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The Weekly Pile January 14, 2009: Punisher: War Zone #5, Runaways #5, The Sword #14, X-Force #10

Jan 16, 2009 The Weekly Pile

Today’s pile consists of 4 comics.  One is about a vigilante, one if about wayward kids, one is about a mystic weapon and one is about an X-team built for one thing.  In these books many factors come into play including pumpkins, frogs and bears…  oh my.

Continue on for Reviews of:

Punisher: War Zone #5 (of 6)
Runaways #5
The Sword #14
X-Force #10

Punisher: War Zone #5 (of 6)
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Steve Dillon

In this penultimate issue of the War Zone mini-series, Frank is doing what he does best.  Narrowly escaping gun fights while rescuing a not so innocent member of the human race.  This time that human is small time mafia man Charlie Schitti who is under Frank’s wing due to him being the only surviving member of the Gnucci crime family.   The Punisher has been using Schitti for information during the course of this series and one would think that this made man’s number will soon be up with only one issue remaining.  The last issue ended with Schitti and Frank trapped in a car with the villain Elite about to blow the car away with a machine gun.  A great cliffhanger that is wrapped up in a few pages of action in this issue with Elite chasing after the unlikely pair as they try to make their escape.

We also finally get to see the Punisher and Lt. Molly Von Richthofen reunite as Schitti and Frank head to Schitti’s house to avoid Elite (where Molly has been stuck in the bathroom - don’t ask).  This scene was the highlight of the book for me as seeing these 2 characters converse again reminded me of the classic ”Welcome back, Frank” storyline.  A clever conversation is had between the two before they prepare for a gunfight with the mobsters who are quickly approaching the front door.

All of this adds up to a potentially rocking final issue as the group of mob boys are about to run into the wall that is Frank Castle and Lt. Molly Von Richthofen.  I would buy a comic with these two teaming up for 22 pages of action if anyone ever decided to publish it.  Please consider that a formal request to Marvel.

Quick Bits I liked about the issue:

- Schitti and his pumpkin.
- Elite riding the bus.
- The conversation exchanged between Frank and Molly regarding her aim.

 

Runaways #5
Writer: Terry Moore
Artist: Humberto Ramos

I enjoy Terry Moore’s Echo series and I have loved everything Humberto Ramos has ever done (as evident by this post) but I am just not loving their take on Marvel’s group of Runaways.  This issue didn’t do a whole lot to sway me from my opinion either.  It wasn’t a bad issue.  I guess that I just want more from the book that I used to love.  This book is still an okay read for me and I definitely don’t hate it as the characters are still fun and unique.

There is a decent amount of stuff that I enjoyed about this book that will get me to come back next month for what I believe to be the last issue in Ramos’ run.  The whole idea of aliens coming to capture Karolina is a great concept and the spin that Moore put on one of Nico’s spells truly is a fun idea, especially with the cast he has to work with.  Seeing the team deal with the spell and then overcome it was definitely a treat.

The book is still flat out fun and in a time where comic universes are either in crisis, being invaded or putting the pieces back after Armageddon, a little fun goes a long way on my pull list.

Quick Bits I liked about the issue:

- The Klara/Molly dynamic.  These 2 kids are great!
- Chase’s left arm when the Leap-Frog and Beetle collide.
- Chase blowing their cover is true Chase fashion.
- “Cheeeese”!

 

The Sword #14
Writer: Luna Brothers
Artists: Luna Brothers

Image is putting out some great comics and I wish people would take more notice.  The Sword, along with Invincible and The Walking Dead, are consistently stellar on a monthly basis.  Check them out people!  Back to the Sword.  The first panel of this issue had my attention and I was entertained the entire length of this comic.  There was a great deal of character development as one of the main trio finds themselves on a road they never imagined while another person comes out of nowhere to become a potentially major player in the Sword universe.  Intrigue!  How will these characters deal with these new factors?  Only more issues will tell and I will be picking them up as soon as they are released.  Oh yeah, and something happens to the sword…  I don’t want to give any more away.

I am SO ready for issue #15!  Most every issue of The Sword ends with a cliffhanger and #14 does follow suit.  But, it never seems like a gimmick or a ploy to sell the next issue.  The Luna Brothers just seem to take to this type of storytelling easily and it is used well on the last page of this issue as I’m very curious for what happens next.  Have you gotten the idea that I am looking forward to the next issue yet?

Quick Bits I liked about the issue:

- The bad guys look of “uh-oh” when Dara heals.
- The angle used when Dara boots a guy into the sky.
- Child Dara’s purple crayon flashback.

 

X-Force #10
Writer: Christopher Yost
Writer: Craig Kyle
Artist: Mike Choi

The idea of this series is a cool one.  Gather up the X-Men who like to stick sharp things into other things and send them after all the bad guys who need to be stuck…  Oh, and also try to keep it a secret if possible.  Thanks!  There is plenty of opportunity for things to get stuck in this issue too.  Warpath gets to stab a big demon bear (yes, a demon bear…) with the help of Ghost Rider while Wolverine and X-23 (and others) get to stab a whole bunch of bad guy soldiers while trying to prevent the outbreak of what they believe to the the Legacy virus.  What a day!

But this book is about healing too.   It’s a good thing X-Force has Elixir reluctantly kicking around on this mission as his touch can heal the wounded.  Hey, just like an elixir, I get it!  So, when one team member becomes the “stickee” instead of the “sticker”, it’s Elixir to the rescue with that healing touch of his.

Much like Runaways, this is a fun book.  A MUCH different type of fun of course as Molly tends not to get into many knife fights over on the Runaway’s side of town…  but fun all the same.  This book is always going to deliver on action and adventure and if that isn’t something you’re after, it’s probably best you just leave this book on the shelf.

Quick Bits I liked about the issue:

- A particular character’s eyes when they are infected with the virus.
- X-23’s simple delivery of “yes”.
- X-tra crispy X-23.

 

This week’s Pick of the Pile goes to The Sword #14.  Out of everything I read this week, the end of that issue left me wanting the next issue the most by far.  Solid writing and character development won me over this week.  Hip-hip-hooray for the Luna Brothers!

See you next week!

Tags: chris yost, craig kyle, garth ennis, humberto ramos, jonathan luna, joshua luna, mike choi, punisher, runaways, steve dillon, sword, terry moore, war zone, x-force