Review: Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #1

Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #1 by Chuck Dixon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rating 3 out of 5| Grade: C ; Drown em in lead!

The second entry in the Batman/ Punisher crossover, is more of the same, when it comes to the balls to the wall action. As one would expect from a comic featuring the duo.

One notable difference is how, this time around, Frank Castle will be encountering not the emotionally conflicted murder machine Jean Paul Valley, but the OG caped crusader. Which is a breath of fresh air, as their encounter is exactly what you'd expect.



Castle, the emotional brawler, who has no hesitation to leave a crowd of bodies in his ways, vs the cold, calculating restraint, and refined fighting force which is Batman, who, as Frank rightly points out, is crazy enough to jump into gun fights with his bare fists, and skilled enough to actually win.



The antagonists this time around are the Joker & Jigsaw, which leads me to question whether or not there are any other notable villains for the Punisher. Then I remember that this is guy which puts a rain of lead onto his enemies, and the reason would become apparent. Not to say, I'm gonna denigrate the Bats. I'm never gonna leave you Bats, and your magnificent cowled scowl.



There is one notable moment towards the end, when Castle confronts the Joker in the rain, and the clown prince of crime seems to realize that it's not the Batman with his no killing rule that he's up against. Just when you think the Punisher's gonna pull the trigger, and spare the world of a great evil (and us as fans of a great villain) predictably Bats jumps in, for, reasons.



Which makes me think of, all things, 'The Last action hero' by Arnold Schwarzenegger. We are audience are very much entertained by the antics of the Joker against the Batman, but what if, there is a scenario where the characters become aware they're just pawns for some writers. Their whole lives just entertainment for the masses. I mean, thinking of some of the most f**ked up things that the Joker has done, especially to Commissioner Gordon, that might be the point of no return for someone like Batman.

But, I digress; a 90s era action heavy crossover doesn't require that deep of an introspection. Read it for the title sakes, as the shit ton of action. That's all.



View all my reviews