Review by Frank Plowright
In the late 1990s the Marvel Knights imprint was responsible for giving Marvel a much needed creative jolt. However, in the light of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s much acclaimed run on the Punisher (see Welcome Back Frank), it’s often forgotten that the first Marvel Knights reworking for Frank Castle wasn’t creatively successful. That’s the version supplied here by Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski in his second and final outing, given secondary billing to Wolverine.
The Punisher’s Purgatory collection includes Revelation, as does Wolverine vs. Punisher, both along with Golden and Sniegoski’s reconfiguration of the Punisher as an agent of vengeance for the angels of heaven, and therefore given access to their weapons. In practice this is vague, even if allowing artist Pat Lee to showcase some great design work, and a further modification is a voice channelling the angels and scaring the crap out of wrongdoers. No, it’s not the Punisher as we know him.
Wolverine is more familiar, if not often seen on a date, the result of his correcting a museum guide on the provenance of a samurai sword. What brings Wolverine and Punisher together is an ancient threat revived by workers digging in tunnels beneath New York, a woman whose presence spreads disease and sickness over a wide area.
Lee is a phenomenal artist, but setting so much of Revelation in New York’s sewer system doesn’t maximise his talent, yet every now and then there’s a breathtaking illustration such as scenes of New York from above reminding us of what Lee’s capable of. However, too much is just Wolverine and Punisher against a lumpy dark background. Lee also colouring his work, though, is distinctive, often making panels resemble animation cels.
While the locations could be more varied, this is a far better outing than Golden and Sniegoski’s first Punisher. Yes, the assorted agents of heaven are an irritating intrusion setting up plots for later appearances that never manifested, but the basic plot works, and has some pathos and emotional resonance.
