REVIEW: Time Off for Good Behavior in Punisher #4

Punisher #4

“Cheating Death”

Writer: Benjamin Percy

Artist: Jose Luis Soares and Sergio Davila

Colorist: Frank D’Armata

Cover Artist: David Marquez and Guru-eFX

The different ways a single character or property can be presented or adapted have always fascinated me. Adjustments always need to be made when moving between different media, and in today’s world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe, there are often changes made to characters to make them fit more naturally into the modern world.

Frank Castle is having one of those moments right now. His Netflix appearance in Punisher: One Last Kill shows a version of him that is a broken man, wracked with guilt and PTSD, who almost ends it all before finding a reason to keep going. In the comic series Punisher, he’s a cold and detached man with no remorse who’s willing to drop his only ally off the side of a roof. Two distinct versions of the same character, each valid in their own way.

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How Castle Got His Groove Back

I still don’t understand why this isn’t a Red Band book.  Between some gnarly kills and Jigsaw’s habit of tearing off whatever face he’s wearing, this book is pretty nasty for a mainstream Marvel title.  Fortunately, the story being told is an interesting one, although the pacing is a little uneven this issue.

Frank Castle has finally learned what was wrong with him, why his body was fighting his basest urges, and he’s overcome it.  Now the Punisher is truly free.  Heaven help us all.

There’s no help for Microchip, who finds himself a prisoner once more—this time of Frank.  Meanwhile, reporter Madeline finds herself a prisoner of her own ambitions, and Tombstone is a prisoner no longer.  From the shadows, Jigsaw continues to manipulate them all.

It’s time for a reckoning.

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Men of Many Faces

One thing that remains consistent about Frank Castle across every version of the character is that he’s not remotely well. He has enough issues to fill a library, and he couldn’t care less about reading or interpreting them. By appointing himself judge, jury, and executioner, he’s become a prisoner of his own making, trapped in a war that can never end.

It’s fascinating how this series has built a story where the so-called “good guys” find themselves trapped by their own hubris or ambition, while the villains are free to do whatever they wish. It’s a noticeable flip on the normal story structure.

Of course, part of the reason the villains have been able to accomplish so much to this point is that Castle wasn’t really in play. Thanks to what Fisk and Micro had done to him, the very act of carrying out the punishment that made him the Punisher would cause him physical harm. It was an interesting and unique take on the character, where he had no qualms about who and what he was, but was physically unable to act on his impulses. I don’t think we’ve seen a take quite like that before.

Now that he’s overcome Micro’s “gift,” he’s once again free to continue his crusade without hesitation or remorse. I am hopeful this doesn’t also mean “without character or personality.” I’ve enjoyed this more nuanced take, and I don’t want to see him reverted into a generic murder machine.

There is definitely no nuance in Jigsaw’s portrayal, but that’s fine—he’s never been a very nuanced character anyway. For all his talk at the beginning of this series about how he was going to become a planner and do things right, he hasn’t actually done all that much to this point. Making threats to Tombstone in prison, taking out a group of his lieutenants, manipulating Madeline, and then deciding to go after Castle? One of these things is not like the others.

Speaking of Madeline… I’m all for long-term planning in comics. Lord knows we have enough creators who don’t think past the story arc they’re working on right now. But at the same time, there has to be a plan. And I’m not getting that feeling from this character. She doesn’t feel like she’s being positioned as a love interest, but I also can’t figure out what role she’s meant to fill.  She hasn’t gotten enough page time to feel like anything more than a distraction at this point, and this book already has a lot of players and moving parts.

Another “long-term planning” issue comes in the form of Tombstone. Because of the very nature of a shared universe like the one in Marvel Comics, I have concerns about his usage. He’s portrayed very much as the kind of mob boss who gets his hands dirty here, and that works fine for the Punisher’s little corner of the universe. But how am I supposed to picture this version of the character mixing it up with Spider-Man ever again? He’s undoubtedly going to go back to the more restrained version that fits Spidey’s corner of the Marvel Universe, so I question whether including him here was the right move.

Next issue looks to be the ending of this first story arc, so I’m hopeful that we’ll get a better idea of where the series is going from here, now that most of the setup has been completed.

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Prisoners

Much like Castle and the others, the creative team of Benjamin Percy, Jose Luis Soares, and Sergio Davila are prisoners of deadlines, drawing boards, and keyboards each month.

Benjamin Percy is right at home in the darker corners of the Marvel Universe, so this title is a perfect playground for him. He gives Frank Castle more complexity than he’s had in some time, while still keeping the core of the character intact. The rest of the cast aren’t as fleshed out, but they’re not one-note ciphers either, so they still fit their roles well. The pacing is a little uneven this month, but that may simply be because there are so many balls in the air right now that things feel a bit awkward as they start to come back down.

Jose Luis Soares has an artistic cellmate in Sergio Davila, who helps with the pencils on this issue. The two work well together, and I honestly can’t tell for sure which portions of the artwork were done by which artist. They both use a similar style, with clean figure work and plenty of variation in viewing angles, which helps keep a lower-action issue visually engaging. And as always, Jigsaw tearing off his false faces is gross. No Scooby-Doo masks here, folks.

The colors by Frank D’Armata help maintain the visual tone Punisher has had since the Red Band miniseries. This means darker tones overall, plenty of shadow, and a green tint hanging over Castle’s warehouse headquarters. The splashes of blood, faceless corpses, and other bits of brutality stand out as appropriately gross and unsettling thanks to the color choices.

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Guess Who’s Back, Back Again

Punisher #4 may not be the highest-impact issue of the series so far, but it moves important plot threads forward and frees Frank Castle from the figurative shackles he’s worn since his return. The Punisher is well and truly back now, and the underworld had best beware. After the inevitable collision with Jigsaw, there’s no telling who he might target next. Whoever it is, it should be fun to watch.

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FINAL SCORE: 7.5 out of 10

Highly Recommended