In Punisher #2 from Marvel Comics, written by David Pepose with art by Dave Wachter, the new Punisher goes full Looney Tunes.
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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Punisher #2 Review:
There’s a new Punisher in town by the name of Joe Garrison, and he’s tracking down information on who killed his family, and why. Only, he might not like the answers he gets.
Host Pete LePage kicked things off joking about how Garrison seems uncomfortable with the Punisher label, even though he’s wearing essentially a Punisher costume, and punishing people. “Other than the fact that it’s the Punisher, but it’s not the Punisher… I would be having a lot more fun,” LePage said. “It’s a bad*ss book. It’s really cool. A lot of cool s**t happens. It’s got unbelievable art.”
Alex Zalben agreed, adding that “there’s a great twist here in terms of his origin that I thought was very nicely done… David Pepose scripts out a lot of very fun action sequences.”
“He’s having a blast with this,” LePage said. “You can tell, it jumps off the page.”
“There is a Looney Tunes-style bit that pays off so nicely in this book,” Zalben continued. He also enjoyed the “second-stringer villains” used in the book as well.
That all said, the hosts launched into a discussion of how, if the problem with The Punisher was everyone from militant cops to white nationalists co-opting the symbol of the character, that problem was not solved by putting a new guy in a similar outfit, doing similar things.
To be clear, the hosts weren’t throwing blame at the writers, artists, or even editors, who are in a difficult situation with the character. “But it’s hard to read this book without the impression of, ‘we took care of it. we took care of the problem,'” said Zalben, when obviously, they did not.
“I’m having a fun time reading it,” Zalben continued. “Maybe that was the idea, to get away from the whole Frank Castle of it all… Regardless, fun, twisty story, and I’m willing to follow this as long as it goes.”
Punisher #2 Official Synopsis:
NO ONE ESCAPES THE PUNISHER! Deep in the heart of New York City, the crime lord known as the Offer trades in every currency on the planet. Barricaded within his fortified tower, he is defended by an army of guards, the latest in cutting-edge security and a team of stone-cold super villains capable of slaughtering a battalion. With the limitless resources at his disposal, the Offer thinks he is untouchable. He’s about to learn that no one escapes the Punisher.
