|
by Dave Scrimgeour & Kevin McCluskey   Writer- Steven Grant Penciller- Mike Zeck Inker- John Beatty Letterer- Ken Bruzenak Colourists- Mike Zeck Ian Tetrault Phil Zimmerman Designer- Robbin Brosterman Editor- Margaret Clark Consulting Editor- Carl Potts Editor In Chief- Archie Goodwin synopsisFrank continues on his journey back to Big Nothing, but not before stopping off at San Joaquin prison to twist Khieu Dap's arm, well neck, into giving up Gorman's whereabouts. With the path now cleared to his nemesis, the rematch is on, and Frank dispatches of his former superior with his customary, clinical, Punisher style. Dave On to the concluding segment of 'Big Nothing,' and we are back to undercover Frank, about to infiltrate a prison. He actually looks quite trendy in his disguise in that panel of him standing in the office.  James Crockett and Ricardo Tubby. Kev Yeah, he's got a bit of a 'Miami Vice' look about him here alright. Dave Haha. That's what I was thinking as well. Frank is going for the Sonny Crockett look. Does he get his own theme like Sonny did? And the classic, over-the-hill security guard at the back of him, doing the John Wayne, hands in the belt number there. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, to accentuate the paunch. Maybe Jan Hammer could write Frank a theme. Dave Maybe. I like how the view on the panels outside of the prison, make it look like they have been drawn from the same distance. I also like the simple colour palette that is used.  What this guy doesn't know, is that Frank has a magic eye tattoo of the prison's blueprints all over his body. Kev Zeck draws a good prison, alright. Dave The guard is quickly disposed of, as he continues to ramble on. A quick chop to the back of the neck, and the old guy is out for the count. And Frank looks like he has this operation planned down to the exact second. The following panel, as he enters the yard, is great as well. It's drawn from the perspective of the reader entering the yard with Frank. He is taking a hell of a risk going in there knowing he could easily get spotted.  Yard bull. Kev I really can't say enough good stuff about Zeck, Beatty and Co's artwork in this. You're right, he really is taking a chance here. It's not exactly like he has the kind of face that a criminal would easily forget. I love that image of the stolen guard’s shirt, straining over Frank’s bulging, hairy chest. He looks so manly. There's none of this shaving or waxing for Frank here. It’s a nice touch. The shirt's not a good fit, but it's a nice touch. Another nice touch is the reference to the fledgling empire of The Kingpin and "Fisk Spices International" in the Vietnam flashback.  Starring Luke Rockhold as Frank Castle. Dave Yeah, and the flashback reveals the final straw in the grudge between Frank and Gorman, as Frank, again, gets used. The insight into how Punisher operates now, as opposed to the way Castle operated, is clearly explained in his narrative in the flashback scene, "But that was Castle, no focus, eyes on the future, not on the moment at hand." Kev Not only does Frank get used again, he gets left for dead too. He really does speak of "Frank Castle" like he's an entirely different person, doesn't he? Despite his own disdain for his former self, I like the portrayal of Frank as a war hero, with a solid moral compass, putting the lives of others ahead of his own. Even the lives of those who may not necessarily deserve it. Dave It shows how he has learned from that experience. Kev It certainly does, yes. Dave It's the humanity in him back then, that was what made him a good soldier as well. Kev Do you think the lack of humanity in The Punisher version of himself makes him less of a soldier than he was as the Frank Castle version? Dave No, I think he is still a great soldier, and certainly no less of a soldier, but some of his choices, made as The Punisher, are no doubt influenced by him trying to ditch the Frank Castle persona. And those are the choices that may not always be agreed with, as he crosses over moral lines. I suppose that is where the internal conflict comes from, when he knows this is what "Frank" would have done in a particular situation, but as he is now "Punisher," he can't allow himself to do this. Or he at least tries to suppress the humanity that he still feels maybe? Or has he gone numb to that side of himself? What do you think? Kev I think he's certainly a different kind of soldier. Less compassionate, more clinical. Less likely to function well as part of a unit, but probably more efficient as an individual soldier as a result. Dave He does seem more clinical, and certainly tries to be less impulsive, but the old Frank still lurks within at times. Kev Yeh, there are definitely slivers of the old Frank Castle humanity in there. Like when he gives the prostitute the money to get her home. It may be buried quite deeply, but it's still in there. Dave