Story: Torunn Gronbekk
Art: Djibril Morissette-Phan
Colors: Matt Milla
Letters: VC’s Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: February 22nd, 2023
“Scenes from a Marriage” meets “First Blood” in Punisher War Journal: Base #1, a one-shot that flashes back to Frank Castle’s life before he became The Punisher. He has returned home from war and is living the suburban life with his wife Maria, his two kids and the family dog. But this isn’t a blissful sitcom-style marriage, Frank and Maria are having problems, as Frank struggles to adjust to civilian life after years on the battlefield. See the origin of his war journal here. Also, why is Frank hearing screams coming from a nearby house? Screams that everyone else seems to ignore?
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The Story
Punisher War Journal: Base #1 is a study in contrasts. The first half of the book shows Frank’s domestic life, including marriage counseling sessions with his wife, encounters with his corny insipid neighbor (whose name, of course, is Todd) and kids’ birthday parties. Frank does his best to squeeze into the box of dreary suburban life, where the most exciting thing that happens is the toilet backing up or the family car getting a flat tire. He makes a valiant effort and it’s obvious he loves his wife Maria, he just doesn’t know how to communicate it to her.
Maria, thankfully, is never portrayed as a shrew or an unreasonable demanding woman. She reacts to Frank like any loving wife would, she wants to help him adjust to civilian life and even though she’s critical at times, she’s loving, affectionate and supportive of him, which makes the book sadder, because there are no villains here, only two people who are having a rough patch after being separated by war. As we watch Frank mow the lawn, take the dog for a nightly walk (and run into that damn Todd again), you feel the ennui and suffocating boredom that Frank’s feeling with it all. There’s a feeling of dread hanging over this first half of the book as you can feel Frank’s tension building with each page. That leads into the second half of the book, which takes a violent detour as Frank runs into serious trouble while out on a nightly walk. Yep, even here in suburbia, Frank can’t escape the underworld, and for anyone who loves watching the Punisher do what he does best, you won’t be disappointed with this part of the book, which is bloody, vicious and feels like a lost chapter from “Pulp Fiction”.
The Art
Djibril Morissette-Phan’s art on Punisher War Journal: Base #1 is reminiscent of Frank Miller’s work on his Daredevil run from the 1980’s. It’s dark and moody, even in the daylight scenes, and reflects the damper that civilian life is putting on Frank’s spirit. There are nice details in parts, such as when Frank’s sitting in his “man cave”, with an old pistol mounted on the top shelf of the wall and his dog faithfully sleeping beside him, the lamp on his desk barely illuminating the tiny room. The art reinforces the bizarre and horrifying situation Frank gets into in the second half of the book, feeling at times like an old EC horror comic. It’s good atmospheric work.
Final Thoughts
Punisher War Journal: Base #1 is a good dive into Frank’s back story, with some great character moments and a pulse-pounding second half. It’s interesting to see Frank living a normal life with his wife and kids, before disaster happened. If you love the Punisher, you’ll love this book.