Punisher War Journal - Volume 1: Civil War

Punisher War Journal volume 1 follows Frank Castle's storyline during the Marvel Civil War. For those that have read the main storyline, the first three books included in this edition address his activities during the Civil War. During these stories, GW Bridge is pursuing the Punisher. You see how the Punisher came to Spider-Man's aid and his rise and fall within the anti-registration forces of Captain America. The three Civil War stories are pretty solid and they tie in very well with the main storyline. They also focus very heavily on how the Punisher is perceived by supers and vice versa. One stunning omission, however, was the lack of any frames regarding his break in at the Baxter building. I guess the authors felt that this was addressed enough in Civil War #6, but I would have liked to see a little more of it. You also get a short fight with the Rhino, which was decent. #4 is a one shot, related to but standing apart from the Civil War stories in this book. It takes place at a super-villain's wake, where other villains have gathered to reminisce. It has an explosive ending. Over all, the book is pretty solid. It's a good start to the series. The art on the 3 Civil War books is done by Olivetti, an extremely talented penciler. I was very impressed. The stories are written by Matt Fraction, who has gone on to do a short stint in the Uncanny X-Men as well as the incredibly popular Invincible Iron Man (volume 5). This is a great read for any Punisher fans. Includes Punisher War Journal (vol. 2) #'s 1-4, as well as a black and white copy of #1 and a few pages of sketches.

I don't know anything about Punisher so I can't say whether this story is out of character. The story was pretty fun, nothing that will blow you away; the art is the real winner in this book. I love Ariel Olivetti's art and he delivers with this book! Every single panel could be a cover, if you are an artist looking for inspiration I highly recommend this book. I have been doing all of my art using Ariel's style (He generously has shared it through a video both on YouTube and on his site) and I don't see myself ever going back.

I can see that this version of the Punisher has drawn mixed reactions, but this is a really refreshing take. Who needs another mindless version of the Punisher? The Civil War has given the Punisher new life. Fraction and Olivetti's approach reminds me of Will Eisner's creation the Spirit. Rounded rather than angled - the Punisher War Journal is an admirable effort. The violence may be blunted, but the character and cast are more interesting than ever. Recommended.

I've always been a bit of a Punisher fan, though I'd lost touch with him over the best ten years or so (outside of the wonderful Jane/Travolta film), but I sort of got into this whole Marvel Civil War thing, and when I saw the Punisher had a part, I had to check it out. It's a nice solid story, nothing particularly groundbreaking or even all that important to the Punisher himself (cept of course the way the man can take a beating). But it's a nice book, and the b & w issue is great.

There is one thing that you have to understand when you read PWJ: THIS IS MARVEL UNIVERSE PUNISHER. If your expecting the same guy written by Garth Ennis over in the MAX book then your gonna be disappointed. That character for all intents and purposes lives in an alternate universe from the Marvel Universe. This is the Punisher who lives in the neon-fantastic and wonderfully absurd world of Stilt-Men, Superhero Civil Wars and Mad Scientists in robot suits. The fun of Punisher War Journal is seeing this normal guy running around taking on super villains and superheroes believing himself to be the only sane man in an insane world but is actually quite insane himself as revealed through his internal monologues filled with weird tangents and delusions of righteousness. The writing and the art is crisp, bouncy, and full of energy. Fraction and Olivetti make a great team. This is a comic book without pretense, it's not trying to be Watchmen or Sandman, its not deep and meaningful its only mission is to be a fun read. Mission accomplished