The Punisher #7: A Tale of Vengeance

Overview

Writer: Benjamin Percy

Artist: Farid Karami

Colorist: Frank D’Armata

Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit

Cover Artist: David Marquez & Guru-eFX

A tale of vengeance wrapped within a tale of vengeance. In the Punisher #7, Benjamin Percy uses body horror as the DNA for a rival that could be a long term problem for Frank.

Writing

Benjamin Percy may not be a sick man (all data indicates he’s a super great guy), but he does have a sick, sick mind. He has a knack for creating moments that cause me to wince and imagine myself in sad horrific situations and blurt out expletives. My wife has witnessed this several times (mostly while I was reading Percy’s Ghost Rider run) and has to ask me if I was alright and my response would be something like “Hell yes, I’m alright!” because horror is my jam and it’s nice to see it done well in the pages of my favorite comics. Percy is on a tear in the punisher and there’s been a whole lot of wincing and cussing under my breath and reassuring the love of my life that I’m not having a heart attack or something. In #7, Percy introduces us to Collateral Damage (The character and his name are both on the cover so it’s not a spoiler, chill), a man hell bent on causing Frank as much pain as possible. To find out why, you’ll need to read this issue which is jam packed with high stakes action, bullets, blood and death! Percy is obviously not done putting Frank through the ringer.

Art

Farid Karami does some really nice work in this issue. The action is clear and easy to read and he knows how to tell a story with pictures. I could read this book with no dialogue or captions and have a really good idea what was happening. There is good detail that is enhanced with excellent placement of shadow and highlights. One thing that I did notice is that when the action kicks into high gear, the backgrounds disappear. He does backgrounds very nicely, and it would be nice if there were more of them.

Frank D’Armata. I feel like that’s all I need to say? D’Armata is a legend that has been at the top of the game for decades and shows no signs of slowing down. Here, D’Armata is having some fun with color temperature, using it to inform who’s story is being told in which moment. For Frank, it’s a warm yellow/orange. For Collateral Damage, blue. another character is seen under a red filter. It really is a great effect. I’ve seen the technique used by Lee Loughridge recently and D’Armata flexes here, proving he is still elite.

Final Thoughts

Percy’s punisher has been a wild ride with a ton of gore and terrifying body horror. This issue doesn’t disappoint and the shock and unease that he delivers only as he can is fully on display. I’m really enjoying this run.

Overall Grade: 8/10