The Punisher #55-56 By Geoff Hoppe Apr 16, 2008 - 11:02:59 AM Marvel Comics Writer(s): Garth Ennis Penciller(s): Goran Parlov Inker(s): Goran Parlov Colourist(s): Lee Loughridge

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Every time you look at this cover, you grow a chest hair.

This is my first review of a Garth Ennis story. I don’t know much about him, except that his comics appear to have more internal organs than a med school textbook. Here’s an impressionistic prose poem I feel conveys the emotional impact of these, my first two issues:

GRRRRAHHAAGHGHGAH BLOOD BLOOD SHOTGUNS HARD ALCOHOL SEVERED HANDS GRENADE LAUNCHERS POLICE TAPE TRIP WIRES GOLF HOCKEY FIGHTS DELTA FORCE BLACK COFFEE MEAT-FLAVORED BEER SHOOTING POOL

There’s enough much generic masculinity in these two issues to fuel a thousand bachelor parties. It’s manlier than a hardware store with a bar and humidor attached. I think if you locked this comic and, say, a My Little Pony figure in a room together and came back an hour later, the My Little Pony would be headless, or incinerated, or just plain gone. The sheer testosterone of The Punisher would cancel its very existence.

The Punisher #55-56 begins a story arc entitled “Valley Forge, Valley Forge,” which will be Garth Ennis’ final addition to his multi-year run on the title. “Valley Forge” promises to be Frank Castle’s (the Punisher) toughest mission yet, and also reveal Castle’s violent, Vietnam War origins.

In The Punisher #55-56, a cabal of corrupt military officers brainstorms a way to bring Frank Castle down for once and for all: use soldiers to capture him. They know Frank Castle, ex-special forces himself, won’t kill American troops. It’s a simple but gripping setup that slingshots the narrative along its seedy trajectory.

This title’s realism is beyond “tempting.” “Tempting” presupposes a choice. Ennis’ attention to detail is so thorough, the reader accepts events with the same unquestioning acceptance they read a menu or street directions. The detail behaves in an oddly subtle manner, especially given the almost embarrassing display of Y-Chromosome-ism throughout.

Goran Parlov’s art has a simple, comic-strip look that makes it hard to accept at first. The action scenes benefit from Ennis’ layout, though, and, somehow, Parlov’s pencils sum up Ennis’ tone pretty well.

Wroth the money? No. I want to see where the story goes before I spend money on it. Besides, the six dollars you save will buy a lot of meat-flavored beer…

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