Ultimate Avengers 2: Crime and Punishment
Collects Ultimate Comics: Avengers 2 #1-#6
Writer: Mark Millar
Art: Lenil Francis Yu
Review by Stewart Loud
I’m a big Mark Millar fan and I’m a huge Punisher fan so when I spotted this on a shelf in a comic shop in Leeds I had to own it!
Mark Millar writing a Punisher story is a bit of a dream come true for me and the opening section of the book is mainly Punisher related criminal murdering shenanigans, with the Punishers trademark cold,dry dialogue and inner monologue expertly written by Miller so I wasn’t disappointed. Also the Ultimate version of Frank Castle is an ex cop so it’s nice to have a fresh version of the Punisher to get in to. However, the book isn’t solely about him so here’s what else you can expect.
The basic premise of the story is that Ghost Rider has been setting fire to the wrong people so the U.S. government has commissioned Nick Fury to do something about it. Nick puts together a covert team of super powered individuals including War Machine, Hawkeye, a crazy black English version of The Hulk and none other than the Punisher himself wearing a costume just like the one he wore in his brief fill in for Captain America in Punisher War Journal vol 2. Obviously someone thought that suit was too cool not to get another outing. Unsurprisingly there are frictions in the team as the group of misfits and criminals try to work together for the first time and take down this new supernatural foe they know nothing about.
This is another good fun book. To be honest the first half is much better than the second and ultimately it doesn’t seem to deliver as much action and excitement as the beginning seems to make you think you’re in for but it’s not a bad story at all. If you’re a fan of the Ultimate universe (this is the first Ultimate story I’ve read apart from some of the Marvel Zombies stuff) then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this and as a newcomer to the Ultimate universe I found it easy to pick up and enjoyable to read so it’s probably a good place for anyone else to start.
Sharp artwork, good dialogue and surprisingly violent in places. Fantastic “Little joke” from the Punisher too.
SCORE 7/10
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