pulped fiction

drive-by readings

Franken-Castle #19 (Marvel) "Punishment Chapter 2" Rick Remender Tony Moore Dan Brown Joe Caramagna Simone Bianchi/Simone Peruzzi (cover)

what we learned: Frank Castle and Daken - the rematch! Remender goes full circle after having Daken make sushi out of Frank, and this time, Wolverine's badass kid gets the short end of the stick ... until Papa shows up.
oh shit moment: i think Frank took a lot more punishment back in the The List, but there's still a bunch of cringe-inducing moments here that runs like a "Can You Top This?" contest and fanboys going "whoooaaaaa!" on every turn.
what's next: father and son versus a Frankencastle monstaaaa!!


aw, Logan, you spoilsport. booooooooo.

the abyss gazed back

drive-by readings

Punisher #14 (Marvel) Rick Remender Dan Brereton Tony Moore Dan Brown Joe Caramagna Mike McKone/Morry Hollowell (cover) hey, did i miss something? suddenly Frank's computer geek friend is back on the scene. no, i don't mean Micro. anyhoo, Henry's magic touch with the keyboard and the internet (and his librarian-schmoozing skills probably) serves them well as we find out who the boss of these monster hunters are. turns out its one Robert Hellsgaard (that figures!), monster victim circa 1898 and unfairly imprisoned for mercy killing. defeated by Dracula himself and sent to Limbo, now he's managed to beat time inside an armor of his own design (hey, Tony Stark, sounds like something you'd be interested in - if you haven't invented it already). brought back by monster-obsessed Japs (yay, shall we see the origins of tentacle sex here too?), Hellsgaard becomes too much of a guiding light and they expanded their scopt to include anyone doesn't look human (probably except shapeshifters, whom they can't detect). which brings us to the here and now. and oh, that Bloodstone thing? that may be the only thing that would extend Hellsgaard's life. and now, Frank's ready to take it back. by the way, this may be the only book that uses the term "technological viagra". bravo, Mr. Remender.

snaps: Punisher #11

thoughts on FrankenCastle, episode 1.


1) the Japanese are just insane. i mean, really. funny insane.


2) how did the Dormammu end up on the side of benevolent monsters? (i kid, i kid)


3) FRANK IS RIGHT!!!!


4) well, HIS name is Jack Russell, innit??


5) Peter Parker must be smarting at the sight of these Goblin Gliders in wide use.

i'm not yet totally swayed by this new direction for the Punisher, despite some quarters praising it for its fresh and alternative take. something's off. or i just need to wean myself off sucking on Garth Ennis' teats. ahhh, shit, now that image is gonna stick with me for the rest of the day. dammit.

616: Where You Don't Need Insurance

indeed. i mean, even if people-who-had-their-heads-blown-off like Microchip can even come back to life, courtesy of resident demons, what's there to be afraid of?

you just need a schtick, a gimmick that's useful to someone.

coming back soon: Steve Rogers.

-----
Punisher #4

but then again where's the fun in that?

if you gave me a comic with the following cover: (hello, Papa John Romita?)


and knowing what we know about Dark Reign, the ascension of Norman Osborn, and the raison d'etre of the Punisher ...

we should expect that, by the end of this book (which they conveniently numbered as a starter issue), Frank Castle should blow this .90 caliber pezzonovante away.

right?

let me quote as you can barely read the text below:
"some enemies you charge head on ... others you shoot through the head with a high powered Skrull sniper rifle from four miles away."


so, at this point, i stopped ... and posted this on the blog.


do we get a payoff?


do we?


update (10PM):
"Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
- Brian Bendis/Joe Quesada/Rick Remender/the rest of the Marvel editorial staff