Review Punisher #6

Last Wednesday, December 7, issue 6 is this extraordinary comic book series came out.  The character is a frightening and dark anti-hero.  The Punisher has all the classic elements of the revenge story, a decent man pushed to extremes by the senseless death of his family.  However, Frank Castle (The Punisher) went beyond simply making those responsible for his family's death.  That story is already over, but for the the central character, the war goes on.  The Punisher is like a darker reflection of Batman. 

However, whereas Batman becomes the great detective, The Punisher is first and foremost a soldier (Marine).  He is not solving crimes and mysteries, he is conducting a vigilante campaign where the solution is cutting off the enemy and then killing them.  Over and over.  The Punisher speaks to that deep cultural theme in western culture of vengeance.  Ultimately, we have turned away from vengeance as a tenant of acceptable society, but we cannot seem to fully escape it either.  Somehow, it appeals to us that by exacting retribution we can achieve peace.  In practice, this seems not to be born out well.

However, in literature, we can vicariously experience the catharsis that comes with seeing those who have done dark deeds meet deadly justice and feel the satisfaction of knowing in that closed fictional universe that they deserved it.  This is what is appealing about Punisher.  If we had this guy actually doing things in our cities, we would be pretty damn terrified, but in the pages of a comic book, he can embody our fantasies of dark age justice.  As the character Beowulf communicates to the King Hrothgar who mourned for the loss of one of his thanes and friends, vengeance is better than tears.  The Punisher gives us this.

So, what about issue 6? 

SPOILERS

Up to this point the story has centered on the Punisher's investigation of a shadowy organization called The Exchange, which came to light when its operatives had a shootout with a rival gang in the middle of a wedding (which was in the wrong place and the wrong time), resulting in the death of the groom, the wounding of the bride, and the death of almost 30 guests.  From issue 1, The Punisher has been killing members of The Exchange, those directly responsible and those in charge.  However, he is still far from the heart of the criminal enterprise.  The Exchange, meanwhile, is trying to figure out how to kill him.  In issue 3, the hit they paid for on him severely wounded him, but left their "contractor" dead and just made The Punisher more determined to finish the job.

Much of the story so far has been told through the eyes of two police detectives hot on the trail of The Exchange and the Punisher.  One has secret ties to the Punisher, and the other seems to have a history with him as well.  The action is also being covered by a determined reporter, who has become friends with the victim/bride of the wedding massacre, Rachel Cole Alves, a decorated Marine.  Rachel has started using the friendship to obtain intelligence for her own purposes.

Throughout the first five issues, Italian artist Marco Chechetto has brilliantly illustrated the adventures, but with issue 6, he is on hiatus.

Taking up the artist mantel are the reliable Matthews, Southworth & Clark.  Their take is different from the atmospheric and dark cityscapes done by Chechetto, but this issue takes place almost entirely in semi-rural upstate New York, and the change in art suits the change in environment.  The snowy killing fields that emerge are eerie and beautiful as The Punisher opens a new front in his unending war.

While issue 5 hinted at the fact that Rachel might be taking the same path as Frank Castle in seeking her own vengeance, this issue we see that she has indeed committed to this path.  The Punisher and the Bride both zero in on a meeting of operatives of the Exchange with deadly effect, and it brings them gun muzzle to gun muzzle with each other by the end of the book.

The art and story flow very well, the action is intense and visceral, and there is some serious vengeance going on.  The only regret I have from reading is reaching the end and knowing I have weeks to get the next bit, and months ahead to enjoy as this arc plays out. 

This is a book worth investing in.  Issue 6 introduces as new level of risk and complexity into the story.  Now, we have to see what does Frank Castle do when confronted with someone who could be his younger self.  Does he take on an ally in his war?  Does he dissuade her from the path of unending death and struggle, revealing the emptiness of vengeance that he cannot give up?  Is she destined to conclude her vengeance story and escape, whether crippled or not, or does her vengeance story end like so many (Hamlet comes to mind) with vengeance consuming everything and killing the hero in the end?

These tantalizing questions remain and will keep me reading.  You should be too.

