Punisher 2099‘s new #1 is about as 90s as it gets, in both the good ways and the bad.
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It has all the trappings of that decade’s obsession with dystopian futures—totalitarian regimes, towering angular architecture, muscle-bound armored enforcers, teeth-gritting violent protagonists and obscene haircuts (our hero is sporting the same mullet as post-Death of Superman Kal-El). And at first glance it should be an enjoyable nostalgic romp for the 2099 universe. Unfortunately, the comic can’t escape the downsides of 90s schlock.
The story sees newcomer Hector Tago take over the role as Punisher and confront the previous man behind the Skull, Jake Gallows. But that face-off only comes after dozens of overwritten panels going into detail about the technological status quo, all of which feel the need to hold the readers hand as if they’d never heard of 1984 or the hundreds of surveillance dystopian science fiction franchises it inspired. And then when it finally decides to get to the point, the inclusion of the Punisher’s iconography comes pretty much out of nowhere. It’s cheesy and melodramatic, but doesn’t come with the same self-awareness that made other recent 90s revivals so enjoyable (see Karl Urban’s Dredd for a better version of this story).
If you’re absolutely dying for new Punisher material or have some deep-seated nostalgic ties to the original Punisher 2099 you might find this enjoyable. But if this is your first step into that world, it will probably be your last.
Published by Marvel Comics
On November 27, 2019
Written by Lonnie Nadler & Zac Thompson
Art by Matt Horak & Eoin Marron
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by Joe Sabino
Cover by Patch Zircher & Java Tartaglia
