Welcome to Longbox Junk, the blog absolutely STUFFED with comic reviews nobody asked me to write!
Here we are at the second batch of issues to be reviewed as part of my dive into the Punisher series that doesn't really get talked about much, War Zone. With Chuck Dixon keeping a steady hand on the wheel and John Romita Jr. providing some very nice art, War Zone has been pretty good so far.
That said. . .
The last two issues of the previous entry in this series review were without Romita Jr.'s art (or Klaus Janson's inks) and the difference was definitely notable, especially in issue #10. Issue #11 will be Chuck Dixon's last regular issue for now (He'll show back up later on, with issues #26 - 37).
After Dixon leaves, we're going to be cycling through not one. . .not two. . .but THREE different creative teams in the 9 other issues of this batch (Not counting the three different ADDITIONAL teams in the anthology-style annual). That's a LOT of chefs cooking this stew.
How will War Zone fare without any of the original creative team on deck? Let's find out!
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE
-PART TWO-
Issues 11 - 20 + Annual 1
Marvel (1993)
ISSUE ELEVEN
In a Deadly Place
COVER: Mike Manley
THE COVER:
It's. . .okay. Manley tries, but he's not peak 90s Romita Jr.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Mike Harris
INKS: Mike Harris, Mike Manley, Joe Browzoski
We begin our story continuing directly from last issue with Punisher kidnapping Rosalie Carbone. While he drives her to a safe house hideaway in the Pennsylvania forest, we follow Micro as he desperately tries to track down Punisher.
Meanwhile, at the Carbone compound, what's left of the Carbone Family's mob soldiers have learned that Rosalie has been kidnapped through a phone call giving them directions where to drop off the ransom. The remaining four hired assassins overhear the negotiations and they head out with the Carbone enforcers to rescue Rosalie. . .
At the Pennsylvania safe house, Punisher waits the night for the Carbone enforcers to arrive, then sets a trap with Rosalie as the bait. The Claymores take down most of her men, but a few survive, as do all four of the hired assassins, who are smarter than to fall for a simple trap.
A running gun battle ensues, with Punisher taking down the rest of Rosalie's men, but finding the assassins to to tougher opponents. To his surprise, someone unknown is helping Punisher with sniper shots from a distance.
Between Punisher and his mysterious helper, they take down two of the assassins. As the other two hired killers confront Punisher, one betrays and kills the other so that they don't have to split the bounty. The final assassin has Frank dead to rights, but the mystery sniper distracts him long enough for Frank to take the hitman down.
After the smoke clears, the sniper reveals himself to Punisher. It's Micro. He explains to Frank that he WAS going to leave for good, but for some reason fate has thrown the two of them together and that's where he belongs.
The End.
COVER: Mike McKone
COVER: Hoang Nguyen
Punisher loads up and heads in, but it looks like someone got there before they did. There's dead goons everywhere. Micro sends in some recon drones to check the rest of the compound out. There are few goons left, but Frank takes them down easily. No sign of the Capo.
THE REVIEW:
And that's it for the second War Zone story arc! Overall, it's been a pretty good story. Not quite as good as the first arc, but still a fast-paced action-packed read. I like that Dixon gave Punisher an enemy that's actually lasted more than one story who isn't named Jigsaw (I'm not even sure if Jigsaw even shows up in War Zone).
Unfortunately, this is the last we see of Rosalie Carbone in War Zone. She shows up for a story arc in Punisher: War Journal, and has a few scattered appearances in future Punisher volumes. She also shows up in the live action Marvel Netflix "Universe" as a minor villain in a few Luke Cage and Daredevil episodes. Other than that, all the setup Chuck Dixon did for Rosalie here in War Zone was sort of wasted. A bit of a shame. She's an interesting character.
But while she lasted, the story was pretty good. And now Chuck Dixon makes his exit for a while, meaning War Zone is ready to fly without any of the original creative team. Let's see what happens next!
ISSUE TWELVE
Psychoville U.S.A. Part One: Family Ties
COVER: Mike McKone
THE COVER:
I like Mike McKone's super-clean art style. I think he might be a bit underrated when it comes to 90s artists. This cover probably isn't the best example of his work, but it definitely lets you know something new and maybe a little weird is going to be happening in War Zone. Let's get inside!
