Punisher Volume 1: Welcome Back, Frank TPB (Paperback)

While Ennis does bring his black humour from DC's Hitman to The Punisher, he does not, however, use the heavy satirical kind of in-your-face dialogue found in Preacher. Ennis wastes no time with the reintroduction of The Punisher in this trade paperback. In a sadistic but basic fashion, Frank Castle sends the message throughout the criminal world that he is back and playing for keeps. Enough to even make the Sopranos and the Corleones tremble in their shoes!

To flesh out Frank Castle as a character would be a monumental waste of effort on behalf of the writer. The Punisher is one dimensional and that is all there is to him. Scripting him otherwise would transform him into a poor man's Dirty Harry or Paul Kersey (Death Wish). Instead, Ennis creates a supporting cast around The Punisher that consist of outcasts, losers and loners within his environment. He gets the reader to accept these social rejects' oddities and eccentricities since we have all come across a few of them in varying degrees. From Joan the mousy recluse, Detective Soap to The Elite, they all form part of an extension of Ennis' societal critiques and clever human insight.

However, the book is not about The Punisher integrating within his new neighbourhood or making new friends. This is a story where murder, mayhem and mutilation takes precedence over all. The fight scenes posses all the fast delivery of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill while the action contains the high octane intensity of a John Woo blockbuster film. Sporting against the likes of Ma Gnucci's mob as well as a psychotic Russian enforcer, Ennis' penchant for over-the-top violence makes for some memorable comic book moments. Castle makes them pay the price for dealing out human suffering that can only be described as Monty Python meets Snake Pliskin!

Handling the pencils is Ennis' long-time collaborator, Steve Dillon. Just as he does so perfectly well on Preacher, Dillon delivers visual that make dialogue and narration almost unnecessary. His clean, sturdy style and realistic renderings gives Ennis the leverage to use the characters' specific facial expressions to tell their story rather than clog up the panel with useless narration or word balloons a la Busiek to convey their state of mind.

Dillon effectively uses irregular panel designs that vary slightly in size that gives the script's momentum a cinematic flow. Credit also goes to inker Jimmy Palmiotti for making Dillon's art as stunning as it is. Palmiotti adds a depth to the pencils that once again reinforces his reputation as one of the best inkers in the industry.

The Punisher is a book to be enjoyed with a completely clear conscience. Excess violence, ironic humour and a slight dose of social commentary is what you will find with Welcome Back Frank.

This series marks Frank Castle's return to the 'basics' of being the Punisher. For those fans lucky enough to miss the years that came before this one, let's just say that Frank had been lost in a whirlpool of hero hype and bad characterization during the 90's comic book boom.

But all that ended here with this series thanks to the Garth Ennis and Steve Dillion. Not only did they breathe fresh life into the Punisher, they introduced such delightful foils for him as Joan, Spacker Dave, Mr. Bumpo, and of course the Russian. The fight between Frank and the Russian alone is worth the cost of the book. That fight is just one example of how Ennis and Dillion remind us that Frank is a man, without powers. He can be hurt, and often is. The only thing that keeps him going is the rage and pain that gnaw his every nerve, every second of every day.

His is the series that the 2004 Punisher movie is based on. Do yourself a favor and add this book to your collection right away!