The Good
It's a new Punisher series so why not put him in a new location? Frank Castle has always tried to wipe out drugs and crime in New York City but it makes sense for him to change his focus. By trying to track down a big source of drugs, Frank heads to Los Angeles to target a big cartel.
Nathan Edmondson doesn't hold back. Punisher is dedicated and focused on his mission. There's a certain set of behavior and attitude we expect from a good Punisher story. This does feel like a natural progression and seeing what L.A. might have in store for him will be fascinating. To spice things up even more, there's going to be another group he'll soon have to deal with. And it won't just be Frank fighting the bad guys on his own. Looks like he may have some allies to help out in small ways.
Mitch Gerads does a great job on the art and colors. A Punisher comic needs to have the right vibe to it. Visuals can play a big role in it all by making it feel gritty and realistic enough while staying true to the comic book universe. Frank looks like a normal guy fighting this war. He's not a superhero and shouldn't look like one.
The Bad
The Punisher follows a trail from Mexico to Los Angeles in one day. It's unclear whether or not he had been working in LA prior to this and for how long. He's acquainted with some people there, and there doesn't seem to be any concern over him being wanted by the authorities. It's likely we'll get some of these answers in future issues. Or perhaps we can just not worry about it since this is an "all-new" series. This series does feel different from the previous volume. That's both good and bad.
The Verdict
The Punisher is back to continue his fight against crime. Nathan Edmondson throws the Punisher and us in the middle of the action as we see Frank move away from the all too familiar New York City setting. Mitch Gerads is delivering some good visuals and it's safe to say this is going to be a fun and explosive Punisher series.
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