Dave Talks Comics - Episode 19

Click the image to go to the podcast page for episode 19.

PunisherMax v1: #5

Kingpin
by Jason Aaron (writer) and Steve Dillon (artist)

Chapter 5

There's a disconnect between chapters 4 and 5. The scene shifts without explanation. At the end of 4 he is at Don Rigoletto's home about to confront him. At the beginning of 5 Fisk goes home to his apartment and confronts Rigoletto there. No explanation is given for the sudden shift in setting.

This story feels as of it could be told more efficiently. Too many panels are devoted to gruesome violence which doesn't forward the story in any way. After the umpteenth such panel the violence tends to carry less weight.

PunisherMax v1: #4

Kingpin
by Jason Aaron (writer) and Steve Dillon (artist)

Chapter 4

Fisk rolls forward with his plans to become the Kingpin. Castle deals with a non-traditional hit man, the Mennonite. (Note: the Mennonite is the man from the previous chapter that I erroneously thought might be Fisk's father.)

There's lots of action. It isn't cerebral in the least bit. There's nothing really to chew on here, just violence. The most interesting part is the layering of the internal monologues of Fisk, Castle, and the Mennonite. Hopefully the final chapter of this arc will add some depth to it.

PunisherMax v1: #3

Kingpin
by Jason Aaron (writer) and Steve Dillon (artist)

Chapter 3

It's a riveting story but it is still expanding. Pieces are still being placed on the board. The chapter is bookended by the story of someone else. The identity of that person is unclear although it seems as though it may be Fisk's father.

It is still Fisk's story, so far, but for the first time Castle narrates some of it. Castle still lacks the depth that Fisk has.

PunisherMax v1: #2

Kingpin
by Jason Aaron (writer) and Steve Dillon (artist)

Chapter 2

The focus here is primarily on Wilson Fisk. His backstory is revealed and he is compared and contrasted with Frank Castle. Fisk has had it rough. His experiences have molded him. He isn't a buffoon or afraid to get dirt under his fingernails.

This feels like fresh start. Very little has been revealed about Castle. The way he lurks in the shadows makes him seem like the villain. Both men use violence very liberally but Fisk is the focal point and much more 3-dimensional than Castle.

The story continues to be graphically violent and very R-rated. Some of the most horrifically violent things don't happen on panel. The way in which Aaron and Dillon, through pictures and words inform the reader of what is happening off panel make it just as grim and gritty or possibly worse than if these things were depicted visually.

PunisherMax v1: #1

Kingpin
by Jason Aaron (writer) and Steve Dillon (artist)

Chapter 1

Punisher is a killing machine, a one man army intent on bringing down the crime families of New York City. Something has to be done to slow him down and stop him. Enter Wilson Fisk, a bodyguard who will play the role of straw man for the Punisher to focus on. That's the plan.

Intriguing premise. There's a lot of exposition in this chapter. Hopefully it will be the exception and not the rule. The ball is in motion now.

So far the most interesting character is Fisk. In the regular (616) Marvel Universe he is already a boss. At this point in this series he just aspires to be one. He is shown both on the job and at home. He is a thinking man; he is multidimensional. It is not clear at this point if Frank Castle, the Punisher, possesses both of these qualities.

Steve Dillon doesn't pull any punches with his art. What violence there is in this chapter is graphic. Is it excessive? Possibly but it helps to move the story forward and gives the reader a lens through which to view and understand the world in which Fisk and Castle operate.

What I Bought - Apr 15, 2012

I went to the Capicon Show at the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Department today. I didn't find any of the things at the top of my list but I did buy a number of other things.

- Hercules, Prince of Power #1 - 4 (1982 mini-series)

- Machine Man #1 - 4 (1984 mini-series)

- New Teen Titans (1980) #21 - 25 :: first appearance of Brother Blood (21-22) followed by the first 3 parts (of 4) of the Titans encounter with Starfire's sister, Blackfire; this story concludes in Annual #1, which I already have

- Captain America #262 :: to replace the coverless copy that I have had for years; I still need to buy #261 and #264 to complete my run of the early DeMatteis/Zeck run on Cap

- The Untold Legend of the Batman #1 - 2 :: I was unable to find #3 at a "reasonable" price

- DC Comics Presents Annual #2

- Comic Book Comics #4

Total cost: $11.50 which includes the $2 admission fee

I grabbed a bite to eat and then went to Barbarian Comics in Wheaton, MD where I bought some new, much more expensive books.

- 20th Century Boys v19
- Scalped v3: Dead Mothers
- Punisher Max v1: Kingpin

She-Hulk, Punisher, X-Men

*** SPOILERS ***

She-Hulk v3: Time Trials - Good but not great. I've written about it before. I enjoyed chapters 1, 2, and 5 . Chapters 3 and 4 I could have done without.

Chapter 3 - It was the 100th issue and was drawn by 50 different artists. It wasn't a regular issue, even though it was written that way. It was a collage, an homage, but not a single story. I wanted to like it but I just couldn't.

Chapter 4 - A follow up to House of M or some such other gigantic Marvel crossover event from years past. It was not drawn by Juan Bobillo, the regular artist.

Chapter 5 - Jen/She-Hulk brings the Two-Gun Kid with her when she returns to the present. This chapter is all about the TGK trying to fit in. What's cool about it is how it is isn't Jen (but Mallory Book) who sees the solution to TGK's dilemma. It's an interesting character moment, letting one of the supporting characters (instead of the She-Hulk) step forward (metaphorically speaking) and help TGK find his place in the 21st century.

I do plan to pick up the next volume of She-Hulk, which I think is the last one written by Dan Slott.

Punisher War Journal v1: Civil War - I had high hopes for this book and so far they have yet to be met. The first four issues collected in this volume all tie into a Marvel crossover.

Chapter 1 - Not a bad start although it was a little disjointed. I'm guessing that part of the story was told in another book. I like the artwork. The black and white version of chapter 1 (that is also included in this collection) makes it abundantly clear (to me at least) how talented Ariel Olivetti is.

Chapter 2 - This is where I really started to have problems with the book. I really don't like the idea of Frank Castle fighting alongside super-heroes. Frank should not be buddies with Captain America. They may see eye-to-eye on an issue or two but I don't like seeing the Punisher following Cap's lead. Thankfully it doesn't last. Castle returns to his tried and true methods before the issue is over, much to Cap's dismay.

Hopefully things will pick up in chapters 3 and 4.

Uncanny X-Men Omnibus v1 - I'm almost there. I've read 95% of this collection: 38 of 40 issues. Its only taken me 6.5 months to get this far. I didn't care much for the Proteus storyline: X-Men # 125 - 128. I didn't think much of him as a villain. His powers were a little too vague.

X-Men # 129 introduces Kitty Pride. I'm not sure if I ever read it before. I did love the expressions on Peter/Colossus' face as he looks over Logan/Wolverine's shoulder as he is reading first Hustler and then Penthouse; priceless. I think this was also the first appearance of Emma Frost. I still can't get over the fact that she is now a member of the X-Men and Scott/Cyclops' lover. Just two more issues to go and then I'll probably have to wait a couple years or more for v2. Unfortunately the break is right at the beginning of the Dark Phoenix storyline.

Overall this has been a great purchase. I had read parts of this run of issues: # 94 - 131, but never read the whole run. It has given me a greater appreciation for what followed it and where the X-Men were coming from leading up to # 150, which is about where I began collecting the series back in the early 1980s.