Post by Meriades Rai on May 16, 2016 6:41:58 GMT -5
PUNISHER # 20 by Mike Hintze
I've got a lot of time for fanfiction that adds some twists and turns to the established narrative, while keeping characters and situations familiar. Frank Castle, Agent of SHIELD falls into that category, as does pitting the Punisher against Bushman, a semi-obscure villain who nonetheless fits seamlessly into Frank's world.
Mike's Bushman is a standout character here, not least because he's so sharp and ruthless, and so simple. Not every villain has to have a wealth of back-story or psychological quirks to be interesting; Bushman is just a nasty, savage little bastard, and I actually found myself quite in awe of how - literally and figuratively - he began to take Frank apart in such clinical fashion. It brought home the notion that Frank, for all his experience and indomitable vision, is just a guy, something exaggerated by the use of the high-tech SHIELD doohickeys he was kitted out with (none of which helped him very much in the end).
Frank is always a difficult character to write, I think; even Garth Ennis knew that he was a prop for the most part, a pole to build the rest of an intriguing story around. Much of the colour and energy in this issue comes from Bushman, Mojimbe and Maria Hill, which is no bad thing, but it slightly lessens the impact of the rather shocking final scene. It's intriguing to see the Punisher physically outmatched, but what would really raise the roof is if this could result in some more emotional and spiritual scarring for Frank that isn't connected to his traditional death-of-the-family concerns. Assuming he survives, how will he approach any inevitable rematch with his superior enemy?
I've got a lot of time for fanfiction that adds some twists and turns to the established narrative, while keeping characters and situations familiar. Frank Castle, Agent of SHIELD falls into that category, as does pitting the Punisher against Bushman, a semi-obscure villain who nonetheless fits seamlessly into Frank's world.
Mike's Bushman is a standout character here, not least because he's so sharp and ruthless, and so simple. Not every villain has to have a wealth of back-story or psychological quirks to be interesting; Bushman is just a nasty, savage little bastard, and I actually found myself quite in awe of how - literally and figuratively - he began to take Frank apart in such clinical fashion. It brought home the notion that Frank, for all his experience and indomitable vision, is just a guy, something exaggerated by the use of the high-tech SHIELD doohickeys he was kitted out with (none of which helped him very much in the end).
Frank is always a difficult character to write, I think; even Garth Ennis knew that he was a prop for the most part, a pole to build the rest of an intriguing story around. Much of the colour and energy in this issue comes from Bushman, Mojimbe and Maria Hill, which is no bad thing, but it slightly lessens the impact of the rather shocking final scene. It's intriguing to see the Punisher physically outmatched, but what would really raise the roof is if this could result in some more emotional and spiritual scarring for Frank that isn't connected to his traditional death-of-the-family concerns. Assuming he survives, how will he approach any inevitable rematch with his superior enemy?