Punisher Vs. Bullseye

Welcome to Comical-Musings, your place for relatively unbiased opinions and terribly honest reviews.  If you read my last post you are lucky to have seen our first negative comic book review post EVER.  Yay!  We ripped Avengers: The Origin up and down, but don’t worry, it deserved it…

If you are the type that prefers to err on that negativity, then today’s post is not for you.  Daniel Way and Steve Dillon have cooked up a fun one.  Punisher Vs. Bullseye is AWESOME.  The action is over the top, the gore is relatively discreet, the wit is quick, and the plot is rich.  If you like a little action with your humor, this 5 issue series is a must read for you.  This comic is just like a Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner cartoon.  Bullseye is the coyote, setting traps and trying to catch that protagonist, the Punisher.  The crazy plot and dysfunctional supporting cast makes for a perfect storm of fun.

The Punisher is a character that wants to single-handedly end organized crime.  He kills mobsters without remorse.  He will use anything at his disposal to end the lives of those who would oppress in the name of power.  Frank Castle was a decorated soldier in Vietnam.  He was highly trained in the art of death.  His family members were killed by the mob, leaving him with nothing more than a mild death wish and a mission.  The Punisher also shoots to kill.  Captain America might incapacitate you by throwing his shield at you, but the Punisher would just as soon save time and put a bullet in you.  The interesting thing about the Punisher is that somehow, through trails of dead bodies, he maintains his morality.  He is like a twisted garbage man, removing the wastes of society.  If you and he are on opposite sides, chances are good that you deserved death anyways.  A good Punisher story always has a good villain and a heavy body count.  Punisher Vs. Bullseye is no different.

Punisher and Bullseye features the two aforementioned characters prominently, but truthfully, Bullseye steals the show.  The incredibly dark and seriously homicidal Bullseye is the perfect foil for the violently unstoppable force of the Punisher.  Bullseye kills without remorse, but his body count is often mostly made up of civilians.  He’s not afraid to “waste” bystanders in an effort to accomplish his goals.  His goals are usually driven by financial gain.  His skill set is bounty hunting, extortion, murder, and general dirty deeds.  His power is marksmanship to a perfect degree with nearly anything.  The first person that he kills in the comic is executed by a quarter thrown from the top of a skyscraper, while he sadistically watches through the telescope.  Killing people comes easy to him and that’s what makes his fight against the Punisher so interesting.  The Punisher is unstoppable.  Noses are broken, blood is shed, and buildings destroyed in this knock down drag out fight that stretches across 5 issues.  Bullseye is a humorous, murderous, and ambitious villain with his eyes on all the prizes that this comic has to offer.  Mobsters are pawns for him.  He is written perfectly in this series.

This comic is FLAWLESS.  Go buy it, beg for it, steal it…just READ IT.  It is a little on the mature side, but nothing that will curl your hair or anything.  Every single person in the comic seems to have buck-teeth, but it is forgiven for everything else.

~ Scott Deaux ~