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
PENCILS: Mike McKone
INKS: Mark McKenna & Mick Gray
We begin with Punisher chasing down a man called Da Rosa. The running gun battle through crowded city streets ends with both Da Rosa and Punisher being attacked by what SEEM to be innocent bystanders. Taken by surprise, Punisher goes down for the count!
Frank Castle wakes up from his violent nightmare, safe in bed with his wife, son and daughter noisily beginning another day getting ready for work and school. After a family breakfast, Frank heads into his job at the local lumber mill with his best friend, Norm. Frank feels a bit strange and disoriented, but he chalks it up to a bad night's sleep.
At the mill, the daily routine is interrupted by an employee named Vincent Rose who turns violent and starts attacking nearby workers, shouting strange things about how he needs to escape from something. Frank surprises himself and everybody else by easily taking down Vincent with expert fighting moves he didn't even realize he knew.
Later that night, while Frank breaks up a fight between his neighbors, George and Alice, we see Frank's friend Norm calling someone on a sophisticated hidden communication device, giving a report on Frank and requesting a team be sent. DUN-DUN-DUNNNNNN!!
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
And now for something COMPLETELY different!
The "Person finds themself in a town that isn't what it seems" story path is a pretty well-worn one. There's good examples in just about every form of media, from "The Truman Show" in theaters, to the novel and T.V. adaptation of "Wayward Pines", to Fallout 3's "Tranquility Lane" side mission, and even Marvel's more recent Avengers "Standoff" comic storyline and Disney Channel show "Wandavision".
But even though it's a fairly common storyline and you just KNOW it will eventually break down and not end well for whoever is controlling things behind the scenes, it's an interesting scenario to drop a character like Punisher into.
McKone's clean and realistic art style fits the weirdly mundane vibe of the story quite well. A more stylized artist like Romita Jr. Probably couldn't make it work as well. So far so good on this story. Let's see where it goes next!
ISSUE THIRTEEN
Psychoville U.S.A. Part Two: Happy Days
COVER: Mike McKone
THE COVER:
This is definitely NOT the kind of cover I'd expect on a Punisher comic. I like it, but don't like it at the same time. I feel conflicted. Let's just read the comic now!
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
PENCILS: Mike McKone
INKS: Mark McKenna
Continuing from last issue, when Frank intervenes in a fight between his neighbors, George and Alice, Alice attacks him and Frank's friend, Norm, calls for backup. A large group of masked men arrive on the scene and overpower both Frank and Alice.
Frank wakes up in bed, with the events of the previous night seeming like just a bad dream. He goes to the police station, where he's informed that there wasn't any trouble last night and George and Alice have been on vacation in Europe for weeks.
We shift scenes to a mysterious control room, where Frank and everyone else in the town of Chicane are under surveillance. We're introduced to Shane and Sheamur, two men who are in charge of an unnamed project having to do with mental reconditioning.
We learn that Frank wasn't the intended target, they were actually after Da Rosa and they took Frank when the opportunity presented itself. They plan on using Frank for some sort of big assignment involving a public figure at a political rally.
Sheamur isn't convinced Frank is the right guy for the job. He's becoming a problem, resisting the programming. Shane disagrees. He believes Castle is the PERFECT man for the job.
Meanwhile, we follow Frank as he returns to his "normal" life. Going to work at the mill, hanging around with his friend Norm, dealing with the petty problems at home.
But outside of town we see that someone else has Frank under surveillance. It's Micro. He's managed to track down Punisher after he disappeared, but has no idea what's going on.
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
So now the curtain is pulled back a bit. Frank is being "reprogrammed" as part of a secret mind control project to turn people into assassins. But they don't realize that digging around in the head of The Punisher probably isn't going to end well.
This issue is mainly setup, but it's a pretty good read. McKone's sharp, realistic artwork is actually pretty perfect for a story in a more mundane setting. I don't think Romita Jr.'s more stylized art could have pulled off the sense of the ordinary this story requires.
