Stories about characters like Punisher that dig deep into the grimmest, darkest grim darkness are, Frank-ly speaking, a dime a dozen. It takes a writer like Garth Ennis, with a vile and blackhearted sense of humor and a grotesquely sprawling imagination, to make one of these stories feel like something special.

Welcome Back, Frank may move with the rhythm of a sleazily efficient 80s action movie, but the thing that sticks out the most to me about it is how funny it is. The action setpieces are structured around violent visual punchlines that showcase Punisher’s gruesome ingenuity. It’s a little like a creative slasher movie (think mid-period Friday the 13th), but you’re watching lowlife mobster types, instead of horny teens, get knocked off, and there’s more explosions.

Dillon’s dramatic action angles combine with his excellent page layouts to create a propulsive reading experience. It really moves.

The story is pretty standard Punisher stuff – he’s eliminating a mob family mook by eviscerated mook, being surveilled by the cops all the while, and trying to maintain a low profile. The collection of weirdos with whom he shares an apartment building give his po-faced grimness a welcome bit of colorful contrast and lighthearted comic relief, kinda like Batman’s extended family if Batman was an even bigger psychotic asshole than he already is.

The copy I picked up from the library has this warning sticker on it:

Which made me chuckle a bit. It certainly contains material that is not appropriate for children, but this is a Garth Ennis joint, so it’s about as far away from a mature theme as Frank Castle is from a stable, healthy life.