The Punisher #2
“Everything Hurts”
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artist: Jose Luis Soares
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Something is definitely wrong with the Frank Castle.
I mean, besides the obvious.
Before he can get back to his mission, Frank needs to figure out just what it is...
Castle and Micro, Together Again... Well, Sort Of
Following their recent ordeals at the hands of Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin of Crime, Frank "the Punisher" Castle and David "Microchip" Liberman are both in sorry shape. Micro is in sorry physical shape, and Castle, well his issues are mostly mental. Which is why Micro arranges a visit with a neurosurgeon who has quite a few skeletons in his closet. After a little "persuading," the doctor agrees to take a look at Castle.
Meanwhile, at WNEX News, "puff piece" reporter Madeline Phipps is trying to figure out how she can use the apparent return of the Punisher to get herself moved to the big anchor desk. Running for a cup of coffee while the night janitor is doing his thing, she returns to a find a note on her desk telling her to be outside the Bar Noire at 4:00 AM. As the night janitor leaves the building, he rips off his face to reveal Jigsaw underneath!
At Ryker's, in Solitary Confinement, Tombstone gets a visit from a guard who's on Jigsaw's payroll, making another attempt at getting Tombstone to sign everything he has over to Jigsaw. When Tombstone refuses once again, the guard leaves him with the information that his people have been called to an emergency meeting... at the Noire.
Back at the hospital, the doctor has finished a scan of Castle's head. Despite the massive amounts of scar tissue and shrapnel, he appears completely healthy. So whatever is causing his blackouts, it's not going to be fixed with a scalpel. Castle has another episode, and the doctor takes his opportunity to get out of there. Micro asks Frank, does he think maybe this is his subconscious telling him that he doesn't want to be the Punisher anymore?
At the Bar Noire, Madeline and her cameraman wait nearby, watching as multiple representatives from the biggest crimal syndicates in the city go inside. Unbeknownst to any of them, the maitre d is Jigsaw, in another disguise...
Masks Like Mission: Impossible (or Scooby Doo)
After the breakneck pace of the Punisher Red Band miniseries that brought Frank Castle back to the Marvel Universe, this ongoing Punisher series has slowed the pace down. Now we're more focused on building - Jigsaw is working to build himself up to being the new Kingpin, while Castle is being torn down by whatever is wrong with him. It's a real Yin and Yang kind of setup.
It's interesting to see the Punisher like this - the reflexes are still there, making him terrifying in action. But down inside, there is something wrong with him, and it could hit and bring him down at any moment. Not knowing what's causing it, or when the next episode may happen, has left Castle a little more broken and desperate than we're used to seeing him. Similarly, Micro is physically in as bad of shape as Castle is mentally, but he's not going to be able to focus on getting better himself until he gets Frank some help. So it's a tough spot for him to be in.
Jigsaw continues his mission to become the new Kingpin of Crime, this time around he's focused on moving various players in position so that he can make his big move. I do have to admit that his newfound tendency to use masks is interesting, but it's getting a little overused already. In the first two issues of this series, we've seen him in at least three different masks that I can think of. I know they're probably going for a Mission: Impossible feel with them, but if they keep overusing them it's going to feel more like Scooby Doo.
There's basically no action to speak of this issue, other than Punisher clocking a security guard and threatening another guy with a gun. But since so much of this issue is dedicated to moving the various players in this story around on the board, there doesn't need to be much action. This being a Punisher comic, we'll get to the violence soon enough, I'm sure.
Underbosses
The regular creative team of Benjamin Percy and Jose Luis Soares are at it again this issue, and they do a solid job. Percy has been writing the Punisher for a little while now, and he's got the character down. Even while Castle is broken and desperate to find out why, he still feels like the same scary, driven man that strikes fear into so many people in the Marvel Universe. The pacing this month is drastically slowed down, but it doesn't feel slow - everything gets enough time to say its piece and leave, no plot elements wear out their welcome. It's a solidly put together script.
Soares's art is a great fit for this book and the story that it's telling. Frank Castle looks physically imposing and is a mass of scars, but he's not a hulking monster like some recent takes have depicted him. Micro looks thin and emasciated after his time with the Kingpin, although his face looks too "perfect" for the state that he's supposed to be in. As for Jigsaw, the depiction of how he removes his masks continues to be messy and gross, which makes it stand out versus the Mission: Impossible masks I mentioned earlier.
Frank D'Armata handles the colors for this title, and it's great work. Most of the book takes place at night, so everything has a darker edge to it. The Madline scenes in the bullpen after hours have the bluish tone that you'd expect from the nighttime emergency lights, and the shadowing in Tombstone's cell really make you feel the claustrophobia of solitary confinement with him. The backgrounds becoming red when Castle goes into Punisher mode and then has another episode is a great visutal cue to show that things are not going to be okay in that moment.
Hostile Takeover
The Punisher #2 is a solid issue that slows the pace down and takes its time deliving into just what is wrong with Frank Castle, while at the same time showing the next steps that Jigsaw is taking to achieve his goals. Time is spent with each of our leads that establishes their unique struggles, and the stage is set for their paths to start to cross. It will be interesting to see what sides they all end up on in the end. If Frank Castle can get his head screwed back on straight, I'll put my money on whatever side he's on.