Customer Reviews

The Punisher Vol. 6: Confederacy of Dunces (Punisher)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In 2004, not long before the release of the Punisher film with Tom Jane in the title role, Marvel re-launched the Punisher series under it's mature audiences imprint MAX, and Preacher creator Garth Ennis was once again at the helm of Marvel's most infamous vigilante. This handsome hardcover collects the first twelve issues (two storyarc's) of Ennis' bloody run, as well as his fantastic one-shot, Punisher: The End. The first storyarc, appropriately titled "In the Beginning", re-tells the tragic massacre of Frank Castle's family as he sets his sights on the mob. Soon enough, Frank is captured and finds his long thought dead partner Micro trying to convince him to be a sanctioned assassin for the government, all the while the mob and others are closing in for the kill. The art in this arc by Lewis Larosa is brutal and bloody, and the story by Ennis will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page. The second arc, entitled "Kitchen Irish", finds Frank in Hell's Kitchen (but don't look for any appearances from Daredevil) as one Irish mobster's legacy causes rival gangs to make their moves, and Frank is smack in the middle of it all. The art is solid here as well, but its Ennis' story that packs a punch with enough Irish political intrigue and twists that keep the story more than enjoyable. As great as both arcs are, it's the one shot included here that's the real gem. Punisher: The End, featuring some great art from the legendary Richard Corben, finds an old Frank in a dead world in the future, and he has only one thing to do: kill. All in all, the MAX re-launch of the Punisher has been a long time coming, and it's the way the character was always meant to be. If you missed the single issues or the one shot, definitely consider picking this hardcover up, because it's the beginning of the best Punisher stories ever told.

Garth Ennis's work with the Punisher easily merits comparison with Frank Miller's "Sin City" series. It's bloody, remorseless noir fiction at its finest, and moreso than Miller, Ennis manages to work in a bit of levity here and there to make the mayhem that much easier to stomach. The stories aren't just about the Punisher, which is part of what makes them so appealing. Ennis fills his dark world with fascinating, often bizarre characters, and the Punisher in a way serves as both a narrator and a malicious force of nature driving these irredeemable souls to their inevitable, blood-drenched doom. If you're an Ennis fan, a Punisher fan, or even a Frank Miller fan, then I'd highly recommend this series for you, and this first volume especially.

Wow! This book will blow your head off - figuratively speaking (No, I am not a criminal, Frank, and in no need of being punished). It is an AWESOME collection of two Punisher tales that forced me to read it in one sitting, neglecting my lunch, dinner, and loved ones. Essentially it combines the first two Marvel Punisher MAX trade paperbacks into one. The first story arc "In the Beginning" is my favorite, but the twist at the end of "Kitchen Irish" is so good that I tend to revise my opinion whenever I re-read this book. In the first few issues we are introduced to new villain Nicky Cavella, a twisted mobster with even more twisted henchmen, Ink and Putsy, to match. After multiple horrid deaths, and the general blood and destruction that is inevitable once you pair the Punisher with writer Garth Ennis, I came to realise that it was actually the stories that sold me on the book, and not the overall gore content and explicit over-the-top scenarios I usually like about Ennis' writing. Frank Castle's final farewell to his old partner Micro is also one of the best scenes in the series, as well as a bloody shootout on the deck of the Intrepid. One of the most gruesome explosions ever to be drawn in comics occur in these pages, and the resultant carnage that follows as the Punisher hunts down those responsible allows the reader to almost identify with the character. This collection is a must for any fan of Ennis, and for those who are hardcore Punisher fans, prepare to be BLOWN AWAY.

Let me just start this by saying that this is the one time that I've loved something so much that I actually didn't care that people thought that I was my mother when I wrote a review. I'm 17 and waiting until next year to get my own Amazon Account.

Well, growing up,I was always looking up to my older brothers. They are 11 and 13 years older than me. My older brother highly influenced my taste in music and video games. My oldest brother highly influenced my taste in books and movies.

I remember that my oldest brother always liked reading. He would take maybe ten books into the bathroom and not come out until he was finished reading them all. Well, besides reading Stephen King novels, he also read a lot of comic books (not so much anymore).

I also remember trying to develop my own taste in comics (because I know how annoying it is to have someone constantly copying you). So one summer I bought a Punisher comic. it was 48 pages. It was good, but not what I expected. It was about the Punisher hunting down a villain who was into the snuff movie business. (A snuff film is a movie where a person or persons actually die on-screen.)

The Punisher was in his street clothes and that was cool. Then at night, he put on these tacky black tights, with skin tight white boots, and a matching top. Then I thought, 'I don't care who you are, if you go around New York City fighting crime in tights, you're going to get killed by gangsters who will call you choice words. No vigilante in their right mind, let alone a person with military training, would run around fighting crime in spandex (Batman is exempt from this rule)... Not that Frank Castle is sane. Ever since then, I didn't care for the Punisher, or any other comics for that matter. I felt they were made for little seven-year old kids. Then I found out about Watchmen, and I started getting into graphic novels, which were more adult-oriented, I felt.

