Punisher Volume 5: Streets Of Laredo TPB (Paperback)

Speaking of stories, the writing is deep, dark, disturbing and wonderfully funny all at the same time. Only Garth Ennis can pull that off with any regularity at all. Any fan of Ennis should love adding this volume to their collection.

On a personal note, my two favorite stories were #19, which marks the return of Joan (and Joan's pies) and #32 which is the dubious origin of Detective Soap. The volume is worth adding to your collection for these two stories alone. When reading #19 note that the expressions on Frank's face and Frankie the Dog's face are often the same.

Over all, a very good book that is well worth the money. Highest recommendations!

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