NEXT!
ISSUE FOURTEEN
Psychoville U.S.A. Part Three: My Two Dads
COVER: Mike McKone
THE COVER:
A nice homage to the infamous backyard photo of Lee Harvey Oswald. It's actually pretty cool and fits the weird story being told very well. Is it a great PUNISHER cover? Not really, but it's still pretty good, for what it is.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
PENCILS: Mike McKone
INKS: Mark McKenna & Mick Gray
Frank Castle is having horrific nightmares and constantly thinking of the phrase "Ten after Twelve" and Portland, Oregon. He's trying to hold it together for his family, but he's starting to crack.
In the meantime, we follow Micro as he tries to make sense of what's happening. Punisher disappeared a month ago, and Micro has been following the few clues left behind to a town that shouldn't exist.
As he observes Frank going about his daily life, Micro is confronted and attacked by armed men. He manages to fight his way out of the trap, but is now more determined than ever to find out what's going on.
While Micro continues his investigation, Frank is trying to keep it together. He spends time with his family just doing ordinary things, and that seems to help tamp down the horrifying visions he keeps having, but when he has a panic attack and collapses when a kid points a toy gun at him, his family becomes concerned.
Micro follows the data trail he's been building and discovers details about a secret government project, started in Vietnam and cancelled when Congress balked at funding a program to turn normal people into assassins. A project let by one Erwin Shane, who vanished after the cancellation of the secret project.
Micro also discovers that Frank's "wife" is actually a psychopathic serial killer! Micro decides the time to move is now, before it's too late. He quickly begins to plan Frank's rescue.
In the meantime, Frank's mental distress increases, with visions coming rapidly and intensifying.
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
Another issue of mostly setup for things to come, but the slow burn building up makes it a pretty good read. Once again, McKone's sharp and realistic art style lends the story a feeling of the ordinary that's needed for something like this.
I also like that Micro actually seems to be the hero of this story, after being absent for most of the series. It's nice when supporting characters get their chance to shine.
NEXT!
ISSUE FIFTEEN
Psychoville U.S.A. Part Four: Father Knows Best
COVER: Mike McKone
THE COVER:
Punisher's mouth is a little weird here, but other than that, this is a really cool character portrait cover. I like the almost black and white color scheme with the super dark shadows quite a lot.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
PENCILS: Mike McKone
INKS: Mark McKenna & Mick Gray
Frank's best friend Norm visits, but it's not a friendly visit. Frank's assignment is going live the next day and Norm is there to finish preparing their newest assassin. Unfortunately for Norm, when he hands Frank a gun, it all comes back.
The ambush, the drugs, Doctor Shane, the fake life he's been living. The gun brings it all crashing into Frank's mind. He kills Norm. In the control room, Shane realizes Frank has broken through the conditioning and he sends a kill team to take down the Punisher.
As Castle brutally fights his way through the kill team, Shane and Sheamur start getting reports of other subjects breaking through their conditioning because of the gunfire and explosions. Violence begins breaking out across the entire town.
Sheamur takes over the operation from Doctor Shane, deciding it's time to take back control before the whole project goes up in flames. All security hands on deck for a complete sweep of the town, and any subjects who don't comply gets shot dead.
In the meantime, Frank is blasting his way through town, when suddenly he realizes that he's no longer just fighting the project's security forces, but the rest of the townfolk are starting to attack him too!
To be concluded!
THE REVIEW:
The story switches from slow burn build to full-on Punisher action mode as Frank finally breaks through the secret project's attempted brainwashing. Like the first two story arcs, I sort of liked the buildup better than the violent payoff. But like I ALSO said about the previous story arcs. . .this is a Punisher comic. There's going to eventually be some Punishing. And this is where it starts.
Let's finish this story up!
ISSUE SIXTEEN
Psychoville U.S.A. Part Five: Empty Nest
THE COVER:
Now HERE'S a cool Punisher cover! A very nice character portrait. I really like the colors on this one. The red makes everything pop. Let's get into the last issue of this story!
