Punisher #2: The Raid

Punisher #2 – written by David Pepose with art by Dave Wachter, colors by Dan Brown, and letters by VC’s Cory Petit – continues the ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent’s mission to avenge his family after their house was blown up. Joe Garrison left his life as the Gravedigger of the super-spy organization behind to focus on his family, and losing them has pushed him to the realm of vengeance. After tracking down the Sokovian and defeating Mr.Hyde, Garrison is prepared to see through his mission. 

The path to revenge leads the new Punisher to attack a mob boss named The Offer. The criminal is prepared for the vigilante however, and has hired the Night Shift as protection. Led by Bushwacker, the team’s roster is filled out by Finesse, the daughter of Taskmaster, Eel, and DoughBoy. Garrison takes them down one by one until he makes it to The Offer and learns another piece of the mystery of who killed his family. 

Pepose’s scripting for this issue continues the tense, tight focus on Garrison’s search for his family’s killers, providing a clear structure in which to build a concise story. Punisher essentially just fights his way up a building, going through the series of hired villains to claim his prize. It’s a simple, straightforward narrative line that is easy to follow and allows for the action and character work to take center stage. 

Battling with the various villains allows Garrison to show off his skills, making clear why he earned the title of Gravedigger agent. He fights with a confidence and focus that makes it clear even if he isn’t interested in the mantle, the Punisher is a perfect fit for him. Pepose’s choice of foil antagonists reinforces the display of skills, showing his adaptability, experience, and recklessness. Garrison’s fight with Finesse is the best example of this streak, as her inherited abilities from Taskmaster make her the perfect person to comment on the highlights of Garrison’s style. 

Without a doubt, the glue of this issue is Watcher’s art, which renders the non-stop action and character beats with crystal clarity. Each fight feels distinct yet holistic, building to the final confrontation with The Offer. Watcher brings a cohesive paneling and style of linework to each clash that emphasizes clarity and creativity. Fighting with the Eel is quick and flashy (no pun intended) but ends quickly, with a focus on compositions that illustrate the stealth aspect of Garrison. Even as a towering figure, Watcher still embeds a stillness and grace in the vigilante, illustrating his past life as a spy. 

The next fight with Finesse is the standout sequence, and Watcher employs a packed series of panels to illustrate the trading of blows back and forth. The cascade of small, tight panels centered around Finesse’s escrima sticks channels frantic energy as they bounce from surface to surface. Once the two start to trade blows, the page shifts into larger panels that blur outside the confines of a panel to evoke the dynamic energy of Finesse’s kick. It’s a moment that sticks out thanks to that playing with form, illustrating the innovation that can build out from a simple premise of an issue. 

In the last fight, which centers around Bushwacker and Punisher, the layouts and action beats open up, thanks to additional page real estate and a path into more of the high-rise building. Watcher deploys a full-page splash with a series of close-up panels as Garrison is fed info and formulates a plan against the villain. Structured around fighting down a staircase, the moment is reminiscent of an action scene from a work like John Wick. It is fantastically blocked and easy to follow, utilizing a specific rhythm to convey the flow of the battle. The zoom-in panels provide breaks that recalibrate the central action beats on the staircase, creating the illusion of motion as Bushwacker pushes Garrison into a corner. 

None of the art would maintain its total clarity without Brown’s palettes, which operate in muted tones for the majority of the issue. When emphasis or focus needs to be applied to the action beats, Brown breaks from the typical hues into something more vibrant. Bursting red/yellow flames from incendiary rounds to target Bushwacker’s weakness, the shocking blue of Eel’s electricity powers, and even the golden yellows and pastel pink/purple of New York outside the building all create variations in the palette to draw the reader’s eye. One can’t help but pay extra attention when Brown shifts to these colors, elevating this issue from a typical street-level book to one that can fit into the spaces between hard-edged reality and fantastical undercurrents of the Marvel universe.