Welcome to Longbox Junk, where I keep on writing comic reviews even though nobody asked me to!
The Punisher is one of my favorite comic characters. Those of you who have been reading Longbox Junk for a while know that I'm not a huge fan of actual superhero comics beyond Batman and Captain America. And for those of you who have just started reading, WELCOME! And now you know I'm not a huge fan of actual superhero comics beyond Batman and Captain America.
It's not that I DISLIKE superhero comics. It's just that I prefer things more along the lines of war, western, science fiction, horror, and pulp-style heroes than the capes and tights crowd. I can enjoy a mainstream superhero story just fine, but give me a good Zorro, Green Hornet or Star Wars comic and I'm a very happy guy.
Punisher is one of those characters that fits right into my wheelhouse of comics I most enjoy. He's PART of the Marvel Universe, but sort of skirts the edges of it most of the time. Sometimes Marvel tries to cram him into the superhero world. . .sometimes they have him in an entirely separate continuity. But no matter WHAT, you know you're going to get some gun-blazin' action from a Punisher comic.
Punisher has become a bit of a controversial character these days (To be fair, he IS a guy whose superpower is guns and more guns), and Marvel is struggling to figure out what to do with him, but in the 90s, Punisher was HUGE. He was everywhere.
Not only did Punisher have THREE ongoing regular monthly series running at the same time, but he was crossing over every which way Marvel could fit him in. Not to mention that Punisher was getting movies before the MCU was even a thing. Okay, not GREAT movies, but still. . .
The series at hand is one of those three ongoing monthly runs from Punisher's 90s heyday. It's the shortest of the three, coming in at 41 regular issues and 2 annuals. . .compared to the "main" Punisher run, which clocked 104 issues and 7 annuals, and Punisher War Journal at 80 issues.
But while the main Punisher title and War Journal have some "keys" in their run and are still talked about by collectors, Punisher: War Zone pretty much lives entirely in the bargain bins. The first issue is a fairly common bargain bin staple and can be found easily, as can most of the entire run, for a buck or two.
I happen to have the whole run of Punisher: War Zone. I've been wanting to do another full series review for Longbox Junk. And so here we are. Let's take a look at the 90s Punisher series nobody really talks about, shall we?
WE SHALL!
THE PUNISHER: WAR ZONE
Marvel (1992)
-Part One-
ISSUE ONE
Only The Dead Know Brooklyn
COVER: John Romita Jr.
And here's the cover unfolded in all its 90s gimmick glory!
AND the inside cover!
THE COVER:
It's a double-sided foldout cardstock cutout enhanced gimmick cover, and it's awesome! There's a word I have for cool things from the 1990s: 90s-Tastic. And if ANYTHING is 90s-Tastic, it's this cover.
Truthfully, I like the inside cover more. On the front cover, Punisher looks oddly. . .wide? Other than that, this cover is a pretty iconic and eye-catching bargain bin staple.
Let's get inside!
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: John Romita Jr.
INKS: Klaus Janson
We begin our tale in Brooklyn, where Frank Castle (AKA Punisher) and his partner (Micro) have set up a new base of operations in a secluded and run down auto shop. Following a messy mission that almost ended badly, Micro is trying to convince Frank to take things slower. Punisher isn't having it.
Micro leaves and Punisher follows him through the city, observing him. When Micro returns, Punisher interrogates his partner. We learn Micro has been seeing a psychiatrist in secret. Angry at Frank's invasion of his privacy, Micro storms out and doesn't come back.
Shifting scenes to Columbia, we have a short interlude. A drug lord is concerned about reports of a single man blasting his way through his men and disrupting his operation. He discovers the identity of the mystery man the hard way when he arrives, guns blazing, and kills the drug lord. We learn that the heavily-armed and dangerous man is called Shotgun.
INTERLUDE OVER, BACK TO THE MAIN STORY!
Days later, Micro is still gone, but the Punisher's work continues. He intervenes in a mob robbery of an underground Triad money laundering "bank". Punisher takes the lone Mafia survivor prisoner and informs him that he works for him now. The Punisher forces his prisoner (Mickey Fondozzi) to introduce him into the Carbone organization Mickey works for.
We end the story with Mickey bringing Punisher to meet his boss, with Punisher posing as Mickey's cousin, Johnny Tower.
