Comic Book Review: Turbo Edition: Punisher War Journal #10

I’m bringing back the Turbo Review. I am going to reserve Turbo Reviews for issues that I just don’t have time to do a full review. I collect far too many titles each week for me to post my normal lengthy reviews and still maintain my personal life outside of The Bunker.

It is no secret how much The Revolution has absolutely abhorred this phenomenally poorly written “All new, all racist” Hate-Monger story arc. There is no doubt in my mind that Punisher: War Journal #10 is going to be another dismal read. The only positive thing I can say is that mercifully this story arc comes to an end with this issue. Let’s go ahead and do this review.

Creative Team
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Ariel Olivetti

Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 2 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: Basically this issue is more of the same crap that we have gotten during this story arc. Punisher, Clarke and Bridge all team up to take down Hate-Monger and his Nazi soldiers. Our trio of heroes take out Hate-Monger’s secret base and destroy Hate-Monger’s machine that creates the “Hate-Rays” that make people hate each other and give into violence against their fellow man. (I don’t make this shit up; I just tell you what the writer wrote.)

At the end, Clarke tells Punisher that Clarke vows to track down whoever killed his girlfriend, Tatiana, and kill that person and anyone else involved in her death. Punisher thinks about how he killed Tatiana while under the influence of Hate-Monger’s Hate Rays. Punisher elects to keep quiet that he killed Tatiana and lets Clarke believe that it was one of Hate-Monger’s soldiers.

Bridge then decides that the Punisher’s war against Nazis merits Bridge giving Punisher a “Get out of jail free” card. At the end, Bridge tells Clarke and Punisher that Bridge will turn his back and give them a chance to escape and get a head start.

Commentary
The Good: The Revolution is thrilled that mi hermano, Olivetti, from the gorgeous country of Argentina, is doing the art for this title. Because Olivetti’s artwork is the only thing that is allowing me to follow The Revolution’s Rule of Positivity. I love Olivetti’s beautifully painted artwork. Olivetti’s richly detailed artwork does its best to try and carry along the albatross that is Fraction’s abysmal writing and keep this title from being completely unreadable.

The Bad: I’m not really going to waste much time critiquing and totally ripping Fraction’s pathetic writing on this issue. My criticisms of this issue are basically the same ones that I have gone over and over in my past reviews of this title ever since this craptacular story arc began in issue #6. Poor pacing, terrible plotting, lousy dialogue and transparent character development. All the necessary ingredients for a truly abysmal read.

The pacing on this story arc has been terminally slow. Seriously, there was no reason for Fraction to burn up five issues on a story arc this pathetically lame. This story arc was plodding and pointless and could have very easily accomplished the same goals in two issues. Honestly, this story arc just might have been the most uncreative story arc that I have ever read.

Punisher War Journal #10 continues the downward trend of ever increasingly stiff, cheesy and ridiculously over the top dialogue. Fraction also continues to avoid performing any character work at all on this story arc. Fraction has failed to give any of the various characters any depth to their personalities.

The scene near the end where Bridge after devoting so much time and energy to catching the Punisher decides to let him go just because Punisher “fought the good fight” was painfully predictable, hackneyed and unoriginal. We have seen this exact scene a million times in tons of cheesy action movies and TV shows.

I’m not even that interested in the dangling plotline of Punisher not telling Clarke that he is the one who killed Tatiana. I could care less. Punisher would whip Clarke’s ass in a fight, so I’m not too concerned what is going to happen when Clarke eventually finds out. You know it is inevitable and there is no way that Punisher doesn’t squash Clarke like a little bug if the two pen come to blows.

Overall: If you can’t get enough of Nazi themed villains then run, don’t walk, to your nearest comic book shop and buy this entire story arc. You will be in heaven. Now, if you enjoy well written stories, with strong dialogue, excellent character work, engaging plotlines and complex villains then save your money and avoid Punisher: War Journal.

I was so impressed with Fraction’s first five issues on this title. Then the floor fell out and Fraction has given us issues that are practically unreadable for the past five issues. Punisher: War Journal is on The Revolution’s probation list. Fraction has a couple of issues to prove to me that which is the real Matt Fraction. The one that have us issues #1-5 or the one that gave us issues #6-10.