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MARVEL KNIGHTS DOUBLE SHOT #2
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights imprint
"Roots"
Writer: Garth Ennis
Pencils: Joe Quesada
Inks: Danny Mikie
Colors: Chris Chuckry
"Dirty Job"
Writer/Artist: Rob Haynes
Colors: David Self
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Stuart Moore
Price: $2.99 US/$4.75 CAN |
Roots: Garth Ennis returns to the Punisher, and he tells a morbidly funny yet chilling story that reinforces the edge and dark nature of the vengeful character. An inventive approach to the visual side of the story and a rare pencilling job by Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada makes for an entertaining read.
The story is about a mob boss who pays a visit to the dentist, and is in turn visited by a determined and sadistic vigilante. We watch as the Punisher tortures the don, extracting teeth to extract information about someone who's even scummier than the dental patient himself. It's a thoroughly effective story because it's so easy for the reader to relate to the mob boss. We've all been in that dentist's chair, and we've all feared exactly what this guy goes through. That's the genius of this bizarre, gruesome story.
Quesada sells the odd point of view extremely well. He doesn't hold back when it comes to detailing the... oral mutilation that drives this story. Though the images are pretty static, they're also surprisingly engrossing (no pun intended).
Dirty Job: When I first saw Rob Haynes's art on a fill-in issue of Daredevil -- #12, I believe -- I was thoroughly impressed. His simple lines converged into a style that seemed iconic and almost painted. That remains true here, but while the art is impressive, the story is not. It's an 11-page setup for a low brow gag that really doesn't make all that much sense.
Self's colors compliment the darkly serene and fluid tone of Haynes's art perfectly. The pair makes for an excellent artistic combination, and I wish we saw more of their work.
One of the reasons that this tongue-in-cheek story doesn't work is because it's played straight pretty much until the very last page. The gag doesn't work with the crime drama tone but against it.
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