REVIEW: Punisher #10

The Omega Effect is in its second part! Will the unlikely trio of Punisher, Daredevil, and Spider-Man be able to destroy the Omega Drive or will it fall into the hands of one the world’s evilest organizations?

Punisher #10
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colorer: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: VC’S Joe Caramagna
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $2.99

Previously in Avenging Spider-Man: No that is not a typo, what happened in Punisher #9 holds no real bearing to the action in this issue for we are in the middle of (please read in your best echo filled voice) The Omega Effect!! Here is what you need to know: Matt Murdock has become in possession of the Omega Drive, which contains invaluable information about the top criminal organizations of the world. Frank Castle is willing to take the Drive off his hands for his own gain, but Spider-Man isn’t going to allow that to happen. And now here we go!

CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Spider-Man and Daredevil are in the lab figuring the right way to destroy the Omega Drive, while Punisher and Sergeant Cole Alves dig into their arsenal for the future blood-bath they are hoping to have. These conflicting ideas come head-to-head time and again throughout the story, but Punisher continues to heed to the orders from Daredevil for no bloodshed.

It turns out that the person who had to be talked down from spilling blood was Sergeant Alves. During the teams two-pronged strike against AIM, Hydra, and the others to deliver the message for a meeting time, DD had to talk down Alves from enacting her revenge by shooting an Exchange agent. That entire sequence was a great character moment, and there were even more of those with the interactions between Spidey and Punisher. The issue was driven by the characters dialogue, even during the brief action sequences, and built the stage for an epic conclusion in Daredevil #11.

LOOKING OUT OF PLACE

Visually this looked like a Punisher book should. Throughout the issue there was a gray washed out look that made it feel like you were in Punisher’s world, which works well considering his attire. But this caused a problem for Daredevil and Spider-Man; the colors of their costumes didn’t flow with the colors surrounding them. Their reds and blues made a stark contrast that made it seem that they didn’t belong there. But on the other hand they don’t, Peter and Matt doesn’t reside on the same moral high ground that Frank does. So maybe them standing out that was a meta-textual hint that these two don’t belong here. If that is true then well done; but regardless of that, their colorings took me out of the story a few times and the is never good.

BOTTOM LINE: STILL ON BOARD

For being a Punisher title there was little focus on Punisher as a character, but that is the risk you run doing a cross-title event. As the second part of The Omega Effect the issue worked really well. Characters were allowed to shine in turn, with more insight to their character given, and the story continued at a nice pace with a cliffhanger to take us into the final act of this three-part event. Punisher #10 was a fun read and also a must read if you are following The Omega Effect and earns 3.5 out of 5 stars.