In the latest edition of Comics to Read Before You Die, Jessie Robertson looks at The Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank…
Collected in The Punisher Vol. 4 #1-12 (Apr 2000- March 2001)
Writer Garth Ennis
Penciller Steve Dillon
Inker Jimmy Palmiotti
Letterer(s) Comicraft, Wes Abbott, Richard Starkings
Colorist Chris Sotomayor
Editor(s) Jimmy Palmiotti, Joe Quesada
For people who are fans of the Punisher (Ooh, Me, Me!), whether he’s depicted in comics, television, film, there’s always a fine balance to strike between how violent and ruthless can he be. For me, he’s the Punisher; he punishes the guilty; now how he does that, I leave up to him. I think when you have a broader audience you’re trying to introduce to the character, as in film or television, there’s a need to hold back on the violence he extracts, to rein it in as to not turn off most of the general populace. With Frank Castle being a Marvel comics property, there’s only so much you can do with him in those mediums before too much becomes too much, violence wise. What the creators of “Welcome Back, Frank” have done is disregard all those rules and make Punisher the most violent, most feared and most sadistic man to ever grace the pages of Marvel Comics.
Ennis and crew are also very smart; the art style of “Welcome Back, Frank” has a very broad and cartoony look to it; it looks like a children’s book from the art style, not to say it’s unsophisticated or childish because it shows so much of Frank’s world and the Mob world that’s not intended for children, but it sort of dulls the impact of the sheer brutality of what’s in these pages.
Story goes like this: Frank Castle has returned to New York City to toll out revenge on the Gnucci clan, at the head of which is the enigmatic and ruthless Ma Gnucci. Frank has to go through wave after wave of family, goons and mob enforcers to get to Ma, and along the way, it’s the bloodiest ride you’ll ever take. From missile launching to sniper head shots to feeding a guy to a tank of piranhas, Frank doesn’t hold back an inch as he doles out brutal and extravagant justice to Ma’s gang. There’s some great back story as well; We meet Detective Soap, one of the lousiest in the department. Now that Punisher’s back, and dishing out vigilante justice, the police have to intervene; problem is, they don’t want to. So they saddle Soap with the task of apprehending him, knowing he will never come close and even if he does come close, the Punisher will probably just wipe him off the face of the Earth. Soap has some great characterization; he struggles with being confident enough to do his job, to follow his hunches, to catch a break. He’s a great joy to read. Then, there’s the Russian. There may not be a loonier character in all of Marvel Comics who at once is so giddy and goofy but also so damn brutal and murderous. It’s a balance not many could strike, but every page is gold with the Russian front and center.
While you read Welcome Back, Frank, you may notice a lot of the characters and scenarios are reminiscent of the rebooted Punisher film starring Thomas Jane, which is true. There’s also a 2005 video game based off this book. Reason being this material is so rich and full of Punisher-goodness, it has to be one of the most faithful and fan-pleasing renditions of this character’s exploits to have ever been printed.
I can’t close this out without talking about Tim Bradstreet’s covers; they’re amazing pieces of art, each showing Frank, as if he were real, with scars and age lines and heavy guns, greasy hair; they’re all phenomenal and any of them would be a centerpiece of a comic fan’s art collection. Pick this up but be forewarned: it’s going to get messy, so the squeamish should keep a bucket nearby.
Next time: a Crisis of Identity
Visit Jessie Robertson as he plays vintage video games and WRITES ALL THE THINGS- FOR YOU! @ www.bobombblast.wordpress.com
https://youtu.be/5zpb9S9uD1s?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published July 31, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
