Punisher War Journal has been a staple series for the character over the years. For me though, it’s always been a series of well-trodden, blood-soaked ground. Just how many times can one read of the Punisher’s latest bloody excursion before your eyes glaze over? However, with the fresh direction the main Punisher series has taken, I was interested to see what the newest War Journal had to offer.
These latest journal entries come in the form of three alliterative one-shot issues: Blitz, Brother & Base. Brother and Blitz take place concurrently with the main Punisher series, while Base takes us back to the War Journal’s origins. All three share the same writer but each issue is illustrated by different art teams. This leads to a consistent character portrayal paired with interesting visual changeups, but does this collection retread the same ground or find its own direction?
The opening issue, Blitz, lives up to its namesake as Frank tears across the States after an old foe takes up the Hate-monger mantle. Page one, panel one throws us right in the middle of Frank and the Hand clan raiding the Hate-monger’s headquarters. Through interspersed flashbacks, this new threat is revealed to tie back to Frank’s past. The bounces back and forth between past and present flow naturally and help flesh out the new antagonist. Frank’s narration kept me engaged in the story and also captured his gallows humor on the final page, which I appreciated. I also liked the almost cinematic quality the action takes on, especially in the final assault. Though Blitz realizes all the classic trappings of a war journal tale, it doesn’t pave any new ground.
Credit: Marvel Comics
Brother finds Frank in the crosshairs of everyone in the fictional country of Svetzgata. When the criminal underworld puts out feelers for information on the Punisher’s whereabouts, every citizen becomes a camera pointed in Frank’s direction. Soon every corner Frank turns someone is waiting to either profit off sending his coordinates or someone is ready to kill him. One of these predators turns out to be a longtime Punisher villain, Jigsaw. What follows is an unending horde of bodies for The Punisher to carve his way through. Pimentel’s artwork keeps the action visceral and fluid which helps along the pace. This entry also makes for a very standard Punisher adventure helped along by the gritty artwork.
Rounding out the collection, Base, takes a slightly different approach by taking us back to Frank’s military/family-man days. For me, this story is the strongest of the three. Torunn Grønbekk takes us into Frank’s struggle to find peace away from the battlefield. The first half of the story lulls us into a suburban, family drama which then takes a twist when Frank stumbles across a grisly crime being perpetrated behind closed doors. It all at once vindicates Frank’s unease at home but also reveals him as a born warrior to his family. Again, Base plays out as one would expect a Punisher story to but the tragic dynamic between Frank and Maria takes it in a more unique, character-focused direction.
Credit: Marvel Comics
For the collection’s price, you’re not saving any money by getting the trade paperback vs the single issues. There are some art process pages from Blitz and Brother included, as well as miniaturized layouts for the entire Base issue to round out the trade. The Blitz and Brother process pages are cool but the thumbnail-sized layouts for Base almost defeat the purpose of showing them because you’d need a magnifying glass to make out any real details.
For Punisher fans, the series does well to establish its own voice apart from Aaron’s series. Instead of incorporating his mythic approach, however, War Journal takes Frank back to his usual fare. For the average comic reader, these aren’t going to be blowing anyone away. At the end of the day, these are classic Punisher stories, and if you’ve read one, you can guess how they’re all going to play out. They make for fun reads in the moment and sometimes that is all one can ask for.
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