The Purgatory storyline was appropriately named, as that is where The Punisher found himself immediately after it had ended. But then Garth Ennis was all like Fuck that and got the Punisher to punch a polar bear in the face. The era of Ennis begins with a celebratory return to form that results in Frank throwing a dude off the Empire State, because no one parties like the Punisher parties. From the first page, Ennis force- feeds the reader with a stupid amount of entertainment and my only complaint is that Im already fat enough. Speaking of having your own gravitational pull, this is the run to read if you want to see Frank suffocate the Russian with a morbidly obese man named Mr Bumpo. How long has it been, Mr Bumpo? About twenty minutes, sir. ... Well give it another ten. Okeydokey Ennis added his trademark sense of dark humour to juxtapose the seriousness of the character and capitalize on the often absurd nature of the Marvel Universe. The culmination of the sidesplittingly funny and the literal splitting of sides created a dynamic that brought the Punisher back to the forefront of readers minds. Not only is it humorous, but it also has a lot of heart. As well as lower intestine, stomach and many other internal organs. Every character, from minor to major, live and breathe harder than that creep who always calls when youre home alone. The Punisher is granted a supporting cast to bounce off, something a silent character such as himself needs. Ennis has a particular disposition towards the spandex crowd and this run is shows exception; each of the heroes featured have a paradoxical nature. Especially Wolverine, who is portrayed as a stumpy, rabid berserker, like Joe Pesci in need of a Snickers. I hope you dont have diabetes, because this version of the Punisher is truly a treat. And if you just said, Pfft, treats are for pussies, give me some f**king bourbon, then youre gonna love what comes next. Hits: You know when you drop your phone and then try to catch it with your foot and end up kicking it halfway across the room? Franks phone is a limbless Mob boss named Ma Gnucci. Nobody does facial expressions like Steve Dillon. The Punishers response to a concussed and confused Spider-Man who has been used as a human shield against a surgically enhanced Russian? We had a team-up. You were great.