Here are some other views:

ScienceFiction.com http://sciencefiction.com/2011/12/10/comic-book-review-the-punisher-6/ (
Verdict: Buy)

CBR http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=4231 (5/5 stars)

Henchmen for Hire http://henchman4hire.com/2011/12/10/review-punisher-6/ (4/5 stars)

iFanboy http://ifanboy.com/reviews/the-punisher-6/ (Story 4/5 Art 4/5)

Weedbeater's Comic Reviews http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Weedbeater/news/?a=50871 (3/5)

IGN http://comics.ign.com/articles/121/1214228p1.html (7/10)

Comic Vine http://www.comicvine.com/the-punisher-issue-6/37-305783/ (4/5)

The Weekly Crisis http://www.weeklycrisis.com/2011/12/weekly-crisis-comic-book-reviews-for_11.html (Verdict: Buy It)

Mark's Comic Book Review Center http://markscomicbookreviewcenter.blogspot.com/2011/12/quick-comic-reviews-december-8th-2011.html (9/10)

Vasegurt's Review of Comic Culture http://vrcc.vasegurt.com/2011/12/thisweek12-7-11/ ("This book remains high quality, and the art is perfectly suited for the story being told.")

Continuing my support for Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto--Punisher Issue #5

Picked up this issue yesterday.  The only thing frustrating I find about it is that it is so good, that it is almost painful to reach the end a realize I need to wait another four, five or even six weeks for the next installment. 

The action is subdued, but the story advances, the characters become more layered, and the sense of impending conflict is heightened as The Punisher is clearly getting closer to the criminals at the top of the new criminal organization in New York, The Exchange. 

Art is superior and the storytelling continues to compel.  Reviews continue to be strong.  For example:

IGN: http://comics.ign.com/articles/121/1212728p1.html?RSSwhen2011-11-16_205700 ("Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto continue their exploration of Frank Castle's world in Punisher #5 and find success like never before in achieving a clear depiction of how Frank affects the world around him. While the Punisher himself remains as elusive (and quiet) as ever in this installment, Rucka's decision to jump around between the criminals, the detectives, Rachel Cole and perhaps most importantly, a young kid that wanders into Frank's hideout, showcases the writer's understanding of what makes this character fascinating. Spoiler: it's not just that he's a badass."  Rating 9/10

It is not to late to pick up all of the first five issues.  Great stuff!

Veteran's Day: Thinking of My Civil War Generation

Today, for Veteran’s Day, I am remembering my ancestors who were veterans of America’s conflicts.  I have recently dived deep into my family’s genealogy and discovered many surprising things.  I would say that I never grew up with much military tradition, or even thought about military service in my family history.  As it turns out, however, my ancestors rendered service from colonial times forward.   There are still many questions I have to answer about my family history, and I doubt that I will fully understand all the events and issues with which my family has wrestled.

While I could try to profile ancestors from the Revolution, the War of 1812, or even more recent conflicts such as the First or Second World War, I have decided that with the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War, I will focus on the Civil War generation.  Even here, my research is far from done, but I have six (of the sixteen) third great grandfathers for whom I have established pretty well their Civil War service that I would like to remember and honor.

My research divides, not surprisingly, into the inheritance I have from my father’s line and that I have from my mother’s.  Also no surprise, we end up on both sides of the conflict.  My mother’s people, the Franklins, and many of the families that my mother descends from, had a long Southern history.  I have confirmed many Confederates in my genealogical attic, and once I finish sifting through all the family lines, I expect to have more direct Confederate ancestors than Union. 

Part of this is because, on my father’s side, three of my third great grandfathers were in Europe at the time of the war and they or their children did not reach American shores until the conflict was over.  The Frankes themselves remain mysterious.  Though they apparently arrived in 1855 and moved to Wisconsin, I have found scant history for them during the Civil War.  It seems likely that they were farming, but not fighting.  That disposes of my father’s paternal line.  However, the maternal line has some amazing stories and stretches back to Seventeenth Century Colonial America.  From my paternal grandmother then, I have a number of Union soldiers to talk about.

Returning to the question of my divided family, I have questioned myself a bit in reconciling the Blue and the Grey of my past.  I cannot disown my ancestors who fought for the Confederacy any more than they can dishonor me in the present.  We are part of a great confluence of history and biology. 

