Written by: Jason Aaron
Art by: Jesús Saiz, Paul Azaceta
Colors by: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Jesús Saiz
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: April 19, 2023

Punisher #11 brings Frank Castle’s personal war with himself to a cataclysmic head when the events of the past coincide with Frank’s present, leaving him to question whether or not he can truly ever come home.

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Is It Good?

Punisher #11 is a well-constructed character piece by Jason Aaron, weaving together the trauma of Franks Castle’s past, as a killer struggling to adopt a normal life, with the present, as the Fist of the Beast. This may be Jason Aaron’s richest and most mature entry in the series to date, ending on a cliffhanger that will leave you guessing.

When last we left Frank Castle aka The Punisher aka the Fist of the Best, he was confronted by the Avengers after his victory over the Fist (Daredevil’s ninja clan). Now, Frank fights tooth and nail to return home to Maria while the Avengers desperately try to subdue Frank and purge the Beast’s infection.

That sounds all well and good, but the fight isn’t the story worth your time. It’s all about Maria. Maria takes center stage as a resurrected wife and mother who finally opens her eyes to the man her husband has become. If you’ve ever been part of or witnessed a relationship at the moment it collapses, you’ll recognize a surprising amount of care and detail put into the plot of this issue by Aaron. Every panel builds a stir of heartbreaking emotion as the failure of Frank’s marriage, both in the past and present, reaches a painful end.

Frankly, this issue contains a level of depth and maturity we’ve not seen from Aaron in some time. It’s not clear what will happen to Frank in the finale (next issue), but this issue almost makes the journey worth it.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts:

Punisher #11 is a surprisingly deep and emotional issue wherein Frank desperately tries (and fails) to save a marriage that’s already collapsed. The writing here is some of the best we’ve seen from Aaron in a long time, and the cliffhanger will leave you guessing.

8/10