Title: The Punisher #224
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Stefano Landini
Release: May 16, 2018
Price: $3.99
“BACK IN THE U.S. OF A! FRANK CASTLE brings the WAR MACHINE armor back to the good old USA! Better armed than ever before, nothing can stand in the way of the Punisher’s mission.”
Who in their right mind thought it a good idea to give Frank Castle, the god-damn Punisher, the War Machine armor? I’m not saying Marvel heads, but the people within the comic universe?
Nick Fury isn’t an idiot, right? I mean, I can tell you things are going to go fubar giving The “Gad-Dang” Punisher a suit of super armor. And, well, things have gone very fubar when Frank doesn’t want to return the rental because of course he doesn’t.
I don’t know anything about this current run on Punisher, but thankfully Marvel is always great at filling in the blanks for new readers. The Punisher #224 kicks off in high-gear with Castle… War Machine… Machine Puni… Well, you get it, blowing punks away. It’s a cathartic read and one that isn’t normally attributed to a Marvel book.
It’s not every day you see the War Machine armor punch through a man’s head only to fire any energy bolt at the baddie on the other side. It’s also not every day you see a huge dude in a bear costume playing cards with the Rhino. The Punisher #224 is weird, dark, and a heck of a good time.
The bulk of the book sees Castle take on Captain Marvel and a bunch of other local heroes and it’s quite the sight. As Castle and Danvers take their battle to the skies, the art of Stefano Landini really shines. These are characters that are hard to miss fighting above New York and the shots we get of other heroes in the middle of their adventures looking up is quite stunning.
Punisher #224 feels a lot like Mortal Komabt in a lot of ways. Castle goes from one hero to another (think the tower in that game) on his quest to stay low after being found out. We see him deal with Daredevil in a pretty strong scene that let’s us know that this time Castle may have crossed some lines that he may never be able to come back from.
This book is straight action from beginning to end and I am very thankful for that after reading more than enough Marvel books (that damn Wolverine event series) where nothing happens. The books end also sets up a battle that I’m truly excited to see.
This arc is starting to feel a lot like The Punisher vs The Marvel Universe, for those that remember that “what if” story, and that’s a good thing. Count me hooked on the Punisher!
“Punisher #224 sees Frank Castle causing mayhem in the War Machine armor and it’s as glorious as it sounds!”
Rating:
4/5
About Author