Need I remember them on Veteran’s Day though? 

From my political perspective, their cause was a traitor’s cause.  Whatever acts of bravery and honor they performed, they did so against the interests of MY country, MY Union.  Yet, though I find the cause detestable, I find comfort in the words of General Grant, who stated after the surrender of Lee at Appomattox, "I felt sad and depressed at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, though their cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which a people ever fought."  I harbor anger then, not for my ancestors, but for their leaders, politicians and generals, who led my people astray in support of this worst cause of history.  They put them on the wrong side of history, and failed in the vision of a better, more just and freer America.  For my Confederate ancestors, I am sad and I regret their sufferings and hardships, and I remember that they played a role in making America the country it is on this Veteran’s Day.

The Grey

I write of three Confederate ancestors today.  They came from diverse states and saw varied service.  Yet each eventually ended up in Union custody as prisoners of war.  Each also suffered greatly from the failure of leadership from both Union and Confederate governments.  After the entry of substantial numbers of African American troops on the side of the Union, General Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis refused to exchange black troops back to the Union in return for Confederate parolees.  Instead, laws had been passed that threatened black troops with hanging, and the Confederate government also expressed the intent to “return” black troops to their “owners” as property (despite the fact that many were not escaped slaves, but instead free blacks from the North who volunteered).  In response, the North determined that prisoner exchanges would then cease.  This caused the POW population for both North and South to swell beyond the capacity for which either side had planned.  What followed was shameful treatment of military prisoners on both sides, with harsh conditions, lack of food, shelter, medical care and other necessary supplies.  The South’s greatest infamy was Andersonville, Georgia and the North’s was Elmira, New York.  Both sides failed in planning and logistics to care for prisoners in their custody, but ultimately it was the racist policies of the Confederacy that sparked the crisis, and I place the greater blame there.  And for this lack of leadership, you will see that my ancestors paid dearly.

William Alcie Patterson Franklin

W.A.P. as he is often seen in records was born in Alabama on September 30, 1839.  He was raised in Arkansas with a brother and a sister and three half-brothers and a half-sister.  In the 1860 census he was living in his family’s home and working as a laborer.  His father, who had been born in Mississippi, was a farmer.  In 1862, W.A.P., at the age of 22, enlisted in the 19th (Dockery’s) Arkansas Infantry Regiment, Company B.  Despite his youth, he was made a Sergeant.  He kept a journal during the war, which a distant cousin has the keeping of, and I hope someday to have a copy to review.  Based on the Regimental history W.A.P. saw considerable combat.  His unit fought in the Second Battle of Corinth in Mississippi (October 1862) and later that same month fought at the Battle of Hatchie’s Bridge.  In May, 1863, the 19th Arkansas saw repeated action against the Union forces as U.S. Grant launched his Vicksburg campaign in Mississippi.  The 19th fought at the Battle of Port Gibson, the Battle of Champion Hill, and the Battle of Big Black River Bridge.  Each of these was Union victories in U.S. Grant’s relentless march on Vicksburg to seize control of the Upper Mississippi.  At the Big Black River Bridge, W.A.P. was taken prisoner.  He was initially remanded to Federal custody Camp Morton, Indiana.  He was later transferred east, to Fort Delaware, Delaware.  He spent less than a month in Delaware, and was transferred to spend the last days of the war at the infamous prisoner of war camp at Point Lookout, Maryland.  Despite probably being subject to varied and harsh conditions in prisoner of war camp (the song “Oh, I’m A Good Old Rebel” says “I followed old Marsh Robert for four years thereabouts, got wounded in three places and starved at Point Lookout”), W.A.P. returned to Arkansas upon his parole and picked his life back up.