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
PENCILS: Mike McKone
INKS: Mark McKenna & Mick Gray
Chaos engulfs the town! Punisher is blasting his way through security forces, while trying not to harm "innocent" civilians, without realizing that they are killers and criminals themselves.
Sheamus takes direct control over the security forces while Doctor Shane gathers his files and data, preparing to evacuate.
Micro shows up in the battle van and grabs Frank off the street. As they make their way through the chaos, Micro tells Punisher all the information he's discovered. . .including that his "wife" and "kids" are all psychopathic killers.
Micro has triangulated communication activity and pinpointed where the secret project's headquarters are at. Frank suits up. It's time to punish. Not long after, as Doctor Shane desperately prepares to evacuate, gunfire erupts in the hidden laboratory. Punisher is there!
When Punisher confronts Shane, the scientist tries to bring Frank back under control by using his "wife" and "children" to bring him down. It succeeds for a short while, but Frank snaps back to reality when his "daughter" kills Doctor Shane.
The security forces in the lab start shooting at anything that moves, killing Frank's "family" and sending him into a rage! He kills everyone. Micro comes and gets Frank out. He's intercepted communication that the entire town is about to be erased!
As Micro and Punisher make their escape, armed helicopters swarm the town, blasting it with rockets. We see that Sheamus has also escaped the carnage, and he has the project's data with him. He intends to continue the experiments elsewhere.
Micro tries to talk to Frank as they leave the area, but after seeing another "family" killed in front of him, The Punisher isn't exactly in a chatty mood.
The End.
THE REVIEW:
An explosive conclusion to a strange little Punisher tale! Although the ending was a bit predictable (There's GOING to be Punishing. That much was guaranteed), I enjoyed the Punisher being dropped into the "Wakes up in a strange town where things aren't what they seem" trope.
Once again, the writer sets up what COULD have been an interesting recurring villain in Sheamus, but we never hear from him again. I begin to wonder if this will be an ongoing theme, where things are set up and then completely ignored later. Seems a bit of a waste.
Other than the waste of a perfectly good villain, I found this to be an enjoyable change of pace from the typical Punisher story (well, until the violent end of things, of course).
So far, we're 16 issues in and the series is still doing okay. I've seen other series go completely off the rails in half the number of issues. How much longer can War Zone stay on the tracks? We're gonna find out, but FIRST, let's take a breather before the next story starts up and check out the Annual!
ANNUAL 1
July, 1993
COVER: Michael Golden
THE COVER:
There are those who will say Michael Golden can do no wrong. I'm not one of those people, and I point to this cover as Exhibit A in my defense. Please don't hurt me. Normally I like Golden's work, but this isn't the best example of his art.
THE STORIES:
$2.95 was a pretty steep price tag in 1993, but this IS a pretty thick and hefty comic book, with three full stories and a handful of pinups inside. Let's see if thing is worth three bucks!
Bulletproof
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: John Buscema
INKS: John Buscema
Between missions, Punisher begins looking for new leads. He notices a strange influx of out-of-town operators. . .Yakuza, Russian Mafia, etc. . . He decides it's worth looking into.
In the meantime, we see a high-tech suit of armor being tested. It shrugs off everything up to .50 caliber rounds, but even that just knocks the man in the suit down and doesn't actually penetrate the armor.
We meet the man in the armor, Mather Cord, inventor. His financial investor, Blanchard, is very happy with the test results of the Phalanx armor. The two of them discuss the great potential the armor has for law enforcement, fire, rescue, and the like. Blanchard informs Cord that there are some possible buyers who will be coming to see a demonstration of the suit's abilities.
Punisher begins his investigation by enlisting his inside mob contact, Micky Fondozzi (remember him from the first story arc?) and Micro to start following leads. Everything leads to some sort of high-priced secret auction taking place shortly in Atlantic City that's led to a temporary truce among the various criminal and terrorist organizations that have shown up in New York City. Something called Phalanx is the prize ticket of the underground auction.
Meanwhile, Cord discovers that one of the potential buyers he and Blanchard had shown the Phalanx Armor to is actually a dangerous South American drug lord!
As Punisher stakes out the location of the underground auction, Cord confronts Blanchard, who confesses that he never had the intention to sell Phalanx to law enforcement or fire departments. ALL of the potential buyers are heads of criminal or terrorist organizations.
