Customer Reviews

Punisher by Garth Ennis Omnibus

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's my prediction that if you are seriously considering buying this, you know what you are getting content-wise. The entire book, content-wise, can be reviewed for the informed comics buyer in one poignant sentence: It's Garth Ennis and he is writing Punisher.

You are probably much more concerned with the quality of the book. I would give it a solid A-, still 5 stars. As others have noted, it is a sewn binding. This means a few things:

1) It will lie flat. The binding bends, adjusts, and folds seamlessly, unlike a glued binding, which stays flat while the pages adjust instead. While I like the stability of glued bindings during reading, I got used to the sewn quickly.

2) In comics with glued binding, full page spreads and in some instances other art generally extend into the depths of the margin and a quarter-inch or so of art is completly lost to the reader. Because of the sewn binding, every page is fully viewable to the art margin before it even comes close to the center. The result is being able to see a full-page spread as well as you can with a retail comic book lying open.

3) It's probably gonna last a long time. This omnibus is basically exactly at the limit of pages that I feel comfortable saying the binding is going to hold up a long, long time. If this thing had 200 more pages, I would be skeptical - it would be a monster.


One last word, dealing with content.

This book contains the one-shot Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe. I own the entire Ennis Punisher run, including MAX, and must say: This is the best Punisher story ever. When Ennis started the main run, this earlier individual comic was selling at $50-60. The story is simple: Frank's family dies in the middle of a superhero battle instead of a mob shooting, and as a result Frank punishes the heroes of Marvel rather than the criminals of the world. It is worth the price of admission alone.

Garth Ennis had made quite a name for himself by the time he had come to Marvel to reboot The Punisher. After a revered run on Hellblazer, Ennis and artist Steve Dillon created Preacher for DC's Vertigo imprint, and the rest is history. When Ennis took on The Punisher, he had in his hands a character that started out oh so promising when he was first created, and then went on to overexposure and pure mishandling over the years that followed. Ennis changed all that, taking Frank Castle to the grim and gritty streets of New York in the Marvel universe, which you can see for yourself in this massive hardcover omnibus. Collecting Ennis' 12-issue maxi-series "Welcome Back Frank", as well as issues 1-7 and 13-37 of the Marvel Knights series that followed, plus the Marvel Knights Double Shot and the Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe one-shot; these are the stories that began Ennis' defining journey in re-inventing The Punisher. There are a few downsides to this collection, including the fact that issues 8-12 are mysteriously missing. Also, since these comics were before Ennis launched the mature themed, and brilliant, Punisher MAX series, it often feels as if Ennis' patented blend of black humor and blood curdling, hard hitting storytelling is a little held back. Flaws aside though, this is a wonderful collection that displays Ennis' disdain for superheroes, and the fun that he has at their expense. The artwork is mostly great as well, including great work from frequent collaborators Dillon, Darick Robertson, Dougie Brathwaite, and John McCrea (as well as some less than stellar work from Cam Kennedy). All in all, while not as masterful as the MAX series (which hopefully will find its way to the Omnibus format), Ennis' Marvel Knights Punisher series is (mostly) here in all its glory, and this Punisher Omnibus is definitely worth your time whether you are a longtime fan of Ennis' Punisher work or just a newcomer to the character.

If you're looking at this (sadly out of print for the moment) item, it's quite likely that you're already a fan of Garth Ennis' Punisher run and are familiar with the content of this omnibus. If not, I'd recommend checking out the "Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank" arc in trade paperback format, which collects the legendary first twelve issues of Ennis' run on this title. If the violence and black humour of that story hooks you, there's a good chance you'll enjoy the rest of Ennis' work with the character. The real joy of any oversized comics omnibus, I feel, is in having the entire run in one volume which emphasises the artwork within, is solidly constructed, and looks great on a bookshelf, and this massive hardcover certainly meets these conditions.

This volume collects what must be considered one of the greatest runs in mainstream comics in the past 10 years, if not much longer. Garth Ennis's Punisher is shocking, hilarious, gripping, prescient, and consistently surprising. You can clearly see Mr. Ennis stretching the boundaries of mainstream comics in every arc- the combination of incredible violence, a tight and tense narrative, and slapstick comedy is a brilliant mix that will leave you laughing out loud, shaking your head, and just generally flabbergasted at the level of invention and pure joy that went into these stories.

