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The Punisher By Greg Rucka, Vol. 2 (2012)

by Greg Rucka(Favorite Author)

3.93 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0785159207 (ISBN13: 9780785159209)

languge

English

genre

Graphic Novels & Comics

publisher

Marvel

series

The Punisher Vol. VIII

review 1: Definitely an improvement on Volume 1 - yay, more Rachel and biffy that actually makes sense - with the story beginning to spark. I do like the collaboration. Artwork still up and down, although my ambivalence about that probably has a bit to do with the gussying-up of Frank (he's far more blockbuster-lookingly-attractive than I like here... bit of worldworn would do far better I think... although that said, I do like being reminded of his injurability). Enjoyed the team-up with Spiderman and Daredevil, although the storyline is a bit of a mess and Daredevil's decisions make no sense whatsoever (I'm assuming hubris, solipsism and the inability to think things through is one of Matt Murdock's defining quirks...? no...?). Having read no Spiderman since I was a child, the... more "sassy teen" Spidey was a bit of a shock, but he grew on me. Motivated to chase that up, if nothing else. But overall... not sure where Rucka's going with Frank, and I'm still not getting a real sense of his overall vision of who he *is*, but we'll see. Willing to keep reading to find out, anyway.
review 2: Let's take a solid baseline of pure storytelling goodness (last volume) and add a great little multi-threaded thriller (with a tinge of mystery) to it. Especially when you add a highly-motivated, skilled and equally-morally-unburdened woman to the dynamic - one with a clear line of sight to good reason to want to get in the middle of the punishing. Keep the gritty, noir-ish tone of the storytelling and the look of the scenography. I'm telling you folks, it's damned hard to out it down long enough to capture these thoughts, but I feel compelled to share my reactions as they're hitting me unbidden.There's a touch of Maleev in this artwork - something I quite admire, and welcome here too as a way to establish the fuzzy lines in this world between "good" and "bad".The way they end issue nine, I can't help but have a wide grin on my face. Don't know exactly why I feel gleeful at that moment, but I just do. Something about the poetry of seeing people doing exactly what they're best at, no filters between me and a clean display of their raw talent.The best surprise of this book was seeing the Spidey/DD team-up. Note-perfect dialogue from Peter and Matt - and freakin hilarious to boot. When did Rucka channel this kind of sense of humour? Dry, bitter, gravelly has been there all along - but nervous Spidey banter? Awesome.Fascinating how this arc ended up focusing on Sgt. Cole-Alves, and gave us a moral balance point to slowly spiral around. I'm not entirely sure about the fact that minor soliloquising and narrating showed up late in this book - necessary for a multi-part story that crosses over different books.I can't entirely account for my consistency here - I love the deep examinations of Frank's "character" from Ennis and Aaron, and while I expected Rucka to look deep into Frank as well, the Punisher micro-verse that we get here was an unexpected pleasure even without as much Frank-specific story. Each writer who's followed Ennis on Punisher (Aaron, Remender and probably Rucka as well) are very clearly intimidated by how long and well Ennis' run worked, and wanting to not try to tell the same story (for fear of doing it no better and probably a pale shadow). Each has tried to find their own version of Frank that they can write well and keep from being called an imitator, which must be getting harder as they each map out a specific type of Punisher story.For Rucka, this is exactly the kind of Punisher story that he would tell - using the main character as a canvas upon which to illustrate other stories (Cole, Winters, Bolt, Ozzy) of nuanced characters grappling with their own morality. I think Rucka does this job very well (no half-assed writer's tics - an honest investment in these characters) - very much in the same vein as he and Brubaker did on their seminal run on Gotham Central. less

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