Cord refuses to take part in the demonstration, but Blanchard changes his mind by threatening Cord's family.
As the demonstration of the Phalanx Armor gets underway, Cord grabs a gun and kills Blanchard! As the gathered criminals try to figure out what's going on, Punisher takes advantage of the distraction and attacks!
Mayhem ensues as the criminals and terrorists turn on each other, Cord is blasting away at them, and the Punisher adds to the carnage of a target-rich environment.
As the fighting wanes, Punisher confronts Cord and demands he gives up the suit. Cord refuses, saying that he doesn't want the Punisher to have the Phalanx Armor any more than he wants criminals or terrorists getting their hands on it. . .plus, the suit is a custom fit unique item, calibrated only for Cord. Nobody else can use it.
Punisher realizes that Cord has earned himself a death sentence with his actions. There was going to be criminals and terrorists gunning for the scientists. He lets Cord leave with the Phalanx Armor.
In the end, we see Cord telling his wife she'll never see him again, and him leaving the city with the Phalanx Armor, heading for parts unknown. A new life alone and on the run.
The End.
THE REVIEW:
THAT was a long story for one of three! 40 pages! It would have been at least two issues' worth of story in the regular series. This annual ain't messing around. Even better, Chuck Dixon is back as writer for this one, giving us some more of the dark and gritty writing we got in the first two story arcs of the series.
And on art, there's the one guy who could give Punisher the same heft and darkness as John Romita Jr., none other than the late, great comic legend John Buscema! To be fair, it's not Buscema's BEST work, but it's definitely a treat to see a legend working on a random Punisher story. I mean. . .just LOOK at this splash page!
The story itself is basically a back door origin story for a new Marvel hero. . .Phalanx. But he didn't seem to catch on. He has a handful of appearances in the mainline Punisher series, but vanishes pretty quickly after that.
Overall, even though I don't really like Punisher mixing in with costumed superheroes much, this was a pretty great story! Between Dixon's gritty writing and Buscema's artwork, THIS is the kind of Punisher story I want to see more of (And we do. Dixon and Buscema team up for a story arc later on in this series).
A great start to this overstuffed Annual so far. Let's see what else is in here!
Unfinished Business
SCRIPT: Steven Grant
PENCILS: Bill Marimon
INKS: Matt Banning
We watch two mob goons named Sammy and Bobo as they nab a higher-ranking enforcer and execute him. . .unaware that they are being followed.
When they finally realize that someone is on their tail, they desperately attempt to evade their pursuer. As they engage in a lengthy chase through the city, it's revealed (to us) that they are being followed by none other than the Punisher.
The chase ends in a graveyard. Punisher stalks the goon that made it out of their wrecked car. Seeing the skull shirt, the goon finally realizes who it is. Punisher lets him beg for his life, but none of that matters now. He ends the goon and we see that Punisher has chosen the graveyard where his wife and children are buried to do the deed. The hunt goes on.
The End.
THE REVIEW:
A pretty cool little story. Not nearly as long and involved as the first offering, more of a quick read focused almost entirely on Punisher chasing down the two goons.
We learn in the story that one of them was the lookout man on the day Frank Castle's wife and kids were gunned down. So what we have here is a sort of "Year One" Punisher story, where he's still hunting down every single person involved with his family's tragedy. . .no matter HOW small a part they played.
It's interesting that Punisher here is more like a relentless figure stalking his victims in a horror movie than a fully-fledged character. The pain is still raw and Castle is almost robotic in his actions. Overall this was a nice little peek into the early days of Punisher's vigilante career.
NEXT!
Professionals
SCRIPT: George Caragonne
PENCILS: Louis Williams
INKS: Joe Rubenstein
We meet a high-priced "escort" named Tracy. Her "talents" have gotten her close to many upper-level society figures, including those of the criminal sort. We learn that one of her customers is actually the Punisher, who she only knows as Frank. But the only thing he ever pays for is information. Tracy has fallen for the mysterious and untouchable man and wants more.