John H G Mathis

John was born in Georgia on January 17, 1845.  In the 1860 census, he lived with his parents in Winn Parish, Louisiana.  He was only 15.  His father was a farmer, born in Georgia.  John was the youngest son and he had two older brothers and a younger and an older sister.  In about May 1861, shortly after the Civil War began in April 1861, John enlisted for service with the Third Louisiana Infantry Regiment as a private in Company C, the Winn Rifles.  He was only 16.  His regiment soon saw action.  In October of 1861 they participated in the Battle of Oak Hill, also called Bloody Hill, in Missouri.  In March of 1862 the 3rd saw action in the Battle of Pea Ridge (also known as Elk Horn), in Arkansas.  Next they saw action in the Battle of Iuka in Mississippi.  Like W.A.P. Franklin, John’s unit was at the Second Battle of Corinth in Mississippi in October 1862.  While the 19th Arkansas engaged with U.S. Grant’s forces outside of Vicksburg, the 3rd Louisiana was called to man the defensive works around Vicksburg in January 1863.  The Third saw action in the Battle of Snyder’s Bluff in April 1863.  The 3rd held out in Vicksburg with the other Confederate forces during the Union siege, until the city fell to U.S. Grant’s forces on July 4, 1863.  John was wounded and taken prisoner.  The records are unclear as to whether John was held in Demopolis, Alabama or Alexandria, Louisiana, but those two locations were the places that members of the 3rd Louisiana were held.  He was in Federal custody until the end of the war, when he was paroled at Natchitoches, Louisiana on June 12, 1865.  He was 20 years old, and he returned to Winn Parish to pick up his life.

Burrell Hudson

Burrell was born in Alabama about 1828.  He married in 1857 to Minerva Ann Christian.  They had one daughter and one son born at the start of the war, and a second son was born during the course of the war.  In the census of 1860, Burrell was listed as an overseer.  His family appears to have owned slaves when he was growing up.  At the age of 33, in October 1861, he joined the 21st Alabama Infantry Regiment, Company C, as a private.  The 21st saw action at the Battle of Shiloh on April 6 and 7 of 1862.  The Battle of Shiloh is especially notable, as it was, at that point, the bloodiest battle of the war.  By war's end, there were many battles that were worse, but the news from Shiloh was shocking to both sides.  April 6th went very well for the Confederate forces, which largely routed the Union troops under the command of William T. Sherman and U.S. Grant.  The 21st Alabama was especially valiant that day.  Press reports indicated that the 21st had “covered themselves with glory . . . [and] captured two batteries.”  The regiment suffered heavily, including losing six color bearers and some 200 killed and wounded.  Neither individuals nor units were issued with citations or medals in the Confederacy.  However, if one was mentioned in official dispatches, it was considered a great honor.  The 21st’ gallantry on the first day of Shiloh was so noted.  The first day’s victory was costly over all, with the Confederates losing their commanding general, General Albert Sidney Johnson.  The second day of the battle did not go well for the Confederates.  U.S. Grant was often at his best when he was on the ropes.  He also received fresh reinforcements during the night.  The Confederates we likely exhausted from their marching and offensive the day before, and may have been insufficiently provisioned.  In any case, outnumbered and exhausted, the 21st retreated with the Confederate order of battle.  The unit subsequently fought at Farmington, Mississippi in May, 1862.  The 21st was then retrained for garrison duty, with a focus on heavy artillery.  They were redeployed to Mobile, Alabama and stationed at Forts Gaines and Morgan in the summer of 1862.  The 21st thereafter had a quiet war in garrison duty until that attack on Mobile Bay by Admiral Farragut (Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!) in August 1864.  After the bay fell, the forts were bombarded and each surrendered.  Burrell’s Company C was apparently at Fort Hudson.  They were originally held in New Orleans, but later transferred to Elmira, New York by rail in October 1864.  The Elmira prison camp came to be known as Hell-mira by the Confederate prisoners.  Not only was their neglect in the supply of the camp, but actual intentional abuse under the auspices of the vindictive camp commandant.  Burrell did not do well under the harsh conditions in the camp and contracted dysentery.  On December 21, 1864, he succumbed to his illness.  Though record keeping on the burial of Confederate prisoners at the Woodlawn National Cemetery was generally good, no record entry exists for Burrell and he lies anonymously among the dead of the camp.

