Issue(s): Punisher War Zone #25
Cover Date: Mar 94
Title: "Last dance in Laastekist"
Credits:
Larry Hama - Writer
John Buscema & Val Mayerik - Penciler
Art Nichols - Inker
Don Daley - Editor

Review/plot:
The John Buscema / Val Mayerik art is getting increasingly sketchy. Still very recognizable Buscema faces, but the art is degrading.

In this issue, the small town of Laastekist where the Punisher is being held has become (appropriately enough) a War Zone.

It's really kind of amazing how much mayhem there is. These random mobsters and gangs make groups like Hydra look like pikers.

The Punisher convinces the sheriff to let him out, but the Punisher then knocks the sheriff out to keep him safe.

The Punisher then starts doing what he does.

We learn that the people holding the sheriff's daughter hostage were working for VIGIL's Lt. Blackwell.

But the Punisher has a lot to contend with at the moment.

Lynn Michaels and Payback join the fray.

When the Punisher makes it to the Blackwell, the sheriff's daughter tries to convince him not to kill Blackwell.

And the Punisher does put his gun down.

But the sheriff has woken up at this pint, and he shoots Blackwell (but not dead).

The sheriff saw how the Punisher treated his daughter, so he lets him go.

It's worth observing how little we've seen of the copycat Punishers. We're back to a traditional (if higher stakes) "Punisher kills everyone" plot. We will see a little more of the copycats, but mainly just to wrap up their stories. This story could have been mostly the copycat Punishers doing their thing with the real Punisher coming back at the very end. I'm not saying it should have been, but it's more what i expected when i bought this in realtime. Mainly because even though i was enjoying it, i was also mocking it for being a rip-off of the Superman story, but it didn't really play out that way. I actually would have liked to see the copycats better developed and the previously established characters getting more screen time, just because i think that the Punisher would be better served with a little universe of occasional repeat characters.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part eight of Suicide Run. Part nine is in Punisher #88.

References:

• The Punisher's origin is from Marvel Preview #2.

Crossover: Suicide Run

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A