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
I'm going to try and keep these reviews pretty short and sweet as I can. . .which is a bit hard for me when I know I'm the only person to ever have bothered to review a comic. But since this is the first issue, I'll have to give it the good old Longbox Junk First Issue Treatment™.
I have TWO expectations of the first issue of ANY series. And I really don't think they're too much to ask. But you'd be surprised how many first issues fail to satisfy one or even both things. They are:
1. Does the issue introduce the characters and their situation in a new reader-friendly way?
2. Does it make me want to read more?
I mean. . .come on. Can there BE two more simple things to ask for in a first issue?
First question. . .does this issue introduce the characters and their situation well to new readers?
The answer would be no for this one. It does not. It's assumed that if you're reading this comic, you ALREADY know everything you need to know about Punisher, Micro, and everything that's happened to them previously. There's a TINY bit of background material on Punisher and his obsessive mission, and here it is:
That's it. You're just jumping right into the middle of Punisher's story here. Micro also has a teeny bit of background when he's arguing with Punisher about why he needs to see a psychiatrist, but it's only a couple of panels. Marvel assumes if you're reading this Punisher comic, you're NOT a new reader.
SO. . .The second question. Does this issue make me want to read more? I'll give that one a yes. This first issue is a tightly-written, action-packed crime adventure with a dark and gritty tone. It's backed up with perfectly-matching dark and gritty artwork courtesy of John Romita Jr. in his 90s prime.
This is a comic where the artist and writer blend almost perfectly together to tell an engaging story that makes me want to jump right into the next issue. So let's do that!
ISSUE TWO
Blood In The Water
COVER: John Romita Jr.
THE COVER:
Not quite as 90s-Tastic as the cover for issue one, but still pretty good. I like the interesting angles here.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: John Romita Jr.
INKS: Klaus Janson
Now that he's been introduced into the Carbone "Family", Punisher begins to solidify his position by leading an attack on a Depanini Family operation cutting into Carbone profits. With Punisher in the lead, the attack becomes a massacre. The destruction puts "Johnny Tower" and his reluctant partner Mickey in Julius Carbone's good graces.
Sal Carbone, Julius' brother and partner, isn't so sure about the new guys, but Julius rewards "Johnny" and Mickey with running a numbers bank in Sal's territory. During the meeting, Punisher overhears some hints about something big getting ready to go down, connected with the upcoming wedding of Julius' daughter, Rosalie. . .
We switch scenes to a short interlude, where the mystery man known as Shotgun returns to the States and is given a new mission by his government employers. . .take down the Carbone Family.
After the interlude, we follow Punisher as he puts information gained earlier to good use, attacking the numbers bank he and Mickey were put in charge of. The next day, with no survivors and missing two hundred thousand dollars, Julius and Sal Carbone are NOT happy!
With the numbers bank out of action, Julius puts "Johnny" and Mickey in charge of finding out who was behind the attack. Mickey is worried that the Carbone brothers aren't going to let go of this and will discover their involvement. Punisher is unconcerned. HIS mind is set on finding out more information about whatever is going down around Rosalie's wedding. . .and he has a plan to get that information by getting close to Rosalie.
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
I really liked this issue a lot! There was plenty of action, with the attack on the Depanini Operation at the start and the destruction of the Carbone numbers bank toward the end, but sandwiched in between was some tightly-written setup for things to come, focusing on the inner workings and drama of the Carbone Family. Chuck Dixon gives us some gritty crime noir writing that once again is perfectly matched by 90s prime John Romita Jr. art, which actually is better outside of the action scenes.
NEXT!
ISSUE THREE
The Frame
COVER: John Romita Jr.
THE COVER:
Whoa! Settle down, Frank. That's a pretty aggressive stance, there. I think Romita Jr. might have been trying a little too hard with this one. It's not bad, just sort of funny in a way.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: John Romita Jr.
INKS: Klaus Janson
Punisher and Mickey start trying to misdirect the heat from the numbers bank takedown off of them. Punisher decides the best course of action is to frame Sal Carbone and split the family from within.
Following Sal to New Jersey, Punisher and Mickey see him dealing with some Asians at a storage facility. Returning later, Punisher discovers heroin inside imported toys. He takes some of the Asians prisoner and puts his plan to take down Sal Carbone in action.
At a meeting with Julius Carbone, Mickey gives his boss the bad news that his brother is dealing with their Asian rivals behind his back. Enraged, Julius demands proof. In the meantime, "Johnny" is secretly getting closer with Rosalie Carbone. He discovers the upcoming wedding is more of an alliance joining two crime families together, than anything having to do with love.
