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Ennis is hit or miss with me. Either he writes dark, brooding, serious fare; or he's going goofball on us with characters that are silly and corny.
Though Garth Ennis will conclude his run on The Punisher in a few issues, in this 54th installment, he almost writes the last word on the character. Barracuda – the mercenary ex-Army-Airborne-Ranger – wants to destroy Frank Castle. Several issues ago, Castle beat Barracuda and left him for dead in a watery grave. Unbeknownst to the Punisher, his adversary survived and planned the worst revenge possible – killing his daughter in front of him. Even before his fight with Barracuda, Castle had a brief battlefield liaison with an American woman in Afghanistan that resulted in a daughter he has never known. The mother left the child with her sister in California, where Barracuda located and kidnapped the child. By this issue, Castle has fought harder than he ever has in his life to save the last shred of humanity left in him. By this issue, he and Barracuda have respectively tortured each other nearly to the point of death. But, ultimately, the decision Castle makes about his daughter’s future almost closes the book on the character, and confirms what we’ve always suspected. Frank Castle became the Punisher after losing his family. But, he has descended too far into the abyss to return. Even if his family rose from the grave, he could never let the Punisher die.
Garth Ennis has often written The Punisher with noticeable emphasis on the supporting characters and their reaction to Frank Castle. In the last couple of arcs, he has focused more on Castle’s experience. It’s served the series well, but only confirms what anyone familiar with the character already knows – that the Punisher consumed him years ago, and that the character stands beyond redemption. While writing about such a character seems almost unnecessary – what more is there to say about him? – but Ennis unabashedly explores the dark heart of a man that has abdicated his humanity in his pursuit of an ideal. That ideal sounds twisted and loathsome to anyone with their morals in tact, but it takes a skilled writer to make a character that espouses it interesting. This issue seals the deal, as Castle remarks at its close, “And I drive on through the shadows of America – through the long, cold, dark night that I’ve made of my life.” It seems nihilistic, defeatist, and depressing, but it’s also cautionary. If nothing else, reminds the reader that ideals sometimes consume the soul and replace the people that hold them.
Goran Parlov provides some appropriate, if not terribly pleasant, art. He throws angles and overwrought exaggeration around like a rich drunk buying rounds for everyone in sight. Muscular arms look like Christmas hams with fists on the end. Blood splatters in specks and streaks across the panel. It’s not pretty to look at, but it’s not supposed to be. Most of the time, it serves the story, but on occasion, it just looks overwrought. Ultimately, The Punisher remains Garth Ennis’s show, no matter who draws it.
This arc should see a trade paperback release shortly. I’d recommend picking up the last arc with Barracuda for reference, if you want to start with this series.
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