Despite being killed and having his corpse sewn together and resurrected as a shambling monstrosity, Frank Castle continues to punish the wicked, proving that you just can’t keep a good vigilante down. Armed with an endless supply of weaponry as well as the Bloodstone and aided by his tech-savvy partner Henry, Franken-Castle unleashes his fury on the man who killed him – Wolverine’s son Daken. Having tracked the Dark Wolverine to Tokyo, Franken-Castle initiates the throw-down of the century. But has he bitten off more than he can chew?
With all of the EC Comics and Warren Publishing homages out of the way in the first arc, Rick Remender moves back into familiar Punisher territory with the “Punishment” storyline, returning Frank to his roots as the world’s preeminent doler of justice. But just because Frank isn’t riding a dragon and battling cyber-samurai, don’t think for a minute that the monster mash has wrapped up. This issue features a battle the likes of which hasn’t been seen since King Kong squared off against Godzilla (which makes the Tokyo backdrop all the more fitting).
Think about it – nobody kicks more ass than the Punisher and Wolverine, but a typical fight between the two would be pretty one-sided, right? Not when the Wolverine in question is younger, more impetuous and a whole lot more cocky while Frank is a big ol’ monster that can take an adamantium claw or two through the chest and keep on tickin’. And if 22 pages of monsters fighting is your cup of tea, then this issue oughtta be right up your alley. Because that’s exactly what it is. No frills, no bull - just two monsters kicking the living $#!* out of each other for an entire issue.
This issue also heralds the return of one of my favorite artists, the great Tony Moore, to the pages of Franken-Castle. Anyone familiar with Moore’s artwork knows he can draw a monster better than damn near anybody and he and Remender fit together like a hand and a glove, like peanut butter and jelly, like … well, like two things that fit together perfectly, that’s what.
Cover art to FRANKEN-CASTLE #19 by Simone Bianchi
Despite the unending carnage unleashed throughout this issue (Punji stick pits, grenades, a face full of Buick and even the old third rail on the subway tracks trick), there is a real sense of humor throughout this issue. Moore manages to bring a sense of whimsy to the grotesque and his artwork is as tongue-in-cheek as it is detailed. It’s just SO over-the-top that you can’t help buy smile, a fact punctuated by Remender’s dialogue. Whether it’s the barrage of one-liners Frank and Daken throw at each other, the absurd levels of violence in the script or Frank mocking Daken’s hair and tribal tattoo, Rick Remender’s Punisher (or Franken-Castle, as it were) is both an excellent Punisher story and something of a spoof of the over-the-top violent characters we’ve come to love in our four-color comics.
But mostly it’s just fun. Tons and tons of fun. I was brought on board because of the re-teaming of the Fear Agent creators and the absurdity of the whole Franken-Castle idea. I stayed on board because I loved the way these guys referenced everything from Universal Monsters to Toho movies to Marvel’s cheesy-ass ‘70s horror comics. At this point, I’m just hooked – line and sinker. No matter what the age, all men have a 12-year-old boy lurking within their soul. Moore and Remender manage to extract that young spirit and distill its essence into 22 pages of violence, humor and gore. God bless them.
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The Punisher is a pretty awful character to begin with but I guess I can understand why some people are drawn to the idea of a guy with no special powers who is able to dish out "justice". Now that he's been turned into some kind of cyborg frankenstein, I expect he'll lose all remaining appeal. At least maybe they'll stop trying to make movies about him.