Marvel’s Max Comics line is back with Get Fury, and Garth Ennis is penning this series appropriately. Pitting Nick Fury against Frank Castle during Vietnam is one thing, but infusing this story with mature language is quite another. Yes, this is about as edgy as Marvel gets, even more so than their recent red band offerings, but is it good?
Get Fury #1 was rather good at plucking at the nuance of these characters, making them believable and accurate to this era of their characterization. Somewhat surprisingly, Ennis moves away from those characters a bit in Get Fury #2 as he explores the CIA operative and general who sent Frank on his mission. You see, it appears there’s more to their little plot to kill Nick Fury and it’s a juicy one at that. By delving into their plot, Ennis reveals the corruption of the U.S. government and the likelihood this isn’t a fight between heroes but a team-up!
Get Fury #2 opens with the same old-time Vietnamese man recounting this tale to an unseen interviewer. Fans of war stories and the strategy that comes with them will be pleased by some specific details of attacks in Vietnam, which led to a rather tense jet fighter interaction with ground missiles. The punisher must enter enemy territory, and it’s a dangerous thing simply to cross over.
Punisher dodged a missile there.
Credit: Marvel
Two main scenes crosscut to reveal the nefarious CIA plan involving hard drugs, with a scene involving the Punisher attempting not to be caught as an American in enemy territory. Both scenes are slow and methodical as they reveal the nuance of both situations. In one, Punisher doesn’t want to kill a soldier just doing his job, and in the other, a general continues to be stepped up by the CIA since he’s stuck in his plan.
Closing out the issue is a rather grisly scene with Nick Fury. The man has seen some heavy stuff in the last issue, and that continues here. Seeing a man be nearly drowned in a living person’s guts is quite a sight.
Longtime Punisher fans will enjoy the reveal of what the CIA is up to, which has strong ties to Punisher’s original fight. Given the time this takes place it’s also right at home for classic Punisher tales, along with Ennis’ expertise in war stories.
After reading this issue, it’s clear that this miniseries is going to be best read in trade paperback. However interesting the reveals are in this issue, there’s no mistaking that it lacks Punisher and Nick Fury as central figures. It’s more of a setup for a big payoff action scene.
That said, Jacen Burrows does a great job with the art backed by color artist Nolan Woodard. The guts in the end look real and quite gross, and the lighting in the cockpit adds a nice highlight to Punisher. The character acting of the CIA agent and general is very strong, amping up the dialogue-driven office scene. The only imagery that doesn’t quite work is the aftermath of a bombing, which shows lots of detail with rubble but not enough to make it clear many civilians died. Maybe it’s the angle, but it doesn’t have a huge impact.
Get Fury continues to be the edgiest and most mature comic Marvel has published in years. The key to its success is the nuance in character work, and in this second issue, the reveal that maybe Punisher isn’t on a kill mission at all.
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