The Blue

Eli Tannehill

Eli was born in Somerset County in Pennsylvania in 1821.  He was one of eleven children.  He and his wife, Elizabeth Jane Graham, married in 1843 and were parents of nine children who lived to adulthood.  In the census of 1860, he was listed as a farmer in Lower Turkeyfoot Township.  Turkeyfoot was a stop on the Underground Railroad.  Eli and his family were Methodists, which was a denomination that was officially anti-slavery.  I have no evidence to suggest that Eli or his family was directly involved in assisting fugitive slaves, but clearly he lived in a community where the sympathies were with abolition.  Some of his neighbors left Pennsylvania and moved as far as Kansas to show their support for freedom (Moses Younkin, of whom we shall hear more below, was one).  Eli did not leave Pennsylvania, but once the war began, he heard his call of duty.  He was 40 years old and left a wife with nine children aged 1 to 16 in order to, I believe, follow his conscience and fight for “the Union and the Right” as was the refrain in the “Battle Cry of Freedom.”  Here, I can only imagine that the end of slavery must have been part of his motivation.  He enlisted in Philadelphia, into the 112th Pennsylvania, 2nd Heavy Artillery Regiment as a private in Battery K on November 11, 1862 (149 years ago today).  The 2nd Pennsylvania became the North’s largest regiment.  It was quickly stationed for garrison duty in the forts around Washington, DC, providing security for the capital.  The unit both trained as artillery and infantry, and worked on improving and expanding fortifications.  The majority of their service was as a rear echelon unit, until U.S. Grant called on the many heavy artillery units around DC to assist in his drive into the South in 1864.  The 2nd did not participate in the Battles of the Wilderness or Cold Harbor which occupied Grant’s thrust in May and June 1864, but they engaged in skirmishes around Cold Harbor subsequent to the main battle.  They then fought in the battle before Petersburg and then, with the rest of Grant’s army, settled into defensive siege works and trenches around the city of Petersburg, Virginia in June 1864.  There are at least three markers on the Petersburg National Battlefield that mark the positions held by the Second during the siege operations.  According to one of Eli’s fellow soldiers, on August 5, 1864 Battery/Company K had been serving in the trenches throughout the day and the men were suffering from thirst.  Eli offered to go for water for his comrades.  As he was returning, he was shot and killed (likely by a Confederate sharpshooter).  He was buried on the battlefield.  While the place was marked at the time, most of the graves of the Union dead from the siege were very makeshift, and in 1866 there was a concerted effort to consolidate the Union dead into a national cemetery.  According to the National Park Service, Ely Tannyhill [sic] has long been listed as one of the “possibles” at Poplar Grove National Cemetery, among four thousand unknown Union dead laid to rest there.

And now our hero's sleeping with thousands of the brave.
No marble slab does mark the place that shows where he was laid.
He died to save our Union; he's free of care and toil.
Thank God! The Stars and Stripes still wave above Virginia's soil!