Mickey and "Johnny" take Julius Carbone to the storage facility, where the captive Asians spill the beans on Sal and his behind the scenes drug operation. Julius assigns "Johnny" and Mickey to deal with his brother.
Later, Punisher and Mickey ambush and capture Sal Carbone, driving him out into the New Jersey countryside to execute him. Sal manages to escape and Punisher pursues him onto a frozen lake, where Sal falls through the ice and is dragged under. Satisfied their job is done, "Johnny" and Mickey report back to Julius.
BUT. . .
At the end, we see that Sal is actually barely alive. Pulled from the lake by some ice fishermen and fighting for his life as a John Doe in the local hospital.
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
Once again, Chuck Dixon gives us tightly-written gritty crime drama, sprinkled with just a bit of action. . . .enough to keep it a Punisher comic, but not too much. And that's what I like about this issue (and really this whole story so far). The meat on the bone is the NON-action scenes of Punisher maneuvering his way closer to the heart of the Carbone Family. I came into this series expecting full on guns-out Punisher action and got a dark, gritty drama instead, and that's a GOOD thing.
The only thing I didn't really like (and this also goes for the previous two issues) are the short interludes in each issue featuring the mysterious mercenary, "Shotgun". He's about as 90s as a character can be. . .and not in a good way. His small over-the-top parts are a weird contrast to the gritty crime drama unfolding in the rest of the issues. Here's a page that pretty much sums up what I'm trying to say:
Now THAT'S a 90s gun!
MOVING ALONG!
ISSUE FOUR
Closer To The Flame
COVER: John Romita Jr.
THE COVER:
What would the 90s be without some gritted teeth on a comic cover? This one is kind of "Meh".
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: John Romita Jr.
INKS: Klaus Janson
Now that Punisher is deep inside the Carbone Family, he's using information he gains to take down various pieces of the operation. In the meantime, Shotgun is gathering information of his own. During a visit in prison, Shotgun learns that the gangster "Johnny Tower" is actually Frank Castle, the Punisher.
After taking down Sal Carbone, Mickey and "Johnny" have become favorites of Julius Carbone, which allows Punisher to get even closer to Rosalie Carbone as he tries to find out more about the upcoming wedding/alliance between crime families.
Things SEEM to be going as planned for the Punisher, but we see not only that Sal Carbone is alive as he staggers from the hospital in a daze, unable to remember who he is, but we ALSO see that a guard from the prison that overheard Shotgun's interrogation of the prisoner has come to a meeting of the Carbone family with information that trusted henchman "Johnny" is actually the Punisher!
That night, as the Punisher returns from one of his missions taking down a piece of the Carbone Organization, he's ambushed by a gang of Carbone enforcers. Realizing he's been made, Punisher tries to fight his way out, but there's too many of them. Before he's knocked out, he sees that Mickey has also been taken captive.
Punisher wakes up, chained to the steering wheel of a car in an empty lot, with a bomb ticking away in the back seat! Punisher manages to start the car and drive to his nearby Brooklyn base of operations, hoping that Micro has returned, so he can defuse the bomb. . .but Micro is nowhere to be found!
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
And here's where it all breaks down! Punisher has been riding high, gaining inside information and taking down bits and pieces of Carbone operations, but he went TOO hard and raised suspicion.
Once again, Chuck Dixon gives us a dark, tight story that focuses less on the action and more on Frank Castle's dangerous game of infiltrating a crime family. But from the looks of it, the gritty crime drama is coming to an end and it's time for some explosive Punisher action.
I've really been liking this story so far. Hopefully the coming issues will be a good payoff as things switch into action mode.
NEXT!
ISSUE FIVE
Feeding Frenzy
COVER: John Romita Jr.
THE COVER:
Frank's lower jaw looks a little weird here, but other than that, this is a great action portrait of Punisher.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: John Romita Jr.
INKS: Klaus Janson
We pick up right where issue four left off, with Frank chained inside a car with a ticking bomb in the back seat. The mystery man, Shotgun shows up just in the nick of time to rescue Punisher, who recognizes Shotgun as J.R. "Junior" Walker, a guy he knew in Vietnam.
Walker tells Punisher they're on the same side, both with a mission to take down the Carbone Family. The difference is that Walker is a government agent with a practically-unlimited expense account. They join forces and head out to rescue Mickey.
