Essential Punisher, Vol. 2 (v. 2) [Paperback]

Mike Baron (Author), Ann Nocenti (Author), Roger Salick (Illustrator), Eliot R. Brown (Illustrator), Klaus Janson (Illustrator), Dave Ross (Illustrator), Whilce Portacio (Illustrator), John Romita (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2007

Mobsters, terrorists, neo-Nazis, religious fanatics, armored killers - no one's too tough for the Punisher! Follow the trail of blood as Frank Castle's war on crime takes him across the country, south of the border, back to school and Down Under! Plus: The Man With Lots of Guns vs. the Man Without Fear in a crossover with Daredevil! And who will live and die when the Punisher leads what might be the world's shortest-lived crime-fighting team against the Kingpin of Crime? With Typhoid and a cameo by the X-Men!

Product Details

• Paperback: 536 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (September 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785127348
• ISBN-13: 978-0785127345
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 1.5 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #475,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Punisher in His Prime, June 10, 2008

By 

Jason F. Johnson "comicbook devotee" (Duluth, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essential Punisher, Vol. 2 (v. 2) (Paperback)

The Punisher's earlier works, depicted in the first Essential volume, were all over the map in terms of the Punisher's portrayal. This volume depicts the character at his best, straddling the line betwixt the PG-rated version of the late 70s (when he was still using "mercy bullets") and the R-rated MAX version, (which often tries too hard to assure the audience that it's "grown up"). Here the action is fun and not just for shock value; and while the Punisher is an anti-hero, he retains a sense of decency that makes him a better fit in the Marvel universe.

Re-reading these earlier adventures, I was struck at how many of them would make great films, as the attention to action and story are equally balanced, especially in the earlier issues. I will say that the series went through some growing pains midway through this volume (the Kingpin storyline doesn't work on several levels), but would recover later in the series, so I'd recommend the next volume as well.

As for the art, I can't say that many of the artists were particularly to my tastes, esp. the Portacio-pencilled issues, which I guess were going for a "gritty" look but that I just found grating. But for me, stories take precedence over art, and there are some really good ones here.

I guess comparisons to the later Garth Ennis version of the character are inevitable. I don't want to knock Ennis--unarguably he's a skilled writer, if a bit more nihilistic for my taste. But if you can enjoy action comics without f-bombs and castrations, and you don't object to the occasional super-hero guest appearance (they become more rare but are still present), then you ought to have fun with these PG-13 adventures.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential Punisher is Essential Reading, February 28, 2008

By 

Kenneth Mark Hoover "opinionated book worm" (Allen, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essential Punisher, Vol. 2 (v. 2) (Paperback)

Not a bad anthology of Punny comics from the late 80s. Artwork and stories have decent enough depth to them, as does the taut action. Not a perfect collection, and the Max comics out now are much better since they are more adult-oriented...but remember these are from the 80s.

If you like Punisher and want to read some decent adventures of this iconoclastic Marvel hero, then check out this collection. I think you'll like it.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Punisher takes on everyone., December 2, 2011

By 

Dylan Luciano "Marvel Man" (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Essential Punisher, Vol. 2 (v. 2) (Paperback)

After the boring mess that was Punisher volume 1 I was reluctant to pick up Essential Punisher, Vol 2 but was instantly hooked by the action in the book. Punisher fights everyone in this book from the Mob, to a religious nut job, to Daredevil himself. All of the adventures in this story contain a lot of action but the writers know how to make Frank come across as being a very skilled and tactical thinker rather than jumping around with a gun. The art is very dark and gritty reflecting the mood of the story. Even though Punisher MAX wasn't invented yet the lack of Marvel characters in this book allows itself to be a prototype for the MAX universe. Even when the Punisher does interact with other heroes they are street heroes and not universal teams like the X-Men or Avengers.

If their was one thing to complain about I don't really like Microchip in this series. I know that he's only a supporting character but i just don't like the idea of anyone really working with Frank.