frank castle, not deserving of a bedframe

Roddy: War Journal

War has changed...and so have Punisher readers. Watch as someone with blue hair digs (very casually) into the world of Frank Castle.

#45 - "One Way Fare" - We begin with a truly impeccable vibe. New york in the 80s, a flashy era that only reveals itself in half-second rides from the back of Frank's cab. Mostly, we see Frank in the dirty parts of the city, driving through the underbelly looking for a serial murderer the police don't give a damn about. And, with this, class rears its ugly head. Frank is as aligned with the working class as he can get, telling rich men to fuck off and disguising himself easily as a cabbie. It's very taxi driver, though of course that's a very on the nose for issue. Frank uses the phrase "nothing wrong with my judgement" at one point which seems plainly false, and wonderfully sarcastic. The writer seems to know that there's something off with Frank, which is key to writing a good Punisher story. I'm not an expert on Punisher stories, but the concept of the comic is enough to let people know that there is something wrong with him . That's the appeal!

The gender politics of this issue are, at best, questionable. The discussion of the woman's failure to shoot her assaulter makes her seem at fault, for not asking for what Frank believes to be the right kind of help, for taking it out on Frank. The comic screams at the reader "LOOK AT HOW IRRATIONAL THIS WOMAN IS!" even when speaking to the larger tragedy of Frank not stepping out to help others. He's hurt by her failure, and his solitude is not seen as his own downfall.

Let's talk homosexuality. Now I'm biased on this point, as when I read any text I do come at it from my own perspective. The Robin to Frank's batman appears to be an overweight jewish-coded tech expert/mechanic. As a Foggy Nelson enjoyer I am obsessed with this concept. I'm not saying he's gay, but Frank appreaoches women in this issue with the same approach as a gay man who does not register women because they are not at all appealing to him, at least in this issue. They are not on his radar, he lives in a world of hot-engines running and clandestine encounteres, even if they are only to beat people up. He goes home to a man at night it seems. He's not gay, I'm not saying that, but he leads a highly woman-free lifestyle.

#46 - "Cold Cache" - It seems that the Punisher's saving grace is that he always fights people worse than he is. It softens his blows, paints him not only as a better person, but as a man in a world filled to the brim with true evil. Usually, I'd bring up the fact that this is a false perception of the world. That even if he could judge, even if Frank had all the possible information, he has no right to be judge/jury/executioner. This remains true in this issue, but to a much lesser extent. Becasue, from the cover alone, it's clear who he'll be killing - NAZI'S! I see why Captain America puts up with him!

A little character work: I love how Castle and Micro interact. He seems legitimately interested in the life of his, uh, heterosexual life partner?. He easily sits back when he's out of his league technology wise, attentive yet subdued. He's cute in his outfit, I'll admit. Frank Castle is a fine looking man in his casual clothing, and I find myself (as always) wishing that Frank could live a happy life. Well, enough with my personal fantasies. I want to make a note of how interesting I find it that MCU Captain America has the same origin as these one off Nazi villians. I'm not saying it was a direct callback, far from it, but it's telling to see the "good war" (citation needed!) compared with Frank's personal war and his personal hell, Vietnam. By positioning Frank as fighting Nazis, he is pulled into a more universal figure, and a more just one. An american fighting a meaningful war, rather than the mess in Vietnam. Just like the country, the character needs to legitimize himself. 3 tours and he accomplished nothing, so many years in Vietnam and all it changed was the body count. Castle fights his humilation in the war abroad by fighting the war at home- for the soul of the country.

On a lighter note, as charmed as I am by non-racist phonetic spellings, I can't fucking tell what this old german guy is saying. This chapter also gives confirmation on the jewish nature of Frank's buddy Micro. It's his war as much as anyone's, he's as much a fighter as Castle, except Frank IS his weapon against the evil's of the world. It's a nice partnership, and a good focus of the issue, but it does slow down the pace of the issue. We did get a lot more tech jargon, which does also slow the issue, but I'm charmed by every time. I think it helps that I have no clue what's real and what's technobable, so i'm convinced by everything.

Garth Ennis - I have been hate reading Ennis. So much has been said about him that I'm not what's worth writing. I will say, the barracuda arc was so violently racist I nearly stopped reading it. Now I am not paying for these, so my continuation after this doesn't benefit Ennis. Talking about him might, but again, I'm keeping this short. I am hate-reading Ennis and cataloging his sins. The man should never be able to get a job again, if Punisher Max Presents: Barracuda is considered! But the man can write a good plot, damn him, even if it is a woman hating racist one! He is also the key to understanding how people percieve Frank and how he was re-invented for the modern age, sadly. It's also an interesting introduction to Aaron's writings, which I enjoy much more. I have been struggling through Ennis, I see his sins, and I do have plenty to say, but I'll save it save two, final points:

a) The violence is VERY good, creating satisfaction in all the best ways. Viseral, horrible, really gets you into it.

b) With the Serial Killer? In the room? With the bodies?!? FRANK!!!!!!!!!