Shifting scenes, we find Julius and Rosalie Carbone on their way to the Family meeting/alliance on a private off the coast of Mexico. We also follow Sal Carbone as he struggles to remember who he is. He takes on the name "Thorn" when someone asks his name and he reads it on a sign.
Shifting back to Punisher and Shotgun, they manage to save Mickey before he's tortured to death by Carbone enforcers. They find out that Julius is preparing to leave for the big meeting (not knowing he's already gone) and they move to take him down at his Long Island compound.
Stealth and deception are out the window now as Punisher and Shotgun engage in an all-out assault of the Carbone compound. After they brutally take down all the Carbone guards, Punisher learns that Julius and Rosalie have already left for the meeting.
Meanwhile, on the "Island of Sharks", Julius Carbone arrives and the big meeting of Families is almost ready to begin. Shotgun, Punisher, and Mickey fly toward the island on a private jet. Things are about to get spicy!
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
The story has fully shifted from gritty crime drama to all-out action mode as the series speeds toward the conclusion of the first story arc. Thankfully, Chuck Dixon keeps a firm hand on the wheel and continues to provide an engaging story. Once again, the only real weak point is Shotgun. . .who now becomes an ultraviolent and wealthy deus ex machina, enabling Frank to get to the island where the big meeting is happening and basically acting as a heavily-armed NPC in Frank's story.
Let's wrap this story up!
ISSUE SIX
The Carrion Eaters
COVER: John Romita Jr.
THE COVER:
It's a cover SO 90s that even the 90s are like, "Hey, can you tone it down a little?"
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: John Romita Jr.
INKS: Klaus Janson
Punisher, Shotgun, and Mickey parachute onto Carbone's private island and begin making their way to the compound where the big meeting is taking place. Unknown to them, Sal Carbone has also arrived by boat and is also making his way to the compound.
In the meantime, inside the compound the meeting of Families has begun. Julius Carbone makes his big reveal. He's taking the Families allied with him into the modern age with their very own private communications satellite!
Sal Carbone encounters Rosalie and her fiancée on the beach near the compound. He kills the heir apparent and starts shooting his way through the guards near the compound. The gunfire alerts the Families and everyone assumes everyone else has betrayed them! Mayhem breaks out at the meeting.
Shotgun and Punisher abandon the stealthy approach and hit the compound, guns blazing.
As the carnage spreads, Punisher and Sal Carbone both confront Julius Carbone at the same time and a brutal close quarters three-way battle ensues. Punisher is badly wounded, but Sal and Julius both fall into a pool of pet sharks and are seemingly killed.
With the battle in the compound over, Shotgun regroups with Punisher. The Families have taken heavy losses it will take a lot of time to recover from. A job well done. They head out to a waiting helicopter, leaving Rosalie there at the shark pool, alone and horrified after watching her father brutally killed in front of her. She vows revenge.
In a short epilogue, we see that Sal Carbone, (AKA Thorn) has also survived.
The End.
THE REVIEW:
There it is. The first War Zone story arc done. This last issue of the story was in full-on action mode, and was really a bit disappointing after the dark and gritty setup for it. I'm not saying it's BAD. It's pretty good and wraps things up nicely. . .even setting up not one, but TWO potential new enemies for future Punisher stories. . .I'm just saying that I was really enjoying the slower and darker tone of the earlier issues.
Then again, it IS a Punisher comic. I should know by now how things end when the Punisher finally gets down to business. Bullets and blood. Lots of both. And this final issue of the first story definitely delivers on that end.
Let's see what happens next, shall we?
WE SHALL!
ISSUE SEVEN
Mugger's Picnic
COVER: John Romita Jr.
THE COVER:
TEETH GRITTING AT MAXIMUM LEVEL! WE CAN'T GRIT ANY MORE, CAP'N!!
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: John Romita Jr.
INKS: Klaus Janson & Mike Manley
We begin with Rosalie Carbone at a meeting of what's left of her father's criminal "Family", where they are trying to figure out who's going to be in charge now that Julius and Sal Carbone are dead. Rosalie announces that she's the rightful heir and, after killing a couple of dissenters, takes charge. First order of business. . .finding and killing The Punisher.
As for The Punisher himself, he's still recovering from injuries he sustained during the takedown of the Carbone Family. He's decided to take it easy for a while. . .and by "Easy", he means finding and dealing with a serial rapist who's been targeting Central Park.