When I found out about Marvel's MAX series and that it was adult oriented, I got excited. This was actually my third graphic novel. I was looking for a character to call my own favorite superhero, my brother's is Batman, and my father's is Thor. When I saw the cover of 'Punisher MAX, Vol. 1,' and saw that The Punisher wasn't wearing some flamboyant spandex outfit, I had to check it out. I read all the great reviews, and decided to buy it. (Honestly, the whole 'Don't judge a book by it's cover' theory is rubbish. If you weren't meant to judge a book by it's cover, it wouldn't have a cover, it would be a solid color with the title on it. These companies would spend money on producing book jackets if it didn't make a difference in sales.)

Waiting for it to come in the mail, I was very impatient as well. I spent the whole week looking up sneak peeks to the series, and pictures of The Punisher in his glory. I got it, read the first part, 'In the Beginning' and thought, 'This is cool.' Then I read the second part, 'Kitchen Irish' and thought, 'This is the greatest thing I've ever read.' The first part really seems more informative than anything. There's an epic battle at the end, which was very good.

But 'Kitchen Irish' is the really the best part, Ennis does a wonderful job developing many other characters, as well as The Punisher. No more tacky spandex, no more symbols instead of curses, no more censorship, just pure, realistic story. 'In the Beginning' is essential to the story of The Punisher, and I highly recommend reading it. Ennis has a knack for twists, and his Punisher series is full of them. If you're looking for something really good to read, get this. Now. I actually just finished the book today, and I'm gonna order the next two volumes this week.

Ennis will surely influence me as a filmmaker, which is the career I'm currently pursuing.

It's a fantastic book, which includes one of the best Punisher stoy arcs ever (In The Begining), but i thought that i'd let eveyone know that the post apocalyptic one shot The Punisher: The End is not in this book. But you can find it in the book From First To Last if you're trying to read it.

Punisher MAX: From First to Last

Frank takes on the mob, yes again but they don't learn y'see?, but this time the government is after him and a figure from his past - Micro! It's up to Frank to take down the bad guys and turn down the government who wants him to hunt terrorists undercover - but will they take no lightly?

If you haven't read Garth Ennis' excellent first run on Punisher, you're going to love this. It has all the hallmarks that made Ennis so beloved to comics' fans - action, violence, fast paced stories and well realised characters. "Welcome Back, Frank" is a great place to start but "In the Beginning" introduces the character well enough.

Taking down gangsters is a big part of the Punisher as well as walking the line between evading the authorities and doing his best to avoid killing them. One of the main distinctions this book makes in introducing Ennis' Punisher to a new generation is the character that some fans like and some fans didn't like - Micro - and what Ennis decides to do there. Like his choices in "Welcome Back, Frank", Ennis sets up the series by bringing it back to its roots, cutting loose a lot of the blubber that's built up over the years - and the series is better for it.

"In the Beginning" is a solid start to what will become a legendary 10 book series from Garth Ennis and an excellent place for new readers to pick up from.

I thought I was desensitised to violence & gore in comic books (or graphic novels if you rather) until I read the first installment of Punisher MAX. What do ou expect? It's the Punisher. The one man war.

Eversince Ennis' unbelievable run on the Punisher Max series, there have been several wannabes which don't quite measure up to Ennis. I re-read this comic and despite the unbelievable gore and violence as depicted, the actual plot which drove the story was brilliant. The coarse language was believable and in Larosa, Ennis has found the perfect soulmate for his Punisher stories. Superb stuff!

First off, this book is not for kids or adults with "virgin ears." It is consistently gritty and graphic. At times even salacious. It is a composition of multiple books, so the artwork for some of the issues is perfect, while for other issues it misses the mark. Still, it is outstandingly well written across all issues. The story and dialogue is the best I've ever seen in a Marvel comic. The Punisher in this series is around 50 years old, huge, and creepy. Despite the advanced age he is more effective than ever. This book got me hooked on this series and I now have every hardcover. Its one of the few books I still go back and re-read on occasion.

Punisher Max: Vol 1 is a great hardcover collection of the first two trades of Garth Ennis and his great but long run on the Punisher (and this is coming from someone who generally doesn't like his work) The first story is one that deals with a special task force that wants to recruit the infamous Punisher to kill criminals for them and one of it's members is also long time supporting member Micro. As well as the mob who wants to go after him. It's the better of the two story-lines and I love the way that it defines who exactly Garth Ennis Punisher is. Not to mention the art is awesomely gritty.

The second part of this collection is Kitchen Irish with the Punisher having to deal with multiple rival gangs that are all battling throughout Hell's Kitchen. The story focuses way more on the gangs then Frank and they aren't very compelling criminals making you wish for something to happen. The art is somewhat cartoonish as well and isn't as good as the art in the first half. But it's not bad or anything just a change of pace in comparison to the other volume.