Spoilers for Punisher: Soviet #3
The Punisher series is known for a number of things (mainly violence), but Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrow’s Punisher: Soviet #3 might just be adding humor to the list. While this issue is no Archie Meets the Punisher (a great story for Riverdale incidentally), the issue delivers the kind of joke that might tempt fans to indulge in a good chuckle.
Given their bonding experience last issue, Valery Stepanovich not only got The Punisher’s attention, but earned himself the chance to give Frank his life story, or at least the story that led him to scooping Frank’s kills on the Pronchenko mob family. As Valery spins his tale, the issue begins to feel more and more like a rehash of The Punisher’s own origins. (Any fans of the character have little guesswork to do when a story about an embittered war hero with a wife and family includes mob interference.) The stories are so similar that the issue starts to give the impression that War’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends” (a song recorded the same year The Punisher first appeared) might start suddenly playing in the background.
When the issue ends with Valery discovering the mob got his platoon killed, it feels like the punchline to a joke despite its ominous tone. The similarities between the two vigilantes’ past, especially in terms of their mob connections, might elicit the response: You have got to be kidding. And maybe this issue is, in fact, playing out its own sense of humor. Given Ennis’ history with The Punisher, it should come as no surprise that he has a firm grasp on the irony of the character as well as how to carefully craft a joke that somehow manages to stay in key. Ennis has a knack for playing within the rules of a genre or series while also getting in his own brand of humor.
In the case of the comic itself, Stan’s Soapbox provides another perhaps perfect punchline. The final line in Stan's call for tolerance – “Just look in the mirror, mister – that other guy is you!” – seems directly pointed at Frank. It certainly would not take much stretch of the imagination to see Stan telling Frank: See? Russians – they are just like us! Though Frank could potentially take a couple of cues from his more humanized counterpart. (The humor of Ennis’ subversion of Russian stereotypes should not be lost in the fray.)
Jokes aside, this issue also ramps up the violence of the series that delights some fans while turning others a bit green around the gills. While The Punisher has done his time with the masked contingent of his universe, his interaction with Valery seems to be putting him firmly back in his own territory. The only thing super-powered about this issue is the graphic nature of Valery’s story. While this is not the strangest team-up for Frank, the similarities between him and Valery mean that a potential team-up might have some interesting results. Maybe even a softer side to Marvel’s most stoic hero?
Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship for The Punisher? The preview for the next issue suggests maybe not. Valery might not be the comrade he seems, and his common past with The Punisher may overlap more than Frank is aware. As Punisher: Soviet hits the mini-series’ halfway mark, the story can only get more intense for Frank and his Russian doppelgänger.
Punisher: Soviet #3 is available for sale currently and Punisher: Soviet #4 will be hitting stands February 26, 2020.