Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics, Review | Tagged: baron zemo, crossbones, frank castle, ghost, hydra, Lee Loughridge, Marvel Comics, Matthew Rosenberg, nick fury, punisher, secret empire, stefano landini, superheroes, taskmaster, war machine

The Punisher #226 Review: Setting Targets on Hydra

The Punisher is out for Hydra blood. He has a lot of guilt leftover from his taking their side in Secret Empire, and he intends to rectify that by wiping the fascist organization from the face of the Earth. He starts by using CIA information to track down the whereabouts of one Baron Helmut Zemo. With the War Machine armor's arsenal at his disposal, Frank Castle launches his one-man siege against Hydra.

If there's one type of scum that it will be great to see the Punisher unleashed against, it's Nazis. I don't know why more stories don't contain Frank Castle tearing through hordes of Hydra soldiers.

Of course, things can't be that straightforward. There needs to be an actual opposition for Frank, and that comes in the form of Taskmaster, Crossbones, and Ghost. That makes for a hell of a fight, but Frank Castle's grim and silent visage remains consistent throughout the fight.

Some surprise guest stars arrive towards the end of the book. They add one final twist to this Punisher arc and have me genuinely excited for the next issue of the series.

Needless to say, this is a gory and fun action comic that doesn't have as many of the hang-ups of the prior issue.

Stefano Landini joins up with the comic for the art of this installment. It's a simplistic style that is still solidly detailed and has an air of grit to it. It's a slight change of pace from previous issues, but it's within the same realm of aesthetic. Lee Loughridge's color art is brilliant, keeping the book grim and ominous with an appropriately sickly palette.

Punisher #226 is another kick-ass issue for Marvel's most brutal and grim antihero. We get to see Frank tear through Hydra goons and fight some classic rogues like Zemo and Taskmaster. The art is grim and gritty too, which fits Frank well. This one comes recommended. Check it out.

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