![PUNISHER: WELCOME BACK, FRANK [NEW PRINTING]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61OshwUZv9L._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
If you don't feel like reading all the BS below, I can best summarize my feelings about this book by stating that I wish the inside would be more like the cover. Or the covers, I should say, as this is a collection. Tim Bradstreet's covers, which he illustrates guided by his own photography using a Frank Castle model, are the perfect representation of this character. In one word, dark. I would pay anything for a Punisher book illustrated entirely by Bradstreet, and I'll admit his work misguided me into false expectations, even while being familiar with the Preacher books. Beware, as inside is a version of The Punisher by the Preacher guys, and you should definitely not judge this book by its cover.
I should have been forewarned by Ennis' foreword, where he explains that he is aiming to entertain, as opposed to depicting "a portrait of one man's tragic descent into murderous psychosis", or "an in-depth examination of the vigilante down the ages", according to his own words. Choosing instead to deliver "a laugh, a thrill...". This is quite alright, as there is no approach in comic books, or any other art form for that matter, that is set in stone, nor should there be. My particular problem with this is the fact that we're dealing with The Punisher here. Most other characters you could enjoy greater flexibility with, exploring their fun, entertaining side, or their darker, more serious, deeper aspects. The thing with Frank Castle is that he is a serial killer, a possible sociopath, a borderline-personality disorder case, a mass murderer. I find it very hard to take a character like that and gloss over these things and instead focus on showing him kill people in various different ways and limit yourself to presenting that as entertainment.
Having said that, there are many moments of reflection. Not every page is imaginative ways to kill. The deepest moments are Frank's thoughts, such as when he remembers catching a glimpse of heaven, or reminiscing about Vietnam and doing things that "make dirty look good". Those are the moments that make me interested in "Born" or the MAX issues. Having Ennis go deeper instead of just entertaining us. I mean, any book has to entertain, but the way I see The Punisher, it has to be ugly, gritty, raw, dark, grim. Think Batman, but way darker. The very nature of the character demands it. But when by page 4 you see Frank pulling his fat neighbor from being stuck in the frame of his door, the general setting of the story begins to take shape and it's not very, Punisher-like. Oh and the exchange with Daredevil is great, a high point of the collection.
The point here is, this is Ennis and Dillon's version of The Punisher. I'd be wary to identify Frank Castle with this collection, as I feel it doesn't represent the character or his reality in its appropriate dimension. Think of Adam West's Batman. Entertaining? Yes. Would you show it to someone as the definitive Batman? As an accurate portrayal of The Dark Knight? I sure as hell wouldn't. The Punisher is a guy that lives to kill, and for a person living that reality, scenes showing a fat guy getting stuck in a door frame, breaking his toilet, or using said fat guy to kill an enemy (with help from a pepperoni pizza), just seem wildly out of place. Is this portrayal of The Punisher wrong? No, it's just the version of the same guys that brought you Preacher. I love Preacher, but applying that approach to The Punisher is at most a cool experiment, but I wouldn't take it too seriously. Take the art for example. Steve Dillon is one of my top ten favorite comic book artists, hands down, but whereas his style is right at home in Preacher, it feels a bit too cartoony here. Frank's costume with the glaring white, the ketchup-like spurts of blood, the "aiiiieeeee" screams of the victims...Don't get me wrong, the art is great, it just feels odd when applied to this character.
So, I would refer this book to someone only after making it clear that this is "Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's version of The Punisher", in the same way that I would show The Simpson's "The Shinning" episode to someone only after clarifying that it's a Simpson's version, and they should instead read the book or watch the movie if they are looking for a definitive version of that story, or if they've never heard of it.
I find it very revealing how the Thomas Jane Punisher movie thought it was a good idea to get inspiration from these books, as we all know how that turned out. The cartoonish Russian, the fat & thin comic relief couple...No disrespect to this comic book series, but it was surely an idiot that presented the producers/writers/director with this specific depiction of The Punisher and led them to base parts of the movie off it. So, yes, enjoy this book, but don't expect this to be the definitive version of The Punisher.
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