Customer Reviews

The Punisher Vol. 4: Full Auto

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I had come to hope for the best from Garth Ennis, who many have said is the definitive Punisher writer. For the most part I have enjoyed his other Punisher stuff (including Born and Welcome Back Frank), unfortunately this one falls short of the mark. This trade starts off pretty well with a standard story about corrupt cops and how Frank should handle it. Not bad, but nothing I havent seen before. The next one around is about a mob enforcer who is obsessed with finding a giant squid, he looks for it off the East River or something. It was pretty strange, but I liked the change of pace. The third story was terrible, it revolves around bums from the tunnels of New York kidnapping people for some strange purpose. How many times does this lame plot have to be rehashed? Everyone from Neil Gaiman in his novel Neverwhere to Todd McFarlane have done this story to death. It also takes a turn for the pointlessly grotesque when it is revealed that the leader of the bums was trapped for days under his enormously fat mother after she had a heart attack. It may sound interesting but the story just ends up being disgusting. Big dissapointment there. Not the best of efforts from Ennis, who can be provacative but here trades his edginess for standard plotting and stupid gross outs.

Garth Ennis is an excellant writer and his first punisher was one of the characters greatest moments. This volume seems to be a collection of offbeat and so-so stories. The first is about two cops who may be "dirty" and this is the high light of the volume. There should be more action (Steve Dillion style) but, the story is great and gives you an interesting final impression. The second story is about a mobster who is obsessed with an urban legend. Great action with a bad and corny story. Finally, the third story is about poor people who disapear in the sewers. Tom Mandrake does the art work which is horrible and doesn't suit the punisher. The story is retarded and nothing you want to take the time to read. I wish all the volumes were either like the second or the first volume. This isn't great but, hey, it is the punisher. On a final note why does marvel keep post-poning the streets of laredo.

Volume 4 of the Punisher TPB series; Full Auto collects three stories that are alright but never quite kick into high gear. The first story concerns our favorite vigilante on the trail of two cops that may be dirty, the second tale focuses on a mobster obsessed with what may be an urban legend, and the final story finds Frank going toe to toes with a horde of homeless people underground. The first story is worth the price of admission alone, but the second story is disappointing to say the least. The final story manages to be effectively creepy and reminiscent of Garth Ennis' Preacher series. The art in all the tales is solid, but this TPB collection actually manages to show Ennis at his best and near worst as a writer. All in all, this isn't the overall worst Punisher collection of Ennis' current run, and is worth a look for Punisher fans.

As the previous review mentions, the main story here follows the Punisher on the tail of two cops who may or may not be dirty. As he pieces the mystery together, we see the two cops discussing what it means to be a police officer after 9/11 - more than once, noting how the image of cops as heroes left as quickly as it came. Without giving too much away, it's interesting to see Ennis playing with a bit of moral ambiguity here, and the unfolding events make for a good story.

It's unfortunate that the same can't be said for the other two stories in this volume, short pieces that serve as padding - an offbeat ghost story and another dealing with stirrings under the streets of New York. While the former is mostly harmless the latter feels rushed but still borders on disturbing, with Ennis flexing some of his weirder 'Preacher' muscles.

One question, though - where's the encounter with Elektra that the back of the book touts? She's nowhere to be seen in any of the three stories...

This was a great volume in the Punisher series.
Though the Wolverine/Frank Castle Team was a little odd but comes back to pace around the end of there conflict. Mob bosses that are shorter than an 8 year is funny too.

This isn't Ennises best but it is one of his finest.
This one also had some pretty violent scense. Poor wolverine is what I can tell you. If you're a fan of the punisher series check this one out. Its a great one for some one who wants to see wolverine get what he deserves.

This one can't quite live up to Business as Usual, but continues to merge the two sides of Garth Ennis (the "Preacher" side and "The Punisher" side). The story of corrupt cops is slightly generic. The story of the man and his search for a giant squid feels like filler. What makes the entire book worth it is the disturbing tale of the homeless and their hunt for victims used for unthinkable purposes. This one story is probably the best writing Ennis has given us since Preacher. Not a great book, but an ambitious one.