Punisher #3

Writer/Artist Becky Cloonan has taken the reigns of this All New, All Different Punisher, but Marvel is only employing her writing skills on the title. After three issues, we have a pretty good feel for her version of the Punisher. It’s pretty much like all other versions of the Punisher, leaning heavier on Garth Ennis’s run. The similarities might seem more apparent because longtime Ennis contributor and Punisher veteran Steve Dillon pencils the interior.

The Punisher has been an unwavering oak tree in a forest of Marvel characters that bend with the breeze. He’s been so solid for so long that he has petrified into the killing machine we all recognize. We know what we’re getting when we pick up an issue of Punisher, no matter who claims it’s all new or all different. You may be wondering if the Punisher is doing the right thing, but he doesn’t. He knows what he does is necessary. Ain’t no talking him out of it (The Avengers tried once. It didn’t work out).

In the earlier two issues, the Punisher, AKA Frank Castle, former marine veteran, runs across an old commanding officer working the other side of the drug war. His former CO gives him a lead on more bad guys and Frank goes off to shoot them in the face. Spoiler: he does. He also stabs some guys. I think he blows some guys up too. It’s pretty awesome. Sophisticated plot development isn't a major component in Punisher stories.

This is the best issue of Cloonan’s run so far because she shows us Frank’s humanity. His humanity has always been there, but when we follow a hero who spends most of his time hunting and murdering criminals, we don’t often have the opportunity to see it. However, every once in awhile--maybe every couple of years-- we see Frank stick his neck out to save civilians. Here, we see Frank react to an adorable little girl who is put in the most nefarious danger imaginable. They talk about dinosaurs.

If you are wondering whether Netflix's Daredevil series has worn off on this “all new, all different” Punisher in the same way Starlord now looks like Chris Pratt, the answer is yes. Some. He’s a little younger now. He wears his hair shorter--high and tight. He wears jeans, T-shirt and jacket instead of body armor. The Punisher's appearance never changes much, so it's not a distraction.

Thus far, Cloonan and Dillon have done an admirable job with the story. I’m sometimes surprised that writers continue to find entertaining ways to have Punisher kill people. I read somewhere that his lifetime kill count in the comics is approaching 50,000. Somehow, it’s still rewarding to see him mow bad guys down, and even more rewarding to see him take a detour from slaughter to show a little girl compassion.