The origin of the Kingpin comes to a shocking and bloody finale with this issue. Would you have expected anything less? Wilson Fisk’s plan to set himself up as the Kingpin of Crime has come to fruition except for one final, crucial element: Don Rigoletto, who has managed to escape Fisk’s clutches. As Fisk rushes home to find Don Rigoletto holding his wife Vanessa and their son Richard hostage, The Punisher does everything he can to keep from dying. He finally met up with The Mennonite last issue and pretty much had his ass handed to him. Now it’s time for a final showdown. Hard choices lead to even harsher realities and no one walks out of this story unchanged.
Ever since this story began in PunisherMax #1, readers have been treated to an unflinching look at one man’s rise to power at any cost. It’s been a long, slow build to this climax, which delivers a gushing money shot all over the reader’s face. Wilson Fisk’s true motivations are revealed and we get a look at a brutal man who is far removed from his 616 counterpart and probably 10 times as deadly.
Like the rest of the series, the Kingpin is treated as a character that might actually exist in the real world. No fancy gadgets or high-tech equipment and no simple, black and white motivations. He’s been through a world of shit and come out the other side as evil and corrupt as anyone can get. As this story has progressed, I’ve found myself enraptured by his tale and on some level, even found myself rooting for the guy. But with this issue, there’s just no doubt: he’s pure evil and someone of whom we should be terrified. Kudos to Jason Aaron for finding a way to portray such evil on the page.
As for the other side of the story, we’ve got Frank Castle picking up teeth with broken fingers. And yes, that was a metaphor; he never tries to pick up his teeth (even though he does have broken fingers). The point I’m trying to make is that the guy is hanging on by the skin of his teeth in his battle with The Mennonite.
Cover art to PUNISHER MAX #5 by Dave Johnson
Like I said earlier about the “real world approach” this book takes, one gets a sense of real danger during this battle. You can feel every broken rib and bruise, every torn muscle and loosened tooth. But despite the brutality and realism, there’s still a sense of humor… at least, I thought it was funny to see The Mennonite chasing Frank in a horse-drawn buggy.
In the end, we get three men doing battle with each other, all of them so caught up in the mess that their lives have become that they find themselves sacrificing the things most important to them and losing a bit of their souls. The toll that is taken is a heavy one and leaves some deep scars.
And on that note, I’m going to go watch some cartoons. Maybe play with some Care Bears or something… PunisherMax is fantastic, but this storyline left me feeling like I bashed a sack of kittens against a wall.
I didn't think anyone would top Ennis' work, but Aaron is making a go. I'll reserve judgement until issue #60.
If not for the amazing work on this arc I would have tossed the book aside in disgust upon the big reveal on the last page, but if they can do the same with this character as they did with Kingpin I'm all in.
Thanks, Darth. Not only did the Punisher fail to beat the 'Pin, he only defeated The Mennonite through sheer dumb luck. If The Mennonite hadn't decided to ditch his beliefs and use guns again (I thought it was a nice touch that this is what did him in), Frank would've been dead by the end of the issue - no doubt.
In this world, Frank has been at it since Vietnam, so it only makes sense that he's slowing down. Jason Aaron has touched on this in interviews: apparently we're going to see the effects that a fight like this has on a 60 year old man. I'm really digging this book, as well as FrankenCastle - first time I've said that since I was in high school!
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"delivers a gushing money shot all over the reader’s face" Nice. Accurate too.
This has already become my favorite Punisher story. Punihser does nothing to slow Kingpin's rise to power and gets his ass handed to him for his trouble. I like that there are things bigger than the Punisher. He can't just shoot all the bad guys and walk away.
Great review on a great comic!
"Nobody touches my guns."