“The Punisher” #1

Frank Castle is on a new journey. A new mission has been laid before his feet and he has taken it on without question. Some Spoilers Ahead

Cover by Jesús Saíz

Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by Jesús Saíz & Paul Azaceta
Colored by Dave Stewart
Lettered by VC’s Cory Petit

The world knows Frank Castle; they know his story, and they know him as The Punisher. With this new series readers are reacquainted with the man behind the skull as he takes on a new role, a new mission, and a new suit as the newly named Fist of the Beast for the ninja clan known as The Hand.

Writer Jason Aaron is no stranger to revitalizing long existing characters for Marvel, as his runs on books like “The Mighty Thor” and “Ghost Rider” are both highly acclaimed and highly regarded as some of the best story arcs for those beloved characters. Now returning to another character he took on years ago, Aaron’s new look at The Punisher is set to shake things up not only within the story, but within fandom. And while there are quite a few new things on deck for Frank in this opening issue, Aaron takes us back to the beginning to give new and old readers some familiar table setting before taking us on this new journey.

Having us relive the worst day of Castle’s life from the first page could feel stale as many writer/artist teams have decided to include that within their pages, but because it is such a terrible and haunting sequence, even done once again in this very issue, it never feels cheap or unnecessary. It also helps achieve the wanted payoff at the end of this first issue. The first three pages of this hefty 40 page premiere give us the deaths of Frank’s wife and children, from inside his head. We are Frank lying on the ground with paramedics and police standing over him, trying to save his life as he hears that his children are dead and his wife Maria will soon be joining them, even with the attempts to save her. It is just as powerful as it has ever been and because it’s only three pages, all of the harrowing emotion is there in front of us and then ripped away as Frank’s family dies and he loses consciousness. The artwork on these opening pages is done by Paul Azaceta (“Outcast”). His style, being so different from Saíz’s, gives these moments their own other-worldly feel, set apart from the rest of the issue. The lines are excited, rushed, and hazy. The color work is flushed, paler than what’s to come. The art leaves this moment in the past. This sequence is followed by a double splash page of panels and covers from all throughout the history of “The Punisher.” These pages and moments are there to remind us or to show new readers that that terrible and senseless loss of life is what spawned decades of mass killings, and all the things The Punisher has done, good and bad. Because Frank Castle is a completely broken man and his pain is what has fueled his blood soaked crusade for so long, it’s important to show that here once again and to dig into his anger and total selfishness.

For those thinking that this new era of Marvel would be softer or pull punches, even with this character, have nothing to worry about. As this new series starts, an organization known as the Apostles of War are moving mass amounts of weapons and ammunition around the world to help fuel every fight, battle, and war they can get their tentacles into. Filling in a void left behind by Hydra, Warlord, Hate Monger, and more, the Apostles not only believe that they have a right to this power, but that their plans, their weapons, and all wars are holy and ordained by the highest power. While there have been many similar groups throughout comic book storytelling, we typically get something like this in a superhero title like “Thor” or “Daredevil.” Once the Punisher arrives on the scene it is clear that not only is he prepared for a fight of this scale, but that he has been on a path of destruction taking down similarly powerful operations.

After some brutal violence and the reveal that Frank has the full support of The Hand and some killer new duds (yes it’s to boost sales, yes it’s to mock a certain sub-culture, yes the suit makes sense within the confines of the story, yes it looks great), he returns to the Hand’s citadel to give his report to their leader. This is a new and intriguing look for Castle. While he was clearly in charge of the mission, and handled himself in battle as we are accustomed, seeing him return as an underling to someone else feels quite different for someone who is typically the definitive lone wolf type. Aaron’s writing walks the line of having this make total sense even without explanation, and almost making it feel like Castle is on a leash of sorts, but by choice. It compels you to keep turning the page. Even with moments of The Hand telling him to execute prisoners they’ve acquired simply based on their word that they are men who escaped justice. Their lives will be taken either by Frank personally or any one of the ninja that serve The Hand. He chooses to do it himself, and while there is no indication that they are lying, Frank takes the lives of these men without question. It feels very out of place for even him, a mass killer – the King of Killers as The Hand so appropriately calls him. I can’t help but be reminded of a very similar sequence in 2005’s Batman Begins in which a still training Bruce Wayne, under the tutelage of Ra’s al Ghul, is told to kill a thief who became a murderer, but turns down the offer, refusing to believe that execution and justice always go hand in hand. Of course Batman and The Punisher are wildly different in their morals, goals, and missions, but even Frank Castle typically looks at a situation from all sides.

After this moment we are shown the how of The Hand recruiting Frank, but it isn’t until the very end of this issue that we are given the why. From this point forward the issue puts the dialogue in the back seat, giving us just enough to flesh out The Hand’s motives, but the art by Saíz gives us the majority of what we need to know. Weeks earlier The Hand invaded Frank’s apartment as a test, to see how many of their ranks he could take out to prove his worth, or to succumb and die by their weapons. The action is gorgeous and feels dangerous, but in an interesting way it never feels kinetic or overly energetic like it could jump off the page. It feels like a series of still telling the story rather than attempting to achieve full movement. It jumps from one moment to the next, never giving us every beat of the fight. A clang of swords in one panel leaps to a face punch in the next, then to the muzzle flash from a gun. This is not a criticism. It is a fascinating way to stage a major fight sequence in a comic. The passion and emotion is all there and because a lot of the panels are not sequentially showing us every single moment, it feels like anything could happen from one box to the next.

As the story moves between Frank’s quiet reflection on the here and now after the set of executions and The Hand leader’s reflection on how they came to have Frank as an asset, all of the big emotions and movement comes to a joined calm by the final moments. A calm within Frank that we may have never seen until this point. And it is at this point that a major, and unexpected, reveal is made within the final pages. And once again Aaron balances a few spinning plates that could all come crashing down if he chooses the wrong way to tell this story. The line between gimmick and exciting narrative is a thin one, and thankfully we have a great author and art team on this book.

Final Verdict: 8.0, A strong start to a new chapter in Frank Castle’s life and mission with some truly unexpected twists that could make this series soar or come crashing down through its attempts at something new.