REVIEW

Company: Marvel MAX

My usual style of comics reviews involves reading through the book once quickly as soon as it arrives; then, sitting on it for about a day, and reading it once more, taking notes as I go. Then, come Sunday/Monday, I start working on my the most important part: the intro paragraph. The narrative of my review usually changes pretty significantly from that first read until I actually write it up, but not with this book. Here, I keep coming back to my very first thoughts while speed-reading on Friday:

This is f–ked up, man.

Apparently, somebody decided that Vertigo just pussied out by being too “tame” with Preacher, and they were going to take the game to a whole new level. Unfortunately, I can’t show you most of the panels that prove my point, due to IP’s new “no cursing/no nudity” policy. But believe me, this book well earns the Mature rating one now expects from the Marvel MAX line.

A lot gets established in this first issue (of five, in a limited series). First off, this Foolkiller is decidedly different than the earlier incarnations, including the costumed version of the 70’s (though there is a nice shout-out thrown in randomly), or the early 90’s limited series from Kurt Gerhardt. The deaths are grisly, though it seems safe to assume from the first few scenes that they are well deserved (if you’re into the whole vigilante “eye for an eye” thing, that is). And using one of the tarot as the calling card of our main character is an appreciated touch.

What doesn’t get even touched upon, however, is who the Foolkiller actually is. You won’t be gettting an origin story here (I assume that’s coming in issue 2). You’ll learn almost everything you need to know about our narrator in the first 3 pages, and everything after that is story establishment: what the Foolkiller does, and how people feel about him. The Foolkiller does make an early appearance, though you won’t catch it the first time through. But the final reveal is well worth the wait.

The artwork, especially for such a grisly storyline, is incredibly effective. The camera angles are often inspired, such as the third “screen shot” above: the use of the shadows makes the bad guys seem even that much more menacing.

So, if you’re over 18, and have ever wished you could get a truly intelligent Punisher story where Frank Castle never held back: this is your book.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

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