We follow Frank through the night as he takes down muggers, drug dealers, and a kidnapper. He's about to give up and go home when his real target FINALLY appears, grabbing a jogger. Punisher goes to work, but just as he's about to shoot the fleeing rapist in the back, Frank discovers that the jogger was an undercover cop, and she's got him dead to rights!
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
I liked this issue quite a lot. Not only do we get a continued thread from the first story arc with Rosalie Carbone taking over the family business and bent on revenge, but we get a main story that's really a small series of vignettes, with Punisher back to taking down some street-level crime. It's continued, but at the same time a pretty good little self-contained issue. It's a nice breather before Punisher heads back into full guns-a-blazin' mode (as we all know he eventually will).
NEXT!
ISSUE EIGHT
The Hunting Ground
COVER: John Romita Jr.
THE COVER:
I really like the red and black color scheme. It's a pretty different look than the rest of the covers so far.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: John Romita Jr.
INKS: Mike Manley, Jimmy Palmiotti & Joe Rubenstein
Punisher manages to talk the undercover policewoman into letting him go, after finding out that she's not officially even there. She's taken it on herself to take down the serial rapist Punisher is also after. The two of them form an uneasy alliance and agree to meet the next night in the park at midnight to hunt their shared target together.
In the meantime. . .
Rosalie Carbone is informed that seven deadly killers from around the world have taken her up on her five million dollar bounty she's placed on the Punisher. We spend the middle third of the issue on short one page introductions to each of them before returning to the Punisher and his new ally, NYPD officer Lynn Michaels.
We follow Lynn and Punisher as they set their trap for the rapist. They catch him, but he's prepared this time. A firefight and chase ensues. Punisher manages to wound the fleeing rapist, but he once again escapes. Punisher and Lynn are determined to find him again and the third time will NOT be the charm for the criminal.
At the end, we get a short sequence showing Micro returning to New York City after spending some down time in Florida. The issue finishes up with Rosalie Carbone meeting the gathered seven assassins and sending them off on the hunt for the Punisher.
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
Another good setup issue. One of the problems with Punisher comics is the lack of recurring supporting characters. Like Punisher's villains, most people who get too close to Frank Castle end up dead. This issue sets up one of Punisher's few new partners outside of Micro, Lynn Michaels, who would go on to play an occasional supporting role in Punisher comics.
She would even eventually become a version of the Punisher when Frank Castle was presumed dead, doing the 2000s Marvel Comics hero genderswap thing before it even was a thing. . .but I'm getting ahead of myself!
I've never actually read the origin of Lynn Michaels before reviewing this issue. I really liked the Lynn Michaels female Punisher character, so this issue was pretty interesting to me just for that reason. Other than that, it's pretty good setup for things to come. Even though I KNOW without even knowing that it's going to end badly for them, the little individual introductions for each of Rosalie Carbone's hired assassins were pretty interesting.
MOVING ALONG!
ISSUE NINE
Goners
COVER: Mike Manley
THE COVER:
Did I say there was maximum teeth grit on issue eight? I was wrong. Wait. . .I just realized this isn't a Romita Jr. cover. Manley does a pretty close copy of JRJ's style.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Mike Harris
INKS: Mike Manley & Jimmy Palmiotti
Rosalie Carbone's assassins have decided to work in teams of three, with one of them working alone. We follow the first team as they search for and capture Punisher's reluctant partner from the first story arc, mobster Mickey Fondozzi.
In the meantime, Punisher and his new partner, Lynn Michaels, have managed to discover where the serial rapist they've been hunting lives. Together they assault his apartment, but once again, he manages to escape. . .but Punisher won't give up! He chases the rapist onto a train and a gunfight ensues.
Meanwhile, Micro finally returns to the secret Brooklyn hideout, only to discover that it's been ransacked and stripped of anything valuable. Punisher is nowhere to be found. While Micro wonders if Frank is even still alive, he's not aware that one of Rosalie Carbone's assassins is hiding in the shadows watching him. . .
Back on the train, Frank manages to FINALLY take down the serial rapist, but he's taken by surprise from behind by another one of Rosalie Carbone's assassins! Punisher frantically fights for his life, but this looks like it might be the end!
Of course, we all know it's not over for Frank just yet, right?
