When one thinks of top crime comics storytellers, David (Stray Bullets) Lapham is definitely at the top of list, second only perhaps to Frank Miller. He's already ventured into the world of super-heroes in DC's Detective Comics, and the Batman and Gotham City make for a more natural transition from the genre for which he's known and super-heroes. The same can be said of the two title characters of this new limited series. Coming from an independent publishing background, I looked to Lapham to say something new about these characters, to shake up the status quo in the never-ending enmity between two crimefighters with radically different philosophies. To my disappointment, that freshness isn't to be found here. The writer/artist handles the DD/Punisher conflict adeptly, but he's simply exploring the same turf as those who came before him.
With the defeat and imprisonment of the Kingpin (thanks to Daredevil), a number of would-be crime bosses are trying to take over his territory and reputation. One with a particularly successful push so far is Hammerhead, and the Punisher sets out to take him out and send a message to others who would try the same gambit. Once again, though, Daredevil gets in his way, determined to dole out justice without taking lives. The Punisher is forced to go underground for a while to avoid Daredevil's pursuit, and while he sits down for a meal, he comes face to face with a piece of his past.
Lapham's work here boasts an appropriate air of intensity, but behind that is a simpler style that reminds me a great deal of the art of John Romita Sr. From the cover to the interiors, that influence really shines through in Lapham's efforts, and I like the idea that a more traditional approach to comic art can still successfully convey a darker, more mature story.
Lapham does an excellent job of capturing the Punisher's intense internal dialogue, and presenting the bulk of the narration in his voice really draws the reader into his war on crime. I like that he tells us he wouldn't kill Daredevil, since he's not a criminal. But there's also a hint that the Punisher's considering DD something of an accessory since his efforts to save the gangsters' lives indirectly threaten the lives of innocents.
Ultimately, Lapham tells a typical Punisher/DD story because the properties must emerge unscathed and the same by the end of the story. Another inherent problem with the Punisher playing around in the Marvel Universe proper is that he always seems to fail. He can take out a legion of generic mafioso men in his own title, but as soon as a gangster with some history -- such as Hammerhead -- comes along, the gun-toting vigilante always misses. It's predictable and tiresome. We've seen the Punisher pull off far more impossible missions before, and his failure at these simpler tasks just doesn't ring true as a result. 6/10
