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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Omega Effect Part 2: Punisher Issue 10

For my money, another great issue (mild spoilers to follow).  I was very into the flow of action in the book and I was quite surprised by the twist on the last page.  The dialog was snappy, funny and character appropriate.  I can't wait to see how it all turns out in Daredevil next week.  Picked my copy up (along with Daredevil 10.1 for reference) at my local comic book store, Beyond Comics (yay!).

Here are what others are saying:

IGN (8.5/10) "What's most remarkable about The Punisher #10 is not the fact that it's an exciting middle chapter to Greg Rucka and Mark Waid's The Omega Effect, but that typical to Rucka's Punisher run, Frank Castle gets the least amount of screen time yet says the most through his actions. Spider-Man and Daredevil are very much the stars of the show, banter and all, but Rucka keeps the narrative centered around Frank despite his physical presence being slim – something that has defined his run this far."

Punisher Central (A-)  "This book doesn’t have as much action as the first part of the Omega Effect but it is clear that the action is about to go through the roof in Daredevil #11. This book reflects Rucka as a writer who explores themes and motives of individuals and why they do what they do. Also in traditional Punisher fashion there is a fantastic swerve on the last page of the book."

Comic Vine   (Verdict: "this crossover is continuing to be a blast to read") "What makes this crossover great is each character is different and gets to stay true to who they are. Spider-Man acts like Spider-Man; Punisher acts like Punisher...except does his best to restrain from killing. One of my favorite parts is seeing Spider-Man's witty/annoying banter and how the others do their absolute best to try to ignore it. Greg Rucka has been killing in on this title (no pun intended) but to see him so beautifully write the three distinct characters and mesh it all together is brilliant. We've seen crossovers and guest appearances often give a pale imitation of the the character we see in their own title. Reading this issue makes me want to see more of this kind of thing. If we can get crossover stories of this caliber, I'm 100% for them."

Picks of the Comic Book Week (Honorable Mention) "Despite requiring DD fans to shell out for two extra issues of other books, this crossover ends next week, and knowing when to exit a stage gracefully is a skill more crossovers - and comic book stories in general, frankly - should learn."

Waiting for Wednesday (Art 9/10 Story 9/10) "The Omega Effect continues this week in Punisher #10. This is by far my favorite Marvel cross over in a very long time. The story is just soooooo goooooood. Mark Waid and Greg Rucka are knocking it out of the park."

Silver Snail (4.5/5) "I'm not going to lie: this Daredevil/Spider-Man/Punisher crossover, "The Omega Effect", is turning into one of the better sleeper hits this year. It's taking three of Marvel's best written books and allowing them to weave into each other on a simple yet effective level, keeping plot points easily-explainable and cohesive. It's a sign of good writing when a reader can miss part of the story (in my case, the Spider-Man chapters) and piece together what has happened in the meantime while they were away."

UPDATE April 20

Comic Vault (Story 10/10 Art 10/10) "Overall, Rucka keeps the second part of this crossover moving at the same brisk pace while maintaining the fun factor and seamless writing it began with.  Coupled with more stellar art by Marco Checchetto and Matt Hollingsworth, this is another must-read in a thus-far perfect multi-book crossover."

The Comics Journal ([no rating, generally unfavorable]) "Everybody on this comic is working very, very hard. Checchetto is trying to cram as much real drawing in alongside all the computer trickery he uses to put in the recognizable New York City landmarks, Greg Rucka is working extra hard to make it seem like this version of Tough Stoic Lady Character is different from the ones he did in Batman, Checkmate, Huntress, Queen and Country, Whiteout, Ultimate Elektra, Batwoman, and Stumptown. But you know what? It’s still a comic about an external hard drive."

Suraph "The Omega Effect pushes towards a conclusion next week this feels more like an exercise in treading water than moving anything forward. It's a fine issue all around, but not much of substance happens. Given how strong a start Omega Effect had last week in Avenging Spider-Man it's a bit disappointing to see it lose a lot of that momentum here. Daredevil #11 should rectify all that, though."

Update April 23

ComicVine (5/5 stars) "Part one was great and, no surprise, this one is as well. Punisher, Spider-Man and Daredevil have different tactics and views but with all their past run ins, they can easily put them aside when necessary. Rucka and Checchetto have made this a great series and this crossover has been a welcomed and complete surprise. It is unfortunate that each part of the story takes place in a different comic. It's even more unfortunate that this will only last three issues. PUNISHER is a great series and this crossover is continuing to be a blast to read."

Inside Pulse (8.0/10) "Based on those complaints, it may seem like I really hated this comic, but I actually thought it was great. There were just some small details that annoyed me a little. . . .  While most of the industry’s attention has been on Night of the Owls and Avengers Vs X-Men, I really think Omega Effect is shaping up to be the best crossover going on right now. Three issues, self-contained in these three titles, two great writers (Rucka and Waid), and only one artist (Marco Checchetto). So, defintiely check out Omega Effect! Besides, in a few issues, Daredevil will be takin on Doctor Doom! Now that is a comic I just can’t wait to read!"

The Weekly Crisis (Verdict: Buy It) "The issue works for fans of every character involved, and is moving at a pace where it doesn't read like a needless cash grab crossover which is too prevalent these days. Add a decent cliffhanger for the final part next week in Daredevil #11, and it looks like this isn't a story that will just be ignored in a month or two."

CBR (4.5/5 stars) "Although this is the middle segment of a three-part story, Rucka and Checchetto make it every bit as enjoyable and approachable as the opener or finale. The major difference here, however, is that the stakes are raised in this issue and the imaginary soundtrack music is reaching a deafening crescendo on the final page. This story is in high gear and there's simply no walking away from it now."

Major Spoilers (Bottom Line: Still On Board; 3.5/5 stars) "For being a Punisher title there was little focus on Punisher as a character, but that is the risk you run doing a cross-title event. As the second part of The Omega Effect the issue worked really well. Characters were allowed to shine in turn, with more insight to their character given, and the story continued at a nice pace with a cliffhanger to take us into the final act of this three-part event. Punisher #10 was a fun read and also a must read if you are following The Omega Effect  . . ."

iFanboy (Soty: 3 - Good, Art: 4 - Very Good) "Although this arc deals with the Omega drive overall , there is a progression in the character development for Coles, based on her exchanges with Daredevil and her actions. In the end, this arc is turning out to be a lot more than placing three comic characters in the same issue to get sales, even if it is, at least I feel like they are adequately covering it up for my taste.
Look forward to the next issue."

Level Up Entertainment (3.5/5 stars) "This issue had some great moments with Daredevil delivering a baby, Frank one upping a joke on Spider-Man to a strong character moment between Daredevil and Sergeant Alves."

The Outhouse "I also liked that Rucka fit in some pretty funny Spider-Man dialogue, this book has been so terse and often dialogue free that Spidey’s free-wheeling banter is refreshing to see, and using Frank Castle as his straight man was great. Marco Checchetto’s art was very strong once again (apart from the aforementioned last page confusion), I’m relishing the triple-serving of him this month."

Outer Realm Comics (4.5/5 stars) "In the second part of The Omega Effect, Daredevil, Spider-man and Castle decide to take the fight to megacrime."

Update April 24

Newsarama (7/10) "In certain regards, Punisher #10 does do a lot right — the characters work well together, there's some action involved, a nice cliffhanger, some beautiful art. But as far as showing the Punisher's point of view, well, it doesn't exactly do Frank any favors. You can't always bat a thousand, and this comic still stands higher than much of its competition... but that still doesn't make this less of a sophomore slump."



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