Punisher MAX vol. 3: Frank

Though the last volume left off on a very interesting cliffhanger, we don’t get to find out its resolution until towards the end of this one.  That’s because writer Jason Aaron pursues a dual narrative here where one thread shows us Frank Castle’s time in prison and the forces gathering against him there in the present day.  In the other, we get to see a time in the character’s life that I don’t believe has been explored at any length up until now.  While we all know that Castle’s family was killed not too long after he came back from Vietnam, what happened during the time that he did spend with them?  Aaron knows and the results are good, in spite of his efforts to clobber the reader over the head with his point.

After surviving the massacre at firebase Valley Forge, a young Frank Castle finds that he’s being shipped home by an army that doesn’t know what to do with him.  Problem is, the soldier doesn’t know what to do with his life once he’s back in the arms of his loving wife and children.  Castle discovered something about himself that he didn’t know existed and is now trying to bury all of his murderous impulses in his attempt to resume a normal life.  It’s a hard thing to do when you have to deal with arrogant pricks at work, mobsters who want favors, and Nick Fury trying to get you back doing what you do best.

The idea that Castle was already a lost cause before his family was taken from him has been hinted at but never explored until now.  Aaron’s take is completely plausible in light of the experiences of most war veterans and I like the idea about how the character is finally remembering these events and characters as they were, instead of sacred objects to his crusade.  Unfortunately the writer can’t stop hammering this point home through the characters and dialogue that crop up through the story.  The most egregious example of this is the crazy patient who pops up in the first issue and lays out the entire point — at length — for the reader.  This is then reiterated throughout the issue with some blatantly obvious match cutting in the art in the second chapter, Fury’s appearances, and Castle’s own inner monologue.  It’s enough to make a reader yell, “OKAY!  I GET IT!” at the pages themselves.

And yet, there are parts where the isolation of Castle’s existence come through loud and clear.  The brief bits of interaction he has with his children.  A moment at night where he tries to comfort his wife as she cries herself to sleep.  That moment where he utters those final words to his wife before his world shatters.  I was amazed at how subtly that was handled after the setup with Bullseye in the previous volume, but it makes perfect sense while standing in stark contrast to being hit with the sledgehammer of the obvious for most of this volume.

I haven’t said anything about the prison scenes because there’s really nothing bad about them.  Personally, I think that a whole volume could be written about a weakened Punisher trying to survive in prison.  What’s here, however, is really good with a number of memorable scenes and twists throughout.

This volume was also illustrated by Steve Dillon, and I’m sure you’ll all be glad to know that I don’t think he has gotten any less awesome since the release of the previous volume.

Things end with Castle escaping prison and at what is probably the lowest point for him in his entire crusade.  No weapons.  No money.  Almost no morale.  It’s a great setup for what will be Aaron’s final storyline with the character.  Though this volume had that one big problem, I still found a lot to enjoy in it.  Here’s hoping that the finish is problem-free.