Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

Punisher #15

By Dan Horn
March 31, 2010 - 22:08

This series continues to amaze month after month. After his brilliant Dark Reign tie-in that had Punisher matching firepower and wits with Hood and a motley crew of resurrected B-list villains, Rick Remender's Frankencastle has shockingly been the most enjoyable twist on the character since Garth Ennis' Punisher MAX run came to an end.

With the diabolical Hellsgaard wiping out monsters and freaks worldwide, and with Frank now being one of those monsters/freaks, the patchwork Punisher sets out to rescue Morbius and Manphibian from the genocidal madman's Alpine keep. But the super-genius Hellsgaard is now more powerful than ever as the Blood-Stone fuels his rage and regenerates his human form.

The thing that really makes this issue superb is that, after several issues of building this off-beat sleeper hit up to epic proportions, Remender finally sets Frank Castle loose. And boy, has the wait paid off! Frank gets back to what he does best: Punishing! This issue is nearly cover-to-cover signature Punisher bad-guy slaughtering. From Hellsgaard's high-tech Japanese monster hunters to the hordes of Nazi zombies (yes, you heard right: Punisher vs. Nazi zombies!), the action never relents. And, I have to say, for a series that has been surprisingly light on Punisher-esque ultra-violence, Roland Boschi's panels are gloriously gory. This is all leading up to quite possibly one of the biggest bouts of the year: Frankencastle vs. Hellsgaard.

Sure, it's campy and sometimes silly. Sure, it's predictable (after defeating Hellsgaard, Frank'll probably use the Blood-Stone to become human again to continue punishing the wicked, like this whole Frankencastle thing never happened). But, the really gut-wrenching and visceral moments that Remender throws into the mix make the whole thing come together as a true comic book classic. I, for one, can't wait to read Punisher #16 next month!

Rating: 9.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12