Tracy decides to learn more about Frank. After giving him a tip about a mobster named Giacomo being back in town, she follows Frank to the mobster's compound. To her horror, she sees Frank in his skull suit blasting his way through the compound and realizes she's been dealing with The Punisher!
Punisher realizes he's being watched and confronts Tracy. She's afraid that Frank is going to kill her, but instead he gives her a bag of money and tells her to get out of town and not come back or he'll come for her. They both understand that they've let someone get too close. They're professionals. That can't happen.
The End.
THE REVIEW:
This was the weakest story of the three. It's a mildly interesting look at what happens when you get too close to The Punisher, but other than that, it's just sort of. . .there. It's not bad. It's not good. It's just kind of sitting there being a bit forgettable.
It doesn't help that the art is pretty disappointing. If you look up at the first page I scanned, Tracy's face is a good example of what I'm talking about. The art in this story is just sort of bad.
AND THERE WE HAVE IT!
I wondered at the beginning of my look at this issue if the steep cost of admission, $2.95 in 1993 dollars was worth it. I'd say yes. Admittedly, it has mostly to do with the stellar FORTY PAGE opener by Dixon and Buscema, but overall I really liked the whole thing, even the final story, despite having some pretty disappointing art.
And now back to the regular series!
BUT WAIT!
Before we go, I forgot to mention that there are ALSO some really cool pinups in this annual. My favorite isn't the BEST art of the bunch, but it's a weird look at what MIGHT have happened if Marvel had given Punisher the same unfortunate 90s armor makeover that a lot of other characters got at the time. Check it out!
Pinup by Charles Wojtkiewicz
Now THAT'S the 90s, son. Let's get back into the series itself now.
ISSUE SEVENTEEN
The Jericho Syndrome
COVER: Michael Golden
THE COVER:
This Michael Golden cover is quite a bit better than the one on the Annual, but it's not even close to Golden's best work. It's not BAD. It's actually a pretty cool action shot, but Punisher's face just looks weird. Maybe Golden was going through some sort of a new style phase in 1993. Maybe a Jim Lee thing? It looks sort of like a Jim Lee thing.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
PENCILS: Hugh Haynes
INKS: Rodney Ramos
These entries are getting a bit lengthy, and I'm taking way too long getting these posts out, so I'm going to try and boil it down a little more. I just get a little enthusiastic when I'm literally the only person who's ever done a review of something.
ANYWAY. . .
Following a major disaster where a dam collapses and thousands of innocent civilians are killed, Punisher and Micro team up with Jack Oonuk, a Canadian mercenary corporate "troubleshooter" who lost his partner in the dam collapse.
The person behind the dam collapse is a mysterious figure known as "The Architect". His scheme is to blackmail corporations behind large infrastructure projects like the dam. They either pay him a vast ransom or he destroys the structures and leaves the corporation to take the blame.
Now he has his sights set on a major suspension bridge. The corporation he's blackmailing, Pan Allied, folds and agrees to pay the ransom, with their agent, Jack Oonuk, as the middleman. But neither Pan Allied or The Architect are aware that Oonuk is working with the Punisher.
After being briefed by Oonuk on the ransom drop, Punisher and Micro head to the bridge to set up an ambush on The Architect's men. . .
To Be Continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
Punisher enters the world of corporate espionage and eco-terror blackmail! It's an interesting change of pace from his smaller-scale hunting of organized crime figures. I like that War Zone is trying to move Frank a bit outside his regular storylines. Not a bad beginning for this story, let's see where it goes!
NEXT!
ISSUE EIGHTEEN
The Jericho Syndrome Part 2
COVER: Michael Golden
THE COVER:
Another weirdly "Jim Lee" version of Michael Golden art. I'm glad he didn't stick with this style because I'm usually a Golden fan. . .but this ain't cuttin' it.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
PENCILS: Hugh Haynes
INKS: Rodney Ramos
Punisher's Ambush during the ransom drop at the Pan Allied Suspension Bridge goes bad when Frank is spotted before he can make his move. A gunfight breaks out and Oonuk is forced to fight for his life while the Architect's men activate the "Jericho Contingency", devices meant to shake the bridge apart!
