My parents wanted me to be a lawyer. I didn't care for that path, and it was a source of friction for some time. I opted to become a journalist instead, and eventually, my folks came to see I made the right choice for one simple reason: I enjoyed my work. Of course, I'm dating a lawyer now, and they're quite happy about that. Kirkman offers up a story here that's all about a parent's expectations for a child, and how destructive a force it can be. It's an idea I think just about anyone can relate to. The problem is that the plot goes to such extremes that the conflict borders on the implausible. The art, for the most part, captures the melancholy mood that looms over the story and tells it clearly.
Cossandra Natchios is dying, and that means she has to prepare her teenage son ahead of schedule in family business. Yes, her mother was the feared assassin known as Elektra, but more importantly, her father was Frank Castle, the Punisher, and she's been carrying on his war against crime since his death. Franklin loves his mother wants to do right by her, but he's also a regular kid. He wants to do well in school so he can get into college, but his mother insists he was meant to walk down a different path.
Pop Mahn's usual energetic, manga-inspired leanings aren't to be found here. Instead, a more downtrodden look dominates the book, striking me as a cross between the styles of Tom (Mutant X) Lyle and Carla Speed (Finder, Queen & Country) McNeill. Mahn conveys Franklin's youth and Cossandra's all-consuming anger quite well. The colors get a bit bright during the Sentinel sequence, but then, that super-hero element doesn't fit well into this book anyway. The whole sequence, art and plot, seems out of place.
I find it odd that Kirkman fails to acknowledge that this isn't the first Punisher 2099 comic book. I find it odd that Kirkman incorporate non-Punisher continuity elements (Elektra, the Sentinel) into the story, but not those from established 2099 continuity. Certainly, there have to be one or two Punisher 2099 v.1 fans out there looking for a connection here.
So far, I've read three of the five Marvel Knights 2099 one-shots, and this one tops Daredevil 2099 and Mutant 2099 in one key way: it tells a self-contained story. This story has a beginning and an ending. In a series of one-shots with slim to no chance to a followup, this is the smart choice. Give the reader a story, not a teaser.
The success of this story hinges on one element: how the reader perceives Cossandra Natchios. If one views her as insane, the story is tragic with a triumphant ending. If she's just driven, the character comes off as wildly illogical and cruel to her own family. The problem is that it's easy to make an argument either way. Kirkman seems to ride the fence here.
