The second year of Punisher Max began with Garth Ennis revisiting one of the first Marvel characters he’d ever written about: Nick Fury.
Punisher parachutes into Russia to rescue a little girl, held in an old nuke silo, who is the host for the future of germ warfare.
Punisher is always all about the kids, man.
Yeah, it’s a Cold War story. And few people write about the mind and heart of a solder as well as Ennis. Maybe Kubert. Maybe Jason Aaron. Not many others.
This arc is a perfect demonstration of how Ennis paces his Punisher tales. It starts rolling slow and sinister and ends with an explosive finale. It’s perfect: One of my favorite comic book arcs of all time, probably, with realistic, tone-perfect art by Dougie Braithwaite.
Surprisingly, Punisher is out of his element, out of his country, and yet this is one of the greatest Punisher stories ever.
Best lines: “Make sure it’s important next time. The women I like charge by the hour.” –Nick Fury.
“I’m twisting his leg off like a drumstick when I realize I’m frightening the kid.” –Punisher.
I’m aware that this is not canon and therefore the Nick Fury and Frank Castle in this story are not 616, but I’m tagging them anyway because the Earth 616 versions should be as cool as these versions.