Punisher and Oonuk quickly find and destroy the Jericho devices before the bridge is destroyed. While they do that, Micro manages to get a tracking device on the Architect's men as they flee the scene.
Enraged by the interference during the blackmail drop at the bridge, The Architect decides to hit another Pan Allied target. . .a massive oil rig and refinery in Canada. The destruction would be one of the biggest environmental disasters in history.
Micro's tracker pays off. Punisher and Oonuk learn the location of Architect's next attack, but not when it will occur. Oonuk is horrified to learn that his native Inuit people will be right in the path of the worst destruction! The two of them immediately head for Canada and infiltrate the offshore refinery as workers.
Days later, as Punisher and Oonuk separate to follow different leads on the rig, they both come under attack by Architect's men, who are placing Jericho devices around the refinery!
To Be Continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
A pretty good setup issue for what will probably be an action-packed finale to this story. Lots of action, a cool battle on the suspension bridge, and a bit of undercover work. The story is no masterpiece, but I'm really liking it so far. Let's see how it ends!
NEXT!
ISSUE NINETEEN
The Jericho Syndrome Part 3
COVER: Michael Golden
THE COVER:
Michael Golden still in his strange "Jim Lee" style. This is probably the best one he did for the series. But. . .is that supposed to be Wolverine hovering over Punisher? I'm glad Golden abandoned this style.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
PENCILS: Hugh Haynes
INKS: Rodney Ramos
Punisher and Oonuk are both discovered by the Architect's men during their investigation of the oil rig. As they separately fight for their lives, gunfire ignites the rig, setting it ablaze. Punisher manages to grab one of his attackers and find out their plan. . .not only are they going to blow up the rig, but the explosives are set to backflow down the pipeline and destroy the entire oil field!
And THEN Wolverine shows up!
It turns out that Wolverine owes Oonuk a favor from a time when they were both working for the Canadian government, and Oonuk had called Logan in earlier to cash in and get some mutant-style reinforcement for the mission.
Punisher and Wolverine separate to search for Oonuk and finish taking down Architect's men before they finish placing the Jericho devices meant to destroy the rig and the oil field. Punisher manages to rendezvous with Oonuk, who has discovered the main device.
One problem. . .the flaming rig has made it all but impossible to get to the device. Punisher suits up in some hazard gear and heads in. Punisher gives it his all, but it's just not enough. Luckily, Wolverine shows back up in the nick of time and the two of them manage to close the pipeline and neutralize the Jericho device!
With Architect's men taken out, the Jericho devices neutralized, and the rest of the crew evacuated, Punisher, Oonuk, and Wolverine barely manage to make it off the flaming rig before a massive explosion.
They're pulled from the water later by a rescue chopper. The rig was lost, but environmental disaster was avoided. Punisher, Wolverine, and Oonuk will take that as a win. But there's one problem. . .The Architect is still out there, somewhere.
The End.
THE REVIEW:
And it's CROSSOVER TIME! Truthfully, Wolverine's appearance here feels pretty natural and I don't mind it. I'm just surprised Marvel was able to resist a crossover for nineteen issues. It MIGHT be some sort of record for a 90s Marvel comic, now that I think of it.
Overall, this was a big, bombastic, action-packed finale to the story, and I liked it! You know, sometimes you just want some action. This issue delivers.
That said, there's a problem. A couple of them. The Architect and Jack Oonuk. Once again in War Zone, a pretty cool villain is introduced, causes problems, and gets away at the end, never to be heard from again. Only this time, there's ALSO a pretty cool supporting character that we never hear from again.
It's feeling a bit weird that the different creative teams keep on doing this. It seems a bit of a waste and it's a little frustrating to see dangling plot threads hanging off of every single story.
That aside, this issue delivers a great action-packed ending to a pretty good story. It's not a masterpiece, but does it need to be? Not everything needs to be a masterpiece. Sometimes you just want a little action and fun in a comic. This is one of those times.
Let's finish this thing up!
