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Pop Culture
Mar 17, 2008, 09:18AM

A Lost Voice

Punisher comic writer Garth Ennis steps away from the classic gunfighter's story. Maybe the dark growth into a graphic novel finally got to him. From The Hornet.

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Garth Ennis is a sick and twisted man - at least, that's what his writing leads me to believe. Anyone that could imagine the deplorable and depraved acts of violence that spatter onto his comic scripts would have to be mad or some sort of sadistic poet in the tradition of the Marquis de Sade.

That is why I am so sad.

Ennis is leaving the title that was tailor-made to suit him: Marvel's Punisher series.

In 1999, Marvel was in an unenviable situation with the character. A previous storyline had killed Castle, only to have him return as a punishing angel; a spirit of vengeance. The fans didn't buy it, figuratively or literally.

Editors Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti asked Ennis to write the Punisher again, this time in a story that brought the character back to his roots. What followed were 12 issues of gloriously escalating humor and violence in equal amounts.
Ennis teamed with friend and collaborator Steve Dillon for a year-long stint that won Best Mini-Series of the Year in the Wizard magazine fan awards.

The story was called "Welcome Back, Frank," and it featured at least one innovative kill in every issue.

My personal favorite involved a car trip on the Long Island Expressway with a nasty end for a mobster, but there are so many moments that tickle that shameful part of the human psyche that laughs at the suffering of others.

One character, known only as the Russian, fought Castle nearly to the death and was saved by a strange combination of hormones and machine implants. The result, a whole series later, was a cross-dressing, big-breasted enormous strongman cyborg with a goofy Russian accent. Mayhem, of course, ensued.

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All told, about 112 issues of Punisher have been written by Ennis so far. He has grown with each story. He moved away from over-the-top and violently humorous scripts into a writer that tackled serious issues without pulling any punches.

Recent story arcs have followed the Punisher as he wreaked havoc on a Slavic sex-slave ring, and battled a murderous Russian general in Afghanistan while war raged.

Writing the Punisher for nearly a decade may have gotten to Ennis, perhaps akin to Heath Ledger, whose role as the Joker is rumored to have caused the sleeping trouble that may have led to his death. As soon as the series was relaunched as part of Marvel's Max line of mature-themed books, the violence began to take complete precedence over the humor. What humor remained in recent Punisher stories was darker, more twisted and subtle than before.

Garth Ennis is the best writer to ever script the Punisher. It will be a cold day in the depths of hell before Marvel can find someone like Ennis to do something as original and imaginative with the character. Today's issue 55 marks the beginning of the last story arc of The Punisher written by Ennis, so catch the magic while you can. Here's to you, Garth, for so many memorable moments.


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