Issue number one had some really good plot set up and movement. Last issue was slow but still moved the story along. This issue did absolutely nothing. Read Full Review

Rucka doesn't just deliver one single story in this issue, though. He brings in the plotline of the bride who survived her wedding massacre from the first issue and also begins to analyze the characters of NYPD Detectives Clemons and Bolt. As only Rucka can deliver it, "The Punisher" has risen to the top of my must-read pile whenever it appears on the new comics rack, and it looks like there is no chance of it sinking back down. Read Full Review

Getting down to brass tacks, I don't think The Punisher #3 is as good as previous issues in the series, and a large reason for that is because Frank has now entered the realm of the super-powered Marvel U. I find the character works best when rooted firmly in realism, much like the previous two issues of this series have been. But don't be mistaken, this is still a solid comic. It's just that Rucka and Checchetto set the bar so high for themselves at the start of this series that it now takes a lot to match or exceed our lofty expectations. Read Full Review

I've sort of run out of time this week, and can't really do a complete review of this book, but I have to give a quick tip of the hat to Greg Rucka, Marco Chechetto, and Matt Hollingsworth for demonstrating that there is more than one way to integrate Frank Castle into Marvel's superhero universe: while I enjoyed a lot of Rick Remender's over-the-top run, in this issue, The Punisher meets, of all people, the new Vulture, and the often-airborne story is spectacularly dark, dangerous, and gloriously kinetic. The plot manages to complicate Frank's life with an unexpected character reappearance, while always feeling wholly true to the more grounded (so to speak) version of the character that Rucka is shaping. Good stuff. Read Full Review

The best aspects of this issue are Rucka's subtle character reveals concerning the only survivor of the massacre that kicked off issue #1 of the series. Rucka has a penchant for writing strong female leads and it seems certain that Rucka's Bride and The Punisher will cross paths at some point. Rucka set up some really strong characters in the first two issues, when he gets back to these characters, the narrative will pick up again. I'm anticipating the arrival of issue #4 as much as I was apathetic about issue #3 after I read it, so issue #3 gave me something at least: a chance to use it as a metaphor... Read Full Review