The Pun Board Comic Thread
Oct 9, 2006 8:24:43 GMT -5
Post by Loki on Oct 9, 2006 8:24:43 GMT -5
In honor of Pun, I kick this thread off with a write up of the Punisher GN Born by Garth Ennis.
As someone who remembers the Punisher from the 80s-90s and got tired with the seeming repetitiveness of the character I didn't have high expectations for this one. But this story was a rare treat and highly enjoyable. It focuses on Castle before he became the Punisher.
The story is set in the closing curtain of the Vietnam War and Castle's third tour of duty in a charming hellhole called Firebase Valley Forge. It takes you first hand through the killing fields, the loss of troop morale and the soul sinking quagmire that was Vietnam. Half of the story is told from the POV of a young soldier whose innocence has mostly been burned away but who is still young enough not be completely empty inside. The other half takes the reader inside Castle's head and shows the seeds of the Punisher being laid, even before the death of his family.
Part of what makes this story so good is that it is so unlike regular Punisher stories while still having the faint Punsiher link. The setting is done masterfully and captures the hoplessness and near anarchy that that charcterized a number of stations out in the middle of nowhere. The art work was very good.
Granted, there were a couple of plot devices that fell flat - if Castle loved his family so much, why did he sign up for three tours of duty? - with the explanations not ringing true, but these are minor things. Overall, the book was excellent.
If you're a Punisher fan you should at least check it out. If you like War storiesthis one is also for you.
As someone who remembers the Punisher from the 80s-90s and got tired with the seeming repetitiveness of the character I didn't have high expectations for this one. But this story was a rare treat and highly enjoyable. It focuses on Castle before he became the Punisher.
The story is set in the closing curtain of the Vietnam War and Castle's third tour of duty in a charming hellhole called Firebase Valley Forge. It takes you first hand through the killing fields, the loss of troop morale and the soul sinking quagmire that was Vietnam. Half of the story is told from the POV of a young soldier whose innocence has mostly been burned away but who is still young enough not be completely empty inside. The other half takes the reader inside Castle's head and shows the seeds of the Punisher being laid, even before the death of his family.
Part of what makes this story so good is that it is so unlike regular Punisher stories while still having the faint Punsiher link. The setting is done masterfully and captures the hoplessness and near anarchy that that charcterized a number of stations out in the middle of nowhere. The art work was very good.
Granted, there were a couple of plot devices that fell flat - if Castle loved his family so much, why did he sign up for three tours of duty? - with the explanations not ringing true, but these are minor things. Overall, the book was excellent.
If you're a Punisher fan you should at least check it out. If you like War storiesthis one is also for you.
and "patriot," taking offense to it, confronted him about it.