--Virginia’s Bloody Soil

Moses Younkin

Moses was born in Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania on May 1, 1830.  He married Lavila Mitchell on June 5, 1851 and their daughter Emma Virginia Younkin was born in 1852.  About 1855, Moses moved his family from Pennsylvania to Kansas Territory.  In 1856, he, his family, and two brothers, Jerome and William settled on Timber Creek as the first white settlers in what would become Clay County, Kansas.  Moses was a Free State settler, voting and perhaps fighting for Kansas to enter the Union as a free as opposed to a slave state.  He had grown up in the same community as Eli Tannehill, and was a Methodist and likely abolitionist.  Besides living as a pioneer, farmer and political activist in Kansas Territory, he also helped found the town of Milford in Geary County, he helped lay out a road from Manhattan to Solomon’s Fork as a territorial commissioner, and he won a reputation as a scout and plainsman.  He is said to have been a friend of members of the Kaw or Kanza tribe (though this friendly tribe was nonetheless forced to relocate to Oklahoma Indian territory in 1873).  In the census of 1860, he was listed as a farmer in Clay County and, along with his growing family; he listed his younger brother Alfred as a farm hand.  Alfred was 10 years younger than Moses.  In October, 1861 with the Civil War in full swing, he was commissioned as a militia captain for the 15th Kansas State Militia, Company C.  In January 1864, Moses became one of three Clay County Commissioners.  However, in March 1864, Moses, age 33, and his younger brother Alfred, age 23, both reported to Fort Riley, Kansas to enlist as privates in the 11th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry.  The 11th had begun as an infantry unit, but was converted to Cavalry in late 1863 and early 1864.  Both of the brothers joined Company L, which was assigned to “the Indian service.”  Moses was quickly promoted to sergeant by May 1864.  The Kansas/Nebraska/Colorado frontier was dangerous and active during the Civil War.  Tribes such as the Sioux and the Cheyenne, hostile to the expansion of the United States and bent on driving settlers and soldiers out of their territory kept up significant raiding and attacks.  The “Indian service” included protecting lines of communication such as telegraph lines and stage coach stations, as well as protecting settlers and pioneers who continued to stream west on the Oregon Trail and the Overland Trail.  In 1865, the 11th moved from Kansas to Nebraska and from there into the parts of the Dakota Territories that would eventually become Wyoming to suppress Indian raids and to protect settlements.  The frontier life was hard, as supplies were hit and miss, and the weather severe.  Nonetheless, both Younkin brothers survived the many conflicts with Indians without harm.  In the summer of 1865, they were ordered to Fort Leavenworth, back in Kansas, to be mustered out.  However, Alfred caught a “bilious fever” (possibly typhoid fever) and never made it to Leavenworth.  He died in Marshall, Kansas at the age of 25 on September 15, 1865, where he had apparently been left to recover during the trip to Leavenworth.  Moses left military service on at Leavenworth in July 1865 and then returned to Clay County, Kansas to rejoin his family.  He had many more adventures and was a very active veteran, especially with the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), who ultimately provided for his services upon his death, far away from Kansas in Washington State, where he is buried in Bellingham with a headstone noting his service with the 11th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry.

Edit: June 13, 2012

This is late, late breaking news, but something that happens all too frequently in genealogy.  You think you find an amazing story, one almost too interesting to be true.

Then you find out that it is too interesting to be true.

While dates and some documents seemed to support that I was descended from the person I discussed below, it turns out my McHenrys did not move from Pennsylvania to Louisiana after the war.  I have a different set of McHenrys entirely in my background, though both seemed to admire Benjamin Franklin and named sons after him.  My Benjamin Franklin McHenry did not descend from Matthew (below), but rather from a Benjamin Franklin McHenry, Sr, about whom I am still researching. 

Matthew's story is still interesting and I wish I could claim it on my tree, but it belongs to someone else and the last thing I want to do is appropriate someone elses history.  However, for any of you who do descend from Matthew Lowery McHenry (even though I got a bit of the story wrong) thank you for letting me borrow him, however erroneously, and thank you for your ancestor's service in the defense of our country and Union.

Matthew Lowery McHenry

One of the interesting delights of genealogy is finding out facts that no one seems to have passed on in the family.  Matthew Lowery is my mother’s ancestor, her second great grandfather, and yet he is, as she put jokingly, a “damn Yankee.”  Though his son moved to Louisiana towards the end of the Nineteenth Century, Matthew Lowery lived and died a Northerner from Columbia County, Pennsylvania.  He was born there on October 2, 1832 to a Scotch-Irish family.  In the census of 1860, Matthew Lowery’s information is sadly illegible, but in 1850, he was listed as a laborer working for a farmer who was also a potter.  In 1870, he was a farm laborer, so it seems safe to say that he was a farmer of some sort at the start of the war.  He married his wife Kate (I have not identified her family name yet) in 1860 as well, and they had two children by 1864.  Late in the war, on September 21, 1864, Matthew Lowery, at the age of 31, enlisted as a private in Company B of the 210th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  His unit was quickly sent to reinforce the armies already besieging Petersburg in Virginia.  He served around Petersburg, and the 210th was engaged in several small skirmishes until the city succumbed to U.S. Grant’s armies in April 1865.  The 210th then served with Grant’s forces until Robert E. Lee was forced to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.  After the victory of Union forces, the 210th was eventually moved to Washington, DC, where, on May 30, 1865, Matthew Lowery was mustered out and returned to his family in Pennsylvania.

Out Today; Punnisher #4

I missed plugging issue #3 which was also awesome, but today here is a review for issue #4 by Jason Serafino:

Punisher #4
What it’s about: For a character that hasn’t been able to star in a movie that's anything more than abysmal, the Punisher has had pretty good luck when it comes to high-profile comic talent. With Greg Rucka now handling the writing duties, Marvel’s latest take on Frank Castle’s war on crime is just as brutal as ever.

