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captainyaht's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sylvia200146's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
beoooz's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
m_argherita22's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tabman678's review
5.0
The "Born" mini series strongly earns the five stars but the followup twelve issues of Punisher Max are also great.
Born is Frank Castle in Vietnam. We see where the Punisher was born. How he made a deal to become what he is. How he liked it and how he wanted it. It's excellent, brutal, tragic for other characters. But just right for Frank I think. The art by Darick Robertson is excellent, showcasing exactly what it needs to. He has a skill for posture and facial expression. Looking at Castle is something else compared to another solider, but he gets the look of a young Castle just right, he looks older then he is but young.
The in the beginning story is a fantastic showcase of Frank as he exists in this world. Old, grizzled, one tough motherlover, scars to show age and an attitude that'd scare the devil. It deals with an ally of the past coming back into the fray, while showcasing what it is the MAX line of books can show. Unflinchingly brutal, dark humored with a high political drive. The first six issues go down easy. Lewis LaRosa handles the pencils well but has a very grim crime style to it.
Now the last six issues in the collection "Kitchen Irish" drawn by Leanardo Fernandez is the wekest of the three stories here but still class A Punisher. Politically charged in a long-term dispute between the Irish and British, and Frank wants to Punish them all because they bombed a restaurant too soon and killed lots of people. Three factions, one Punisher. Plus an ally or two from his vietnam days.
Why is this Punisher so good? The characterization. Frank never wavers and never doubts. He doesn't grandstand. He just does what he does. Damn everyone and everything else. Frank's not insane or disillusioned. He knows what he is. That and the dark humored storytelling.
5 stars. Some of the best Punisher around.
Born is Frank Castle in Vietnam. We see where the Punisher was born. How he made a deal to become what he is. How he liked it and how he wanted it. It's excellent, brutal, tragic for other characters. But just right for Frank I think. The art by Darick Robertson is excellent, showcasing exactly what it needs to. He has a skill for posture and facial expression. Looking at Castle is something else compared to another solider, but he gets the look of a young Castle just right, he looks older then he is but young.
The in the beginning story is a fantastic showcase of Frank as he exists in this world. Old, grizzled, one tough motherlover, scars to show age and an attitude that'd scare the devil. It deals with an ally of the past coming back into the fray, while showcasing what it is the MAX line of books can show. Unflinchingly brutal, dark humored with a high political drive. The first six issues go down easy. Lewis LaRosa handles the pencils well but has a very grim crime style to it.
Now the last six issues in the collection "Kitchen Irish" drawn by Leanardo Fernandez is the wekest of the three stories here but still class A Punisher. Politically charged in a long-term dispute between the Irish and British, and Frank wants to Punish them all because they bombed a restaurant too soon and killed lots of people. Three factions, one Punisher. Plus an ally or two from his vietnam days.
Why is this Punisher so good? The characterization. Frank never wavers and never doubts. He doesn't grandstand. He just does what he does. Damn everyone and everything else. Frank's not insane or disillusioned. He knows what he is. That and the dark humored storytelling.
5 stars. Some of the best Punisher around.
theteenidol's review
5.0
I haven’t read the Punisher: Max books in years but they are violent, gory, and vulgar and I love it! While I do have a couple small issues with with Eniss’s depiction of Frank Castle, he makes up for it by making the Punisher the unrelenting, uncompromising killing machine that he’s suppose to be.
blakemacnelly's review
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
guiltyfeat's review
3.0
I hadn't read these stories before, so this was a great way to binge on them. The miniseries, Born, is not really an origin story. Frank Castle is most fully formed when we find him here, and the notion that he has to do some kind of deal with the devil to survive, felt like the least smart way to kick off a new series where the Punisher fights real bad buys rather than baddies in spandex. Maybe we're supposed to take it as a metaphor for Frank's Catholic guilt, but it still raises the unwelcome idea that he somehow believes the senseless murder of his wife and children was divine (or satanic) payback for his acts of violence in 'Nam.
The first 12 issues of the regular series abandon this premise fairly early on. The first arc has Micro leading a shady group to try and recruit Frank to go after Bin Laden. Frank declines. The second arc is a bit sillier with a bunch of Irish gangsters chasing a McGuffin and forgetting to be careful what they wish for.
Both stories trade on Ennis's love of blood and torture, but they are missing much of the dark wit that he's written into his other work. I'd still like to collect further editions of these series, but having read the first volume, they seem less essential.
The first 12 issues of the regular series abandon this premise fairly early on. The first arc has Micro leading a shady group to try and recruit Frank to go after Bin Laden. Frank declines. The second arc is a bit sillier with a bunch of Irish gangsters chasing a McGuffin and forgetting to be careful what they wish for.
Both stories trade on Ennis's love of blood and torture, but they are missing much of the dark wit that he's written into his other work. I'd still like to collect further editions of these series, but having read the first volume, they seem less essential.
yonnyan's review
5.0
From the brilliant mind behind Preacher, comes The Punisher. This collection is absolutely amazing. It's terrifically unforgiving in its portrayal of an iconically dark and disturbed hero.
We get a fabulously illustrated story about a war veteran who loses everything to become a terrifying killer of evil. Not only was I swept up by the sheer heaviness of doom that comes with The Punisher, I found myself completely enthralled by the artwork that is a wonderful compliment to the twisted storytelling that is going on. Punisher is not your typical superhero. He doesn't have a self-righteous attitude about right and wrong, or sees the world in black and white. I loved how thought-provoking these comics were, even if I did find myself cringing more often than not simply from the blatant unhindered nature of its vulgarity (which is NOT a bad thing at all for this specific series).
This is quite a collection and an absolute must read for all fans of the genre. I don't normally round up with my ratings, but I can't think of anything more deserving; four and a half ass-kickings outta five.
We get a fabulously illustrated story about a war veteran who loses everything to become a terrifying killer of evil. Not only was I swept up by the sheer heaviness of doom that comes with The Punisher, I found myself completely enthralled by the artwork that is a wonderful compliment to the twisted storytelling that is going on. Punisher is not your typical superhero. He doesn't have a self-righteous attitude about right and wrong, or sees the world in black and white. I loved how thought-provoking these comics were, even if I did find myself cringing more often than not simply from the blatant unhindered nature of its vulgarity (which is NOT a bad thing at all for this specific series).
This is quite a collection and an absolute must read for all fans of the genre. I don't normally round up with my ratings, but I can't think of anything more deserving; four and a half ass-kickings outta five.
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