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MARVEL MANGAVERSE: PUNISHER #1
"Kind To Be Cruel"
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Lea Hernandez
Colors: Guru EFX
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Brian Smith
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
If you're only going to pick up one of the Marvel Mangaverse books, this is the one. Peter David and Lea Hernandez both have an off-beat sense of humor in a lot of their work, and combining the two of them has produced one of the stranger and funnier books I've read in a while. As with most of the Mangaverse efforts, this is a take on
the surface elements of manga, the weird elements that put some folks off manga
in general, with an eye toward satire. David's sense of humor is ideally suited
to this kind of observational humor, and Hernandez's art style perfectly
matched, looking even more impressive in color than it does in black and white.
Be warned, this book is full
of the most dreadful of puns. It took me a while before I sussed out the pun
behind the name of the Punisher's antagonist, but once I did, I was laughing out
loud and eagerly searching for more. Which, of course, I found in the name of
another of the villains. The puns are typical of David's sense of humor, which
happens to match up nicely to my own.
The concept behind this
Punisher is steeped in bizarre manga tradition. Spanking and tickling rather
than perforating with guns is enough of a change, but a stern principal with a
kid sidekick is definitely a departure. I also enjoyed that the artwork featured
disgusting demons, a little bit of cheesecake and the schoolgirl aesthetic that
is so pervasive in some manga. David and Hernandez have definitely captured the
flavor of the source material, with a wink and a nod at the readers at the same
time.
Hernandez's work has always
been impressive, but I was blown away by how good it looked with Guru EFX's
colors. Terrific action, wonderful comedic timing and imaginative designs are
all in evidence, and the work boasts both solid storytelling and flashy style. I
particularly enjoyed the battle sequences, wherein Hernandez draws such unusual
weapons as paddles or sharp leaves for traditional action moves, such as
deflecting missiles or shooting at foes.
As with all of the Marvel Mangaverse offerings thus far, I'm not sure
there's enough here to keep me interested for more than a one-issue event.
However, I can say that if there were any one book that continued, I would want
this to be the one. With any luck, we'll see Peter David and Lea Hernandez
collaborating again on something, because the two of them have great
chemistry.
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