I just started reading Punisher Max and found the first couple of storylines pretty good. Born was a generally good story and provided a good sense of what happened to make Castle capable of doing what he does.
Volume 1 seemed a pretty good way to reintroduce Castle after he became the punisher. We see a bit of what he does, we see that because he's good at what he does people want him to work for them and then we see how he reacts and strategises while the chips are down.
What I really want to talk about though is Kitchen Irish. It's not that I don't think it was a good story necessarily, but it wasn't a Punisher story. The plot seems much more driven by the Brits who are working alongside Castle to take down the Irish, that is when we are focussing on the protagonists. Most of the volume was about the Irish themselves and the dynamics between the rival gangs. While obviously it's important for us to know a bit about the dynamics between the gangs in Hell's Kitchen, it felt like The Punisher himself was an afterthought in this story. He barely shows up and when he does it seems like his British mate is doing as much if not more of the work.
I feel like Kitchen Irish was a way for Ennis to say what he wanted to say about "the troubles" rather than him trying to tell a punisher story. You can even see it fairly blatantly towards the end in the MI6 agent's speech to the captured IRA member that he's using the Englishman as a soapbox podium to say what he thinks about both sides of the war.
Like I say, it's not a bad story, but I buy Punisher for Punisher. I buy comics to see the titular character(s), not for the writer to go off on one about their homeland. It just Narks me off a bit.
Tell me, is there more of this crap in later volumes or should I keep reading?
>>84415553
>Most of the volume was about the Irish themselves and the dynamics between the rival gangs
>it felt like The Punisher himself was an afterthought in this story
First time reading Punisher?
>>84415776
Well yeah actually, but Born and Volume 1 didn't suffer from the same problem so it struck me as odd in volume 2 where we shifted completely away from Punisher for most of the book.
>>84415801
Punisher is kind of a force of nature that kills the criminals whose actions provide the premise for the story.
It makes sense to focus heavily on the villains since you KNOW they're going to die so you might as well tell their story while you still can.
And even Born was told from a second party's perspective, so you kinda disproved your own point there.
That said, Kitchen Irish probably is the weakest MAX arc.
>>84415850
While Born was told from a 2nd person perspective, it still showed off a lot of Castle.
If Kitchen Irish is weakest then I might give the next couple of volumes a go and drop it if I find it lacking.
>>84415873
What's after Kitchen Irish?
>>84415902
Mother Russia
>>84416012
The series really picks up around the middle and probably peaks around the fourth or fifth arc or thereabouts. I doubt you'll regret finishing Ennis' run.
Barracuda is a lot of fun
I liked Kitchen Irish specifically because it had nothing to do with anything. It's just crazy, goofy fucks doing something ridiculous.
I mean come on. Black Irishman, Faceless Irishman and Hard-ass Widow Irishwoman try to kill each other for a fortune that may or may not exist. Having Frank in it is just a cherry on top.
>>84416092
Barracuda managed to survive a lot in his time. Wasn't he in Ennis' Nick Fury stuff too?
>>84416101
I lol'd when I got to this
>>84416127
I AIN'T NOBODY'S NIGGER!
Y'know, it occurs to me that Frank should have taken an apprentice so he'd have someone to keep up his war on crime after he's gone. The Punisher doesn't have to be him to strike fear into the hearts of men.
>>84416293
His war on crime is personal. He's not interested in anyone else doing it.
>>84416357
Well I guess so.
>>84416386
>>84416357
That and most writers will write other vigilantes in the wrong for some reason to make Castle unique.
>>84415553
>Tell me, is there more of this crap in later volumes or should I keep reading?
Keep going. It focuses on Frank again after Kitchen Irish.
>>84415553
Anyone else think that in the covers he looks like Travolta?
It's weird because of how old and gritty he looks in the actual comics.
>>84416533
He's got Mother Russia coming up, which really isn't about Frank either.
>>84416571
At least Fury gets laid.
>>84416113
Yeah, he was.
>>84416580
That's just a given, though.
>>84416656
FOUR BITCHES
I bought the Aaron omnibus of Punisher MAX (yes, yes, I know it's not well liked. I personally enjoyed it enough to want to own it.) but I'm looking for advise on what to buy next. I prefer single books that collect an entire story, or just a few, but Punisher seems to have a lot of long runs.
>>84416781
Try From First to Last. It's got short stories in it.
>>84416804
Great stories, but hard to find the collection.
>>84417053
How about Welcome Back Frank, then?
