This is a MAX issue that is not labeled as a MAX issue.
Well this issue picks up right were the last issue left off. With the exchange figuring out precisely why the Punisher did what he did. I found this to be quite refreshing since most of the groups the Punisher goes against tend to be rather dumb with the exception of the leader and maybe a few others. Gone is the old Italian American mafia families that the Punisher has been dealing with since he was first created. They are not replaced with the typical Russian Mafia, Triads, minority street gangs, etc. that Castle has repeatedly tangled with over the years as well. The Exchange is a structured group that likes to handle things with finesse and not with brute force unless it is unavoidable.
To put it simply they are badasses in three piece suits with higher education. They do not tolerate thuggish behavior which we see in this issue. They also like to contract out work which makes them feel more like a corporation then your stereotypical organized crime family. Yet they are grounded to what their foot soldiers do so the leadership doesn't come off as living in an ivory tower but are instead aware of what the underlings in their organization are doing. I'm looking forward to see how Frank will have to adjust to deal with this group.
The detectives also feel right for this issue with Clemons knowing right off the bat that the Punisher is now involved in the case going after those responsible for the wedding massacre making his job much more difficult. We also get introduced to Norah Winters a spiderman character. I don't read Spiderman comics but she came off as fitting in this issue and not feeling like she was just their to say one line to advance the story and then vanish in the comic like you see sometimes which tends to be annoying in comics. She felt like she was actually being a reporter and not just their for the sake of adding a new character to this issue.
Bolt and her interaction I found rather good with him getting nervous and her getting curious but filing the information away for later. We clearly see in this issue that she is going to be a recurring character that is going to make things more grounded in a political sense showing that the Punisher creates pressure on the detectives by the police department and the city of New York and that the media does report the actions of Frank Castle things we have barely gotten a taste of over the past decade with the different Punisher series that have been written. The only writer besides Rucka that delved into this was Ennis so I do view this as a major plus for Rucka going into the future of his Punisher run.
We also see the poor bride who survived the encounter wake up in the hospital to remember what all happened and her reaction to it. That to me personally that was the best scene from this entire issue because the reaction felt real not the stupid comic reactions we get most of the time from characters when something tragic happens to them. You don't even know this character yet. The surface for her hasn't even been scratched yet and you already feel for her which I got to take my hat off for Mr. Rucka since that is very good storytelling which you don't see a lot of unfortunately.
The best compliment I can give this issue is that it's a Punisher MAX issue that isn't labeled as a MAX issue. I stand by that statement. Other than a few F bombs that are missing which we see in the MAX issues and the supervillian being in the comic this a MAX issue of the Punisher. Rucka's series so far feels like the spiritual successor of Ennis and Aaron's Punisher work and not Fraction and Remender's. Mr. Rucka appears to being doing something Punisher fans have wanted for a very long time that Fraction, Remender, and Marvel didn't get that Mr. Rucka does. That is to blur the line between the Punisher in the MAX world and the Punisher in 616 for a Punisher title set in the main marvel universe. Will Mr. Rucka be able to keep this up is another question. Looking at his two issues though the answer appears to be yes.