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
So this is the first issue without John Romita Jr.'s art. But it looks to me like he did some breakdowns before he left, so there's not too big of a difference in the art here. NEXT issue, you can definitely see the change, but I'm getting ahead of myself again.
Other than the art change, this was a decent issue. It's in full-on action mode as the assassins close in on Punisher, so there's not much more to it than a series of chase scenes and fight scenes, but it's nice to see Micro returning after being absent for most of this run. Like I said in the review for the previous issue, Punisher doesn't have much of a supporting cast of characters, so when they aren't part of the story, you can definitely feel something is missing.
Let's get into the last issue of Part One!
ISSUE TEN
Tight Spot
COVER: Mike Manley
THE COVER:
I get the feeling last issue's cover was just finished by Manley, because this one doesn't look as much like a Romita Jr. style clone. A pretty cool cover, though. Probably my second favorite of the run so far.
THE STORY:
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Mike Harris
INKS: Mike Manley & Joe Brozowski
Fighting for his life after a surprise attack by one of Rosalie Carbone's assassins, Punisher manages to get the upper hand and get free, killing the attacker. The other assassin escapes.
In the meantime, Micro is attacked by another assassin hiding in their Brooklyn headquarters. He manages to take the assassin down, and realizes that if there are people trying to kill Punisher, then Frank is still alive somewhere out there.
While the second team of Rosalie's assassins continue their hunt in another part of town, a badly-wounded Punisher manages to make it to Lynn's apartment. Luckily for him, she's had some medical training and patches him up as best she can.
They don't realize yet another Carbone assassin has been watching Lynn's apartment, and he strikes while Punisher is down! He stabs Lynn, but Punisher is a harder target and Frank ends him in a hail of bullets.
Punisher tells Lynn that this is EXACTLY the reason he doesn't want people getting too close to him. She doesn't care, and surprises Frank by kissing him!
Meanwhile, the remaining four Carbone assassins have regrouped to count their losses. They decide to make a new team from what's left and continue the hunt. Shifting scenes, we find Rosalie Carbone returning from a shopping trip.
A gunman shoots down her bodyguards. . .but it's not a mob hit. It's the Punisher! He informs Rosalie that it's time for the two of them to have a little talk.
THE REVIEW:
The setup for the final issue of this storyline is pretty strong. Chuck Dixon keeps a steady hand on the wheel, even though most of the issue is action-heavy, there are some good moments setting up the return of Micro and a possible relationship for Punisher and Lynn. I liked the story.
But let's talk about the art. John Romita Jr. actually left last issue, but it looks like he at least did some breakdowns for both the cover and interior art. This issue looks like the first one without any trace of JRJ and you can DEFINITELY see it. Without Romita Jr. (and inker Klaus Janson for that matter), War Zone has begun to take on a much more generic look. It's not BAD overall, but it's certainly bad in places. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:
It's been a good run so far, but I'm starting to see signs of this series going off the rails.
CONCLUSION
There it is, folks. The first ten issues of Punisher: War Zone.
Overall, I have to say it's been a pretty good run so far. It's not a masterpiece, but Chuck Dixon has delivered some solid writing. The first storyline was especially good. Dark, gritty, engaging. . .a little brutal in places, with some good setup for later storylines.
Likewise, John Romita Jr.'s art was the perfect dark and gritty compliment to Dixon's grimy storylines. Romita Jr. is one of those artists with a unique style that people tend to either love or hate. Personally I'm sort of hit or miss on JRJ's art. . .especially his more recent work.
That said, this was during Romita Jr.'s 90s peak. There's a reason the only piece of original comic art in my collection happens to be a Romita Jr. Daredevil splash page. He was hitting it HARD in the 90s. Hard enough that you can CLEARLY see the difference when he leaves this series. It's a definite downgrade.
And seeing that downgrade with a switch in the art team, I'm a bit concerned because the concluding issue of the current storyline (The next issue, which I'll cover in part two of this review) is the last issue Chuck Dixon writes, leaving us with a completely different creative team going forward.
The good news is that Mike McKone is the artist on the next story arc, and he's a solid comic artist. But there I go getting ahead of myself again!
As far as THIS batch of ten issues go, I'll give the first storyline a certified Longbox Junk gold seal of approval. The second storyline has been good, but not great. Probably the best part about it is the introduction of Lynn Michaels. But all ten issues taken as a whole, I'll say so far so good. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Up Next. . .Part Two! Issues 11-20 and Annual #1. Coming soon!
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