The Mayor And The Dictator In The Punisher #13
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
The Punisher is back in New York City, and Mayor Wilson Fisk isn’t happy about it. Baron Zemo has seeks the aid of the former Kingpin of Crime, and, though he wants nothing to do with Zemo, Fisk can’t deny that the Punisher is a problem. Meanwhile, Castle himself wants Zemo dead, and he’s been chasing leads all over the city. Unfortunately, the police have already caught up to Castle.
The Punisher #13 continues Frank Castle’s hunt for Baron Zemo in New York City. Zemo has forged a tenuous alliance with the Kingpin, and the two seek to put an end to the Punisher for good.
Zemo plays an oddly comedic role in this comic as he pokes fun at Fisk’s new role as Mayor of New York City.
The Punisher has an interesting run-in with the police in this issue (which you may have already heard about from the comic book news sites) that has him chastising the police for idolizing him. There is debatably some hypocrisy here due to Marvel working so hard over the years to get this violent character to be a popular hero-like figure. That said, I’m still fully on board with police officers not idolizing a murderous semifascist vigilante and criticizing them for when they do.
I do have to say that Baron Zemo and the Kingpin is the supervillain team-up of my dreams. Also, a group of characters make a return at the end of this issue, and that left me intensely hyped for the next issue.
Szymon Kudranski is the artist on this issue as well, and he continues to give a foreboding and well-textured style to the world of Frank Castle. That said, Kingpin’s body looks especially weird in this issue, and Zemo’s mask looks odd at some times too. There’s also the odd contrast between foreground and background, but the majority of the comic still looks good. Antonio Fabela’s color art keeps the atmosphere dim and chilled, and that suits the Punisher excellently.
The Punisher #13 is another violent and entertaining installment for the saga of Frank Castle, and the introduction of the Kingpin adds another compelling adversary in the story. This one earns a recommendation. Feel free to check it out.
The Punisher #13 comes to us from writer Matthew Rosenberg, artist Szymon Kudranski, color artist Antonio Fabela, letterer VC’s Cory Petit, and cover artist Greg Smallwood.
Final Score: 7/10
