Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
PunisherMax #21
MAX (Marvel Comics)
Aaron, Dillon & Hollingsworth
With the series wrapping up next issue Aaron pulls out all the stops as the Punisher squares off with Wilson Fisk aka the Kingpin. These kinds of issues that have a big, climatic battle have been done so many times that they become impossible to differentiate. Aaron manages to make this fight memorable because of the violence and the elements that intertwine with the deadly battle. One without the other probably wouldn’t stand out much, but together they form up to make a terrific read to what has been an excellent series.
The Punisher stumbles into the Kingpin’s trap. Fisk’s men hit the Punisher will all of their ammunition but the Punisher doesn’t go down. Eventually, Fisk’s men all fall and the only ones that are left are Fisk and the Punisher. The brawl is almost entirely a dirty fist fight and it’s beautiful.
The Punisher is badly hurt but manages to even the odds quickly with some well placed items like broken glass to the eyes of Fisk. As the confrontation becomes more bloody, Aaron pushes the limits of what a human being could realistically take, but still surprises the reader with the creativity of the “weapons” used.
The fight scenes are broken up with what basically amounts to Frank’s life flashing before his eyes. In these scenes we see what matters most to Frank and all of the elements that he probably regrets. The scenes are fairly heartbreaking but it certainly seems like his life has been a waste without meaning. I was particularly curious about Aaron’s choice to include Frank’s third child, one created in Ennis’ Punisher run. Aaron manages to create an excellent and emotional recap of Frank’s tragic life. Even if Frank Castle doesn’t die, Aaron is punctuating his run on the character extremely well.
Dillon impresses yet again in his ability to draw simple, but powerfully violent scenes. Dillon has the unique ability to make shocking visuals look clean and simplistic. Dillon leaves his stamp on this book regardless of how effective the story is by Aaron. The book’s art is truly remarkable.
PunisherMax is an excellent series. I highly recommend it. This issue is among the best of the series and if you are ever curious about how the Punisher might view his life then this is the issue to pick up. However, I fully recommend beginning from issue one because the overall story taking place here is something special.
5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