Aided by the incredibly grim art by Marco Checchetto, Punisher strays from the typical Spandex superhero story, but it’s also not as grounded as Garth Ennis’ Punisher Max. Somehow Rucka has found a perfect balance between street violence and fantasy, and it works surprisingly well.

What to expect this month: After a brutal battle with the Vulture last issue, which left the Punisher battered and broken in an alley, Frank Castle is now a wounded animal with nothing but vengeance on his mind. A very pissed off Frank Castle is left to track down the criminal empire known as The Exchange, in order to get revenge for a wedding day massacre that left dozens dead.

Along with Daredevil, Punisher is one of Marvel's best newly relaunched books. Incredibly violent, intricately plotted, and simply beautiful to look at, this title should be a lesson to the industry as to how a great comic begins with a great creative team. [Amen to THAT Jason, amen to that; ERF]
(available at http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2011/10/comic-book-reviews-batwoman-green-lantern-ultimate-spider-man)

I am buying my issue this afternoon.  How about you?

Punisher Issue #2

So, today, Issue #2 of The Punisher, written by Greg Rucka, came out (http://www.dailyblam.com/news/2011/08/18/exclusive-preview-marvel-comics-punisher-2).  We are still early in a serious plot arc, but the character work, as well as the art, is outstanding.  I have yet to see any critical reviews, but my short review is, if you liked and were intrigued by Issue #1 (and you should have been and if you don't have it go and GET IT!) then this will keep you going.  However, there is no quick payoff, this is a slow-burn story.  We are in the middle of things and this issue ends in a cliff-hanger.  The action is furious but the meaning is only coming to us slowly.  Fortunately, Issue #3 is out on September 7.  The bad news after that is that Issue #4 is not scheduled until October 5.  Still, The Punisher is expertly working his way through the small fry bad guys on his way to the big fish, and it is an amazing character driven and artistically magnificent ride.

Check it out!

I can't go, but you can!

If you live in the DC metro area, consider dropping by Labyrinth Games down in DC (near Eastern Market Metro stop) for the August 13 Gamerati Tour (Tour Stops: Saturday, August 13th).  Gamerati is an organization developed by Ed Healy to try to build and link communities of game players.  This month he is driving across the United States and stopping to showcase local game stores, their patrons, owners, and cultures.  Ed explains his thoughts behind his tour at the tour site linked above.  My own spin is that I think that he sees the building of strong community and social network ties helps expand interest and acceptance of different kinds of games and gamers, and this in terns offers commercial opportunities to stores and game producers.  And everyone wins.

Well, I wish him much luck.  I will be heading out of town that weekend, but anyone remotely interested in games, from Scrabble to Dungeons & Dragons, should head to Labyrinth Games to see what it is all about.  The store is fantastic and the owner and employees are incredibly nice and knowledgeable.  I should note that this is a store that is totally mom and kid friendly.  Even if you haven't played a game for a long time, you will find yourself right at home (and probably playing a game before long) at this store.

I think Ed may be capturing some video to showcase the store and may also be doing some recording for podcasting, etc.  I think the event will be interesting, and, if nothing else, you can pick up a fun new game and maybe meet some cool new folks you never met before.  Wish I could be there.  Give it a shot!

Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple opens the way to fun for the whole family

Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple  is a game by designer Daniel Solis and published by Evil Hat Productions.  The game comes as a beautiful and well-written little harback book that allows a group of players to tell fun and funny stories about young people trying to do the right thing and help people while getting themselves in and out of trouble.

As it turns out, I wrote one teeny tiny part of the book (most of page 37), but until Sunday I had never actually played the game.  Finally, after having the game for a few weeks, I was able to round up the family and we all set to telling a fun story.  Others have already explained how the game goes better than I can, but essentially, everyone playes by creating a character (a Pilgrim) to be part of the story.  The story is about solving a problem that someone has written a letter about (my contribution was one such letter).  Each person takes a turn being the storyteller, while everyone else gets to decide how people get into trouble (the troublemakers).  Play passes until the problem at the heart of of the game is solved with a happy ending or an unhappy ending.  We managed to achieve a happy ending in our first play.