The artwork is fantastic. Steve Dillon, the artist for the majority of these issues, proves himself an equal partner to Mr. Ennis. His facial expressions and surprising compositional choices are always a revelation. He consistently conveys the physicality of the action, and imbues his scenes with a sense of physical gravity- the characters are really planted on the ground. This is quite rare in "super-hero" comics. The color artists do an exceptional job, as well--the colors are vibrant and practically glow from the pages.

Whether you are Punisher fan or not, this work is absolutely entertaining. Ennis and Dillon make this book a shifting canvas where they depict action, satire, slapstick, pathos, tragedy, and pain, sometimes all at the same time. Not to mention the fact that the book is beautiful and an incredible value. It is utterly enormous and well worth the money. A towering achievement in a superb collected edition.

This is such an awesome collection and it is massively HUGE! Trust me when I say that you will need a desk to sit at to read it. You won't be holding it for long if you try. It is a monster! The stories are freakin' sweet and the art work is top notch. The binding is sewn and the paper is thick. This omnibus is put together right and will stand the test of time! Marvel did it right. Even though it is not the MAX run that Ennis wrote, it is every bit as good! Trust me, you need to get this collection while you can. You will not be disappointed!

In an era of increasing prices of individual issues and out-of-print trade paperbacks, the Punisher Omnibus is one of the best deals out there. This monster tome is 50 issues of Garth Ennis (and Frank Castle) at his best. The opening 12 issues, "Welcome Back Frank" redefined a B-list character that suffered through the gimmick years of the mid 90's and established Ennis as the quintessential Punisher author. Frank Castle returns to New York as an uncompromising and brutal vigilante consumed by his single-minded crusade against crime. Ennis comes up with some very creative (and often funny) ways for Frank Castle to dispose of mafia thugs. Of course one of the best parts of this series isn't the violence but the parade of new villains and endearing supporting cast.
The second half of the omnibus, Punisher vol 6, is good if not great. Highlights of the 37 issue run are issues 1-5 - a direct continuation of Welcome back Frank and issue 19 - the Russian mob attacks a Punisher-defended farmhouse. The other stories are good but suffer from a lack of Steve Dillon art.
The omnibus also contains the "Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe" one-shot, a story perhaps solely responsible for restarting the "What if" title.
All in all, this is a must have for any Punisher or Ennis fan. Now Marvel needs to take the hint and put out a volume 2 omnibus collecting the Punisher MAX run.

I'll just say this: its over 1200 pages and I finsihed it in less then a week. Enjoy.

This book represents the first half of Garth Ennis's incredible run on the Punisher. It's not the MAX books, so the humor is played up to make up for the lack of gratuitous violence, blood and guts, and nudity that featured so heavily in the later books. However they are still enjoyable reads. The artwork is great, and what really stymies me is the fact that Jimmy Palmiotti got to ink so many issues. His work is crap (and one of the few low marks in this book), though things get righted because a few of the later Steve Dillon drawn issues allowed him to ink his own work. The other stories included here (Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe and Marvel Knights Double Shot) are interesting additions. A great collection for any fan of the Punisher, or Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. Buy it! Buy it now!

There's really not much more I can add to the rave reviews posted here. But...as a huge fan of Black Lizard, literary Noir, Florida crime fiction and pulp crime, I can say that Garth Ennis' Punisher Omnibus can proudly be shelved in your bookcase right alongside your crime and mystery books. This is simply satisfying, NYC crime storytelling on the highest level. Mr. Ennis takes such glorious time with the details, that you'll be blown away with the end result. At times hilarious, sad, moving, and brutal, Ennis' Frank Castle is a character who can easily sit at the table with Hoke Mosely, Nick Stephanos, Sam Spade and The Shadow. Even if you're not into comics but are a fan of Crime stories, you'll be turning pages all night with this one.

Over 8 years, Garth Ennis proved himself to be the definitive writer when it came to Marvel's once easily derided character, Frank Castle.

In his epic run which dominated the marvel knights publication line, Ennis brings Frank back to the realms of the Marvel Universe, bringing home his absolutionist, somewhat despotic brand of justice, while simultaneously having some brilliant run ins with a select few of the rest of the superhero community. Ennis' run is littered with humour and great action, however its portrayal of The Punisher's motivation falls somewhat flat at times, and it definitely detracts from the great character he subsequently built up in the Marvel MAX line. A warning to Wolverine fans however, there is very little respect paid to "the ol' canucklehead" when he shows up in the story; but don't worry, the sheer absurdity of the situation (as Logan is without a face for almost the entirety of this appearance) is more than enough to make up for the lack of respect for the character.