Mentions: Punisher Finds a Second Wind

Punisher #63
Written By: Gregg Hurwitz
Art By: Laurence Campbell

As I wipe away the tears caused by the end of Garth Ennis’ Punisher run, I can’t imagine how any writer could follow such a series. Several months ago, I discovered that with issue #61, Gregg Hurwitz (Foolkiller) would be taking the wheel. Unfamiliar with his work, both in comics and his best-selling crime novels, I was wary. I was on the fence whether I wanted to continue with the series or not. In the end, I decided to give issue #61 a chance. It was strange not seeing a Tim Bradstreet cover as I’ve been accustomed to seeing over the years, but Dave Johnson does a great job make it intriguing and complex. The first two issues of this series were good and kept me wanting more. Hurwitz has a good sense of the character and what makes the Frank Castle the character he is. This week, issue #63 (part three in the “Girls in White Dresses” story arc) hit the stores. This is the best issue yet. The setting is a small town in Mexico in which disappearances and kidnapping have ravaged the community and forced the residents to employ someone whom they heard takes the law into his own hands – The Punisher. We see the Punisher close to defeat in this issue and biting steel periodically throughout. What happens when you become your enemy? That’s the question that is raised in this issue. With a great story and the extreme violence that we’ve all have come to love from the MAX series. Laurence Campbell (2000 AD) adds a great look to this book. The use of dark, neutral colors makes the book feel like a Punisher story. I can continue to talk about how great this issue was but the true reason for writing this article is to get people to go pick up this book. Whether you don’t read Punisher at all or you stopped at issue sixty (…Rob…) let me assure you - The Punisher is still in full swing.