The Pilgrims were Clumsy Kitten (Fiona), Foolish Tiger (Ian), Zany Panda (Evan) and Friendly Gecko (Laura).  We were asked to solve the letter entitled "Is it Safe to Allow Cabbages on Roller Coasters?"(page 31 in the main book). 

Here is the story we told:

Pilgrim Friendly Gecko climbed up the side of the rollercoasterat the amusement park to check its maintenance.  But, Pilgrim Friendly Geck talks to the Talking Sky Cabbages and makes them uncomfortable by being too friendly and smiley because they are pessimistic cabbages.  Pilgrim Clumsy Kitten helps by making sure that the thousand thugs of the Coleslaw Front don't come into the amusement park and warms everyone if they try to come in by purring loundly.  Unfortunately, Pilgrim Clumsy Kitten knocks a modified cart into a Talkin Sky Cabbage, starting a riot.  Pilgrim Zany Panda helps to calm down the Talking Sky Cabbages by giving each one a big panda hug, rescuing Pilgrim Clumsy Kitten.

One of the Coleslaw Front is disguised as a giant cabbage and is so freaked out because Zany Panda gave him a panda hug that he attacks Zany Panda.  Suddenly Pligrim Foolish Tiger leaps on the Coleslaw Front member and saves Zany Panda.  In his eagerness to save Zany Panda, Goolish Tiger trips into the controls of a nearby ride and sends the tallest, fastest rollercoaster into heartpounding action!  Bystandards start screaming and Pilgrim Friendly Gecko quickly climbs back down the rollercoaster.  Pilgrim Friendly Gecko decides to find George and she talks him into letting her see him in the Executive Bathroom.  However George sees how friendly she is and decides to lock her in with him.

Pilgrim Clumsy Kitten helps Hazel Harrington by stalling the Cabbages and purring for traffic control on the bumper cars, because Cabbages don't like bumping.  It is going well until the Coleslaw Front gets on the ride with the Cabbages and Clumsy Kitten knocks the controls up to "Greased Lightning" speed.  Zany Panda thinks that it is so hilarious that he picks up Hazel Harrington and flies them behind the controls of one of the bumper cars.  Pilgrim Foolish Tiger leaps off the ride and into line at the bumper cars.  A six-foot wide Cabbage rolls on top of Foolish Tiger because he cut in line. 

Pilgrim Friendly Gecko opens the windo of the executive bathroom and flies away from George.

Clumsy Kitten purrs loudly and flies to the control panel and turns the bumper car ride off.  Pilgrim Zay Panda reassures Ms. Harrington with a hug and politely helps her off the ride in front of the Cabbages and the Coleslaw Terrorists.  Zany Panda smiles happily while Hazel Harrington takes offense to his hugs and slaps him!

Foolish Tiger lauches the Cabbage off of him and into the air!  Unfortunately, the now flying Cabbage goes through the open window of the executive bathroom and the cabbage lands on the despondent George.

Pilgrim Friendly Gecko takes Hazel Harrington for a ride on the merry-go-round to cheer her up, so she's not mad at Zany Panda anymore.  The Cabbages, who were unfomfortable with Friendly Gecko before, now see her laughing and smiling with Hazel and think Friendly Gecko is making fun of them so them demand to speak to Goerge.

Pilgrim Clumsy Kitten flies to help George so he will not be mad at Foolish Tiger, but when she purrs at the six-foot tall Cabbage, it gets scared and falls out the window!  Zany Panda rushes over to correct Clumsy Kitten's accident so there is not another riot at Popsicore Park and uses his cushy cuddly body to break the Cabbage President's fall.  This pushes him into the new underground ride which was made especially for the Sky Cabbages.  Foolish tiger scares away the Coleslaw Front terrorists out from the park.

After the hardcore Coleslaw Front leaders leave, the Pilgrims help the rest who rode the bumper cards and had fun with the Cabbages become friends and pay to become yearly members of the park.  Hazel becomes the general manager of the park and Geroge comes out of the executive bathroom and everyone becomes Facebook Friends.

The End.