REVIEW: ‘Punisher: Red Band’ Issue 1

Punisher Red Band Issue 1 is published by Marvel Comics. Written by Benjamin Percy, with art by Julius Ohta, colors by Yen Nitro and letters by Cory Petit.

The Punisher has returned in Punisher Red Band Issue 1, violent as ever, but can’t remember who he is. This issue starts with multiple bangs. It’s not expected that Punisher Red Band Issue 1 begins quietly, but Percy really opens with little restraint and immediate intensity. The expedition comes later, and does. The structure is pretty fractured, jumping between past and present. It’s a little confusing to put the pieces together, but it’s surprising to see the selection too.

The Punisher is severely injured, needing to be put back together, showing how dangerous his world is from the start. And after the initial explosions and exchanges of gunfire, the plot unfolds to reveal multiple parties. It’s instantly obvious how fast this book will move, with an impossible, ruthless tone and a relishing of violence. It’s pure adrenaline. When the relationship between the parties is revealed, that’s the most eyebrow-raising aspect of the issue.

Many of the figures in Punisher Red Band Issue 1 are returning after quite some time away. To the extent that there is even a new Punisher out there acting in his name. But Frank Castle is back, and no one is quite as hardcore as he is. He’s acting almost on instinct.  He has no idea who he is or what he does, but he knows how to kill and how to survive. He’s the gruffest, most intense character in existence.

The other figures are also famous and are just as closely associated with death. One of them is acting in a quite peculiar way as they re-establish themselves in New York. They’re actually making the same kind of stand that Punisher would, hunting down criminals and putting them down just as bloodily as Castle would.

Tombstone is also present in Punisher Red Band Issue 1, committing horrific acts against victims as well. The writing of Tombstone is the most intriguing. He has been a major player in Amazing Spider-Man in recent years, and so it’s fascinating to see him return to being much, much more savage. He’s gone from being a corny representation of a crime boss with some vulnerabilities to something terrifying.

Punisher is the primary reason the Red Band concept exists, and the art showcases that. It’s extraordinarily bloody. People did in awful, sickening ways. Torn apart, burned, insides on the outside. Those who are still alive are almost facing worse fates. Seeing some of the injuries makes you grit your teeth and grimace. Ohta makes sure Frank Castle and the others are the opposite of aesthetically pleasing.

Castle is huge, as are the other villains, making them larger than life. They almost look comical in normal situations and rooms, if there was any humor in Punisher Red Band Issue 1. Tombstone is menacing and inhuman, more like a shark than a human. The fight scenes are mesmerizing in their brutality and detail.

The colors have one shade that is the most prominent. There’s blood everywhere, and the tone used to create it is perfect. It’s dark and rich. It creates nausea just looking at it. However, there is also a lot of orange used, as seen when the Punisher awakens on a burning boat, and the occasional bright blue that cuts through the darkness. The lettering is stern and serious, with some terrific uses of SFX.

Punisher Red Band Issue 1 brings the main man back where he belongs – in a world filled with blood and gore. He might not remember what came before, but he’s good at just fighting his way out. The criminals have grown too comfortable, not having their own bogeyman lurking in the shadows.

Percy has a terrific ability to make a tone that goes beyond pitch black, the perfect writer to resurrect this beacon of violence, as Ohta and Nitro craft a palette of pain. For many, the excessive gore will be repellent because there’s an extraordinary amount of it in enormous detail. But for those who enjoy cathartic violence and gory stories, this issue will bring a morbid joy.

Punisher Red Band Issue 1 is available where comics are sold.