Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Punisher: Streets of Laredo (Punisher) by Garth Ennis, Cam Kennedy, Tom Mandrake, Steve Dillon, Avalon Studios, Cory Petit, Dave Sharpe, Rs, Wes Abbott, Tim Bradstreet ISBN: 0-7851-1096-8 Publisher: Marvel Books Pub. Date: December, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The night is but young...
Comment: After being less than impressed with the last couple of Garth Ennis-scribed Punisher TPBs, it was good to see comics' maddest Irishman get back in the swing of things (for the most part) with this release. The book's trio of one-shot stories feature light helpings of the kinds of bizarre situations and offbeat dark humor that've made Ennis infamous in the world of funnybooks. The first adventure features ol' Frankie inadvertently dropping in-- literally-- on the country home of former neighbor Joan the Mouse from the 12-issue maxi-series. Then there's the little game of "beat-you-to-it" that the sultry assassin Elektra plays on him with various mob hoods caught in the middle of the massacre. Ending the trio of one-shots is the childhood flashback sob story of the hapless and hexed Detective Soap-- AKA the ONLY member of the NYPD Punisher Task Force, and (irony of ironies) the Punisher's primary informant-- as told to a potential romantic interest at his fave waterin' hole.
Framed in the middle of this collection is the magnum opus: a modern Western-type yarn featuring the main man going up against a horde of gun-runners in a small Texas town overseen by a gay sheriff. It's a surprisingly straightforward story arc, possessing few if any of the usual Ennis staple moments of wackiness. Still, it's not too bad a read despite not being particularly inspired or original. One thing that I think would've improved this tale's standing a bit was if Marvel had hired someone besides Cam Kennedy to do the renderings. In my opinion, Kennedy's art works best in more abstract comics like what you'd see in Heavy Metal magazine, not so much in "down-to-earth" funnybooks. John Buscema, however, would've been the perfect guy to craft the kinds of visuals needed to give "Streets of Laredo" a modern-day Western look and feel... had he not been deceased by the time the story was being put together. Sheesh, how inconsiderate can a guy get?
Sadly, due to the limitations Marvel placed on his creative freedom with the Punisher book prior to its recent move to the gut-splattering and obscenity-laden Max imprint, Mr. Ennis' offbeat moments of madcap mayhem aren't nearly as shocking or disgustingly funny here as the stuff he'd whipped up in his previous works (take a look at any Preacher, Hitman, or Rifle Brigade book and you'll see what I mean). Still, more than a few of the strange predicaments contained within this tome are at least lightly amusing, and kept me smilin' through the body count the titular anti-hero racks up. While it may not be one of the man's greatest efforts, "The Punisher: Streets of Laredo" TPB is definitely worth at least one look. Especially if you're a die-hard Punisher fanatic-- or a friend of a die-hard Punisher fanatic who'll allow you to borrow his copy to read...
'Late
Rating: 3
Summary: Ennis' lowpoint so far on his Punisher run
Comment: Fact one: Garth Ennis is a superb writer when allowed to push the limits that he is known for (don't believe me, check out the Preacher comics). Fact two: his run on the Punisher is the best storytelling to hit the character in years. However, this four part storyarc is far from the best work to come from Ennis, but not all the blame can be contributed to him. When allowed to go over the limits of what can be done in a comic, Ennis' true talent shines, but when he is restricted (this is a PG+ book after all) his storytelling suffers, and it shows here. Not only that, but Cam Kennedy's art grates on the nerves quite a bit. I just can't get into it; his misshapen character models are an acquired taste to say the least. I mean his look of the Punisher just doesn't stick well; artists like Steve Dillon and Tom Mandrake have done far better than Kennedy. All that aside however, this is a solid storyarc that is still worth reading for Punisher fans. The story finds our favorite criminal killing vigilante in the desolate Texas town of Branding trying to stop the flow of illegal military weapons from leaving the town. We are introduced to a flat villain and one dimensional characters, something that is shocking to say the least to come from the pen of Garth Ennis. Streets of Laredo is so far the worst of Ennis' run on the Punisher, but this is still better than most comics out there today.
 |
Title: Punisher: Vol. 4: Full Auto by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon, Darick Robertson ISBN: 0785111492 Publisher: Marvel Books Pub. Date: August, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.99 |
 |
Title: The Punisher: Born (Punisher) by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Tom Palmer ISBN: 0785112316 Publisher: Marvel Books Pub. Date: February, 2004 List Price(USD): $17.99 |
 |
Title: Business as Usual (Punisher, Vol. 3) by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon, Darick Robertson, Nelson ISBN: 0785110143 Publisher: Marvel Books Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.99 |
 |
Title: The Punisher: Army of One by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon, Jimmy Palmiotti ISBN: 0785108394 Publisher: Marvel Books Pub. Date: February, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.99 |
 |
Title: Punisher: Confederacy of Dunces (Punisher) by Garth Ennis, Jeff Youngquist, John McCrea ISBN: 0785113444 Publisher: MARVEL COMICS Pub. Date: July, 2004 List Price(USD): $13.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