ISSUE TWENTY
Numbah One Boom Boom
THE COVER:
When it comes to comic art, there's 90s good and there's 90s bad. Sometimes the line between the two is a little thin, but this is definitely on the 90s bad side. I see the same artist is on the interiors. I'm a bit nervous about this one. Let's get in there!
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Larry Hama
PENCILS: Hoang Nguyen
INKS: Hoang Nguyen
We start off with a bang as Punisher takes down some mafia drug dealers. He gets information on where the Capo is hiding out from an unlucky chump, so he and Micro load up the Battle Van and head out to New Jersey to finish the job.
On the way, Frank tells Micro about the weird Vietnam flashback he had after narrowly dodging a hand grenade during the fight. . .
FLASHBACK!!
During a secret mission in Cambodia, Frank Castle and his partner, Dennis (DX) Hanrahan are ambushed. They manage to make it out alive and even take three VC prisoners. DX keeps the prisoners in line with his signature move. . .wrapping explosive "det cord" around their necks.
When they run into a VC column and have to fight for their lives again, DX detonates the cord and kills the prisoners so they won't cause trouble during the firefight.
And then Frank and Micro arrive at the Capo's hideout and Punisher doesn't finish the story. He's got other things to do. . .
Finally, Micro finds an armored door with three live targets behind it. Punisher breaks in and finds the Capo, along with a couple of other mafia honchos tied up and terrified. There's det cord wrapped around their necks. . .tied with a VERY familiar style!
But before Frank can ponder the meaning of it, the explosives go off, catching Punisher in the blast!
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
It looks like this one is going to be a "Ghosts of the past returning to haunt the Punisher" story. Larry Hama is a solid writer (He's got a literal STACK of G.I Joe and Wolverine comics to his name), so I'm confident that at least the story is going to be good.
But let's talk about that art. When I saw the cover, I was a bit nervous. For good reason, it turns out. This is some of the worst art on the run. When I look at the other artists on War Zone. . .Romita Jr., John Buscema, Mike McKone, Mark Texeira, and even JOE KUBERT (doing a six issue run later on), the art by Hoang Nguyen sticks out like a sore 90s thumb.
This is art that is SO 90s that even the 90s are like, "Can you tone it down?". And not in a good way. I'm not sure the pages I scanned show it, because I tried to pick some that weren't too bad. But here's a panel that might show what I'm talking about a little better. . .
Is. . .is your shoulder okay, Frank?
The GOOD news is that we've got a nice stretch of Buscema art coming up in the next batch. The BAD news is that there's two more issues of this before we get there.
CONCLUSION
And there it is, folks! The second batch of my full Punisher: War Zone series review. A bit of a mixed bag here, this time. We're at the halfway point and definitely in the Longbox Junk of it. These are the issues NOBODY reviews and nobody wants unless they're a big Punisher fan trying to complete a full run.
I like that the creative teams were trying to move Punisher a little distance from his usual organized crime hunting, with him going up against mad scientists and eco-terrorists for a nice change of pace. Of course, there's plenty of Punisher's standard fare in #11, the Annual, and #20. So overall, a nice mix of stories.
Even better, though the series is hitting that Longbox Junk midsection, there still hasn't been a really BAD story yet. Some of them have been a bit "Meh", but nothing that makes me not want to read it. For a series twenty issues in, that's saying something. I've reviewed comic series that have gone off the tracks WAY earlier. War Zone is still chugging along.
It's not perfect. There's some rotten art in issue #20 and one of the Annual stories, as well as a weird ongoing thing (continuing from the first batch of issues, actually) where the creative teams introduce cool villains (and even a cool new supporting character in issues #17 - 19) that are never heard from again. It's a little frustrating that EVERY story has dangling plot threads left at the end.
Overall, I'd say that, even though none of these stories are GREAT, Punisher: War Zone is still a pretty good read. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if "Pretty Good" is what makes a comic series memorable. I'm starting to see why this particular series seems to be a bit of a black sheep when it comes to the three 90s Punisher ongoing titles.
Let's see what happens next!
Coming up. . .Part Three, issues 21 - 30 and Annual #2. And I'm going to try NOT to take a month getting it done! Stay tuned, and remember. . .Comics are worth more than money, folks.
