![]() | |||||||||
Punisher #28Issue(s): Punisher #28 Review/plot: We've seen that the Punisher steers wide of the rest of the Marvel universe except during crossover time. In Evolutionary War and Atlantis Attacks, that meant his Marvel universe interactions (in this series) were largely restricted to annuals, but with Acts of Vengeance it's happening in the regular book. And he goes whole hog here, getting involved with Dr. Doom himself instead of just having to face off against more appropriate "street" level villains like maybe Shocker or Bullseye. Dr. Doom is looking bored. ![]() Which is maybe why he's letting himself get drawn into a fight with the Kingpin. ![]() An interesting thing to note is that in this issue we are going with the idea that Loki had each of the Acts of Vengeance arch-villains believing that they were running the group. ![]() ![]() Doom then tries to one-up the Kingpin by saying that he'll kill the Punisher, who he says is a much bigger thorn in the Kingpin's side than he lets on. ![]() He then lures the Punisher to a quarry in Maine. ![]() Actually, this is a Doombot. ![]() ![]() Doom then attacks the Punisher with a tank, and the Punisher is forced to abandon his battle van to get away. ![]() So score another tangible victory for Dr. Doom during Acts of Vengeance. He not only destroys Avengers Island but also the Punisher's battle van. It may not be much but it's probably the most any of the arch-villains can claim coming out of AoV. I also like that the Punisher and especially Microchip are sufficiently afraid to take on Doom. ![]() In fact, the Punisher doesn't think he can just wait around for Doom to attack again, and also doesn't try to take the fight to Doom. Instead he and Micro concoct a plot to steal something from Doom's castle and bargain it back in exchange for their lives. Not the normal Punisher routine. On the other hand, i feel Doom is a bit overused in Acts of Vengeance, and his repeated failures get my goat. ![]() But i guess Doom can add "destroyed some of Punisher's warehouses" to his accomplishments list. ![]() Meanwhile, the Punisher and Micro travel to Latveria and the Punisher manages to infiltrate Doom's castle. He's confronted with a giant robot. ![]() But he's able to destroy it thanks to a device from Micro that fries electronics. And then he makes it through the castle to Doom's art gallery. But at that point he's confronted by a trio of Doombots that don't recognize him. ![]() That's because the castle is currently occupied by Kristoff, who in turn believes that the real Dr. Doom is just a malfunctioning Doombot. We'll pause at this point since next issue isn't exactly a direct continuation, but this is definitely an enjoyable set-up with nice and solid, if not flashy, art from the new team. Quality Rating: B Chronological Placement Considerations: See the Considerations (or lack thereof) for Daredevil #275-276 regarding Doom's appearance here vs. that series. This issue takes place over the course of at least "three days". Kristoff doesn't actually appear on panel in this issue but you can assume that he has direct control of the Doombots at the end of this issue and is talking through them. The MCP does list Kristoff as a character appearing. Next issue takes place concurrently with Avengers #312 (or at least it was intended to!), so i'm allowing a pause here; the Punisher was presumably given a chance to freshen up before dinner. No other Punisher appearances should take place between this issue and next, though. References: N/A Crossover: Acts of Vengeance Continuity Insert? N My Reprint: N/A Inbound References (2): showCharacters Appearing: Dr. Doom, Kingpin, Kristoff, Microchip, Punisher CommentsHas it been explained yet / is it ever explained how Punisher can afford to maintain several warehouses, and rebuild massive high-tech arsenals featuring items with international and sometimes-illegal pedigrees? Posted by: cullen | April 1, 2015 10:38 PM It was implied at least as early as issue #1 of this series that he seizes cash (from that issue: "There's a strongbox filled with cash and a kilo of coke. The coke goes into the East River on the way to my warehouse in Jersey."). And it's more explicit in issue #16 when the Punisher and friends raid one of the Kingpin's operations and Vernon Brooks says, "We've got enough moolah here to bankroll an army!". I didn't track this specifically so there may be earlier or more direct statements. He's never been a mercenary despite, as Mark noted recently, the fact that he was called a "hired assassin" on the cover of his first appearance. Posted by: fnord12 | April 2, 2015 8:47 AM Comments are now closed. |
|||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||
SuperMegaMonkey home | Comics Chronology home |