I think that's why he is constantly internally conflicted. Even after all he's been through, he still has that part of his psyche. I think that's why he keeps trying to suppress the "Castle" part of himself, and refers to himself in that way. Kev The fact that he sees himself as a force of nature now, by referencing floods, etc. is really interesting too. Like he’s elemental, and can’t be stopped. But underneath all this bluster and bravado, he’s still flesh and blood. He’s still just a man. A man who likes a healthy amount of eyeliner, apparently. “.....a speck in the widening horror of Vietnam.” That’s a good line. I like that line. Dave Yep, the 80's eyeliner stuff really does get used in this. The last two panels on the 'Nam flashback, as the helicopter flies off, are brilliant in terms of colouring.  Hod Rod in The Transformers: The Movie Vs Hot Rod the toy. Kev Totally. That blood red, as Frank starts to bleed out. Plus, his desire for revenge. He's literally seeing red. Dave As the story shifts back to the prison yard, the panel of Frank walking, holding the baton is great. It puts me in mind of 'Circle of Blood' here.  A shirt size can make all the difference when showing off them gains. Kev You're right, this scene really does feel like a callback to 'Circle Of Blood.' Dave And he just doesn't care, boldly walking up to these guys with one purpose in mind. Kev Yep, Frank certainly wastes no time in dishing out his brand of justice to Khieu Dap as soon as he’s got the information he’s looking for out of him. This is no Batman/Joker, Superman/General Zod ambiguous, did he/didn’t he, did he really have a choice scenario here, he just straight-up breaks Khieu’s neck. There's no messing about here, Frank's straight to the point. "Where's Gorman?" Plus, the countdown with the explosives is spot on here. Not like before, in the desert. Dave And the guards must've been thinking they were in for a treat, capturing The Punisher. Or so they thought. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, they totally underestimated Frank's willingness to blow the joint. Literally. And cause a mass prison break in the process. Dave That is a great moment, and a great plan to break out of jail. Classic Punisher stuff. He probably doesn't care about any escapees. After all, it would be his pleasure to hunt them down and kill them. And just like that, he gets his info and vanishes quicker than Batman from a rooftop. Kev Ha, ha! You're right. He'd take a lot of pleasure in hunting them all down again. They're like sport to him. Dave Jeez, it was pretty brutal, what Gorman did to these guys in Cambodia though. All for the purpose of smuggling drugs. Kev Yeh, Gorman was a scumbag, alright. As far as I'm aware, that was actually a thing that happened. Using cadavers to smuggle drugs out of the country. Well, it certainly happened on the second season of the Netflix show. I can't tell, or separate, fact from fiction anymore. Ha, ha! Dave I wonder how much of this story and 'Circle of Blood' influenced the writers of The Punisher series? Kev You'd think they would have had to, right? At least to some extent. “Cept the story’s too short. Not enough suspense. Any idiot can figure out the ending.” This feels very meta. Is this Grant’s voice coming through as the writer here, rather than Frank's voice as the narrator maybe? And our big finale, our big showdown, our ‘Return To Big Nothing’ is set up here. Dave I like the shifts in location, as the story goes on from a casino, to a prison, to a desert location.  Like a shit Spectre. Kev It's a bit Bond-esque again, with the changing of locations. Although, maybe not quite as exotic or glamorous. Dave There are quite different arcs for the story. It's looking like it's setting up for a big showdown with Gorman and Punisher, but doesn't quite turn out this way. The 'Big Nothing' title is referenced here in the first panel of this scene, and the action is fast, as we see Punisher running in, all guns blazing, right into the sights of Gorman. I’ve got to say Gorman goes a bit OTT by pulling out a grenade launcher in a gunfight. Kev Ha, ha. Totally. He goes from 0-100, doesn't he? Still, I suppose if you're trying to make sure that you're actually going to kill someone..... Dave Gorman has heard the expression about bringing a gun to a knife fight, and wants to go one up on that, I guess. Kev I do like this bait and switch here. It's like Frank gets his revenge on Gorman for luring him into the trap at the army base earlier. Dave Oh yeah, it’s a great tactic, and works effectively. He has fooled Gorman here, by letting him think he has the upper hand. Kev And Grant helps sell the set-up by having Frank's narration in the caption boxes as usual, so we just assume that the man in the costume is Frank, and not Snow. Although, if you look closely enough, you can tell that this "Punisher" figure is much slimmer, and has a more slender frame than Frank's.  "It's me!"  "It's me!"  "It's DD.....Gorman?!?!" Dave I like how he shouts "Sucker," as he fires the rocket launcher. He has now turned into B.A. Barakus. Kev Ha, ha! He pities the fool. Dave He is telling him to “Quit his jibber jabber.” It's a nice switch, neatly tying in with his 'Nam flashbacks, but I was expecting a one-on-one, face to face confrontation here, to fully settle the score. I guess killing him regardless, is more important than the satisfying of his ego by beating him in a fist fight. Kev Funny you should say that, but Max Byrne said the same when we reviewed it on his podcast. He said he was just waiting for a knock-down, drag-out conflict between Frank and Gorman. Dave It seemed like the logical route for it to go, but maybe that was too obvious that way, and just a quick kill is all that was needed. Kev Yeh, maybe. I think it certainly helped to emphasise the differences between Frank Castle and The Punisher. Frank Castle would have wanted to test his mettle against Gorman, his one time superior, whereas The Punisher is clinical, emotionless, and just takes him out clean. Dave For Punisher, it was all about the kill, yeah. I think Frank would have been more ego driven, and wanted a brawl. And if he had won, I doubt "Frank," not "Punisher," would have killed him. The win would have been enough to satisfy Frank, 'cause it would have answered the question of who's the bigger alpha? Kev That's a great point, man. I think you're probably spot-on there. I like how Zeck draws Gorman sweating more and more in each panel, as he goes further and further into shock from the gunshot wounds. Well, that and the scorching heat of the desert, of course. Gorman knows Frank Castle, and as a result he thinks he knows The Punisher, but he's very much mistaken. Dave Yeah, and it seems like Gorman is trying to squirm his way out as well, by giving Frank a speech about how the world works, and still seeing The Punisher as the Frank Castle he knew back then. "Castle’s dead. I'm the Punisher.” Clearly Frank Castle is not dead, but Frank must really blame himself for not preventing his family getting killed, and is so ashamed of himself, he can no longer identify with "Frank Castle." Kev Yeh, there's definitely a lot of guilt at play with Frank. And Gorman definitely tries to appeal to the sensibilities of the man he knew in 'Nam, not realising that particular man doesn't really exist anymore. Dave The final monologues are quite interesting, in that The Punisher is talking about the rich and powerful, who think they are exempt from the law, as he holds a banner in his hand revealing it to have Big Nothing written on it. The old full circle trick again. It's very true though, what Frank is saying in his monologues, and we can see why The Punisher works well in this case. Kev I really like that monologue on the last couple of pages as well, man. It ends this story with such a palpable sense that there are a lot more tales to be told with Frank. Dave This insight shows what gives him his sense of purpose. Kev Yes! That's the phrase I was searching for, "sense of purpose." Dave It's a great closing panel of him, that full splash page of him walking away from a dead Gorman. Mission accomplished. "They laugh at the law...but they don't laugh at me."  I wouldn't open your set at the local open mic comedy night with that, Frank. Kev Yeh. It's a great image. And a great tagline. I like it when a story ends on a splash page. Not enough comics do that, in my book. And I mean a proper end to a story. Not a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter. A proper splash page ending. Dave So, did you find this to be a good follow up to ‘Circle of Blood?' Kev I really did. I think they go so well together. A lot of that may just be the continuity of the creative team, and therefore the tone of it, but yeh, I think it's an excellent sequel. What about yourself? Dave I think it is. And it really delves into the characterisation of Frank Castle and The Punisher. Interestingly, most of the story is from Frank's perspective, with very little time devoted to the bad guys. It really is a mission from start to finish, and then the story is done. Kev That's another good point, man. It's pretty singular of purpose in terms of its storytelling, isn't it? Singular of purpose, much like Frank, or rather The Punisher, himself. Dave I think this was done purposely, and so was the ending of a quick kill. It changes the convention of the traditional form of storytelling that many other superhero character stories would have used. Not that The Punisher is technically a superhero. Kev True. This definitely feels more like an '80's action thriller, than a superhero story. It's a great insight into the character, and it looks fantastic to boot. (D) & (K) The End. 
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Back issues
February 2025
|
RSS Feed