The new Punisher comic has made headlines for changing Frank Castle’s symbol. This is only one of the incredible art choices in the first issue.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Punisher (2022) #1 by Jason Aaron and Jesus Saiz.
The newest Punisher miniseries has already been the subject of criticism due to revising the classic Punisher logo. As part of the artistic style, it fits in far better in the limited series than the classic logo would have, and for good reason. The new logo is representative of Punisher’s new association with The Hand, an organization that traffics in demons and apocalypses.
The comic is narrated by one of the leaders of the Hand, and the story retreads the devilish objectives of the ninja group. Along the way, the art used emphasizes confusing close-ups and unclear delineations transposed against the sideways cults to emphasize Frank Castle’s life. This use of art uniquely emphasizes the plot of the comic book and develops the characters to a greater extent than the prose alone can.
Frank Castle’s Life – And Perspective – Is Flipped Upside-Down
The story begins by retreading Frank’s origin in flashes of consciousness. Images of blood-covered clothing flash across the panels, the narrative disorderly and disjointed. These give way to the consciousness of the present, as the narrative was suddenly clear and easy to follow. The juxtaposition of these two styles may lead one to assume that one narrative makes more sense.
To Frank, this seems to be the case. He gets to kill criminals while doing what The Hand asks and spending time with his revived wife. However, the genius in this is just that: None of this makes sense from a real-world perspective. As horrible and senseless as it is, a family being gunned down in a random act of violence is understandable, if horrific. Police officers being somewhat laissez-faire about it is also comprehensible, though sad. For Frank, though, his life makes far more sense in his unreal situation than during the loss of his family.
The Punisher Now Deals In Cultish Beliefs
The art of Punisher (2022) #1 further demonstrates Frank’s ability to process his life in terms of war better than life. The art shifts from the highly stylized to strangely proportioned blockiness during the recollection of a heist by Frank and the hand. An airbrushed appearance emphasizes the golden helmets and the men in them worshipping the concept of war. The art of this segment again emphasizes Frank’s lucidity and ability to view the world properly. He is surrounded by allies who are determined to bring about violence and the end of the world. The enemies he’s facing worship the concept of war and run guns in order to support wars. Yet, this time is almost artificially beautiful, the lines blurred and the visuals positioning Frank as a leader and killer.
Another flashback fight against the hand sees Frank killing ninja after ninja, the group attacking him as a large wave. At this point, though, readers finally realize that the narrator is Aka, who views Frank as an Antichrist figure. Just as the first panels showed Frank’s blurred perceptions, the later panels showcase how Aka views the world. It’s a glorious tapestry of beautified bloodshed. Frank is simply another part of it.
Comic books as a medium tell stories. Though these stories generally revolve around narrative, it’s easy to overlook the subtle choices that make the art complement it. In true comic book fashion, each panel of Punisher (2022) is carefully constructed to emphasize the perspective of the storyteller. In this, comic books once again are shown through Punisher to be an incredible medium, both printed and visual.
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