Marvel’s Punisher series has ended in divorce

punisherby writer Jason Aaron and artists Jesús Saiz and Paul Azaceta, is not explicitly a book that seeks to redeem a character co-opted by hate, but it is not a book that is oblivious to the context in which it exists.

And that’s never felt more sneaky than in the conclusion, in which – after becoming an unstoppable god of murder and war – Frank Castle’s resurrected wife undoes his godly powers, divorces him, and takes all his money.

What else is happening in the pages of our favorite comics? We’ll tell you. Welcome to Monday Funnies, Polygon’s weekly list of the books our comics editor liked last week. It’s part society pages about superhero lives, part reading advice, part “check out this cool art.” There may be some spoilers. There may not be enough context. But there will be great comics. (And if you missed the latest edition, read this.)

The log line on punisher was that Frank Castle was the destined avatar of the Beast, the god of murder worshiped by the Hand ninjas from Daredevil comics. And it largely stuck to that gonzo mandate, with Saiz providing the epic visuals to match. Frank developed a slew of super powers and used them to bring down armies and kill Ares himself – the book was anything but about taking out low level criminals and earth gangsters.

Azaceta, on the other hand, brought the flashbacks to the story, redefined Frank’s childhood in the key of “serial killer predestined by the evil god” and told the story of Frank’s wife, Maria Castle, in such a way that it made sense. that if there was ever any good in Frank, it came from his family – who came to hate and fear him because he loved war more than they did.

Is this punisher is the series going to stop people from worshiping the character’s murders as righteous behavior? No. There is no book that someone can write or draw that will do that. Was it a fascinating read with a conclusion that quietly debunks Frank in all the ways those same people care most about? Yes.

Image: Nadia Shammas/DC Comics

In better news, DC’s Pride special finds that Batman has a Letterboxd and he gave Weekend Five stars. Every time a comic book creator adds another detail and portrays Batman as an emotionally repressed but well-meaning ally to his strange friends and family, an angel takes flight.

Image: Zeb Wells, John Romita Jr./Marvel Comics

As predicted, Kamala Khan was killed this week Awesome Spider-Man, complete with a very contrived callback to her beloved update on “with great power comes great responsibility.” The wait is to see Marvel Comics take her back in time for The miracles coming out in November – my money’s on a Krakan resurrection, with the possible twist of making her a mutant canonically, which would be pretty funny. Not funny enough to make up for how superficial this death arc feels, but kinda funny.

Image: Tom Taylor, Nicola Scott

It’s been a few weeks since this comic came out, but I want all Raven/Beast Boy shippers to know: DC’s new Titans series is behind you.