Reviewer: Will Cooling
Story Title: Kitchen Irish: Pt. 5
Written by: Garth Ennis
Art by: Leandro Fernandez
Coloured by: Dean White
Lettered by: Virtual Calligraphy’s Randy Gentle
Edited by: Axel Alonso
Published by: Max Comics/Marvel Comics
Okay we left with the Punisher and his British allies going to town on the Irish gangsters whilst I had discovered a suspicious device underneath my seat…Now we rejoin the action as the Punisher and co make short work of the Irish gangsters and later Yorkie and Peter Cooley have a little chat…
Guess what? I love this issue too! (cue Iain Paisley style evil grin) Let’s start with the standard comic book review, firstly the action in this is great with the set piece battle on the BIG BLOODY BATTLESHIP that carries over from the last issue providing some great scenes especially the Punisher’s handling of Maginty’s ambush. The destruction and devastation of the Irish gangsters is on a brilliantly destructive scale with all the gangs shattered and struggling to regroup. This proves fertile ground for some brilliant characterisation with the sight of Brenda being forced into an unlikely and acrimonious alliance with you-know-you by the creepily incestuous relationship between the remaining River Rats. And that’s nothing compared to what’s in store for Maginty. Ennis uses these different characters reaction to the massacre of the henchmen and their attempts to get Nesbitt’s gold to paint a viscerally nasty picture of New York Irish gang life.
And then there’s the art with Leandro Fernandez proving a fantastic choice for this dark story. His character design is excellent with a remarkably consistent approach to the various characters (aside from rogue panel of Brenda) whilst his action scenes are effective. His artwork whilst detailed especially with regards to the anatomy isn’t overly realistic. What it is sound, the action scenes and the characterisation is all done with a lack of superficial panache but it’s done in a way that tells the story excellently.
Now onto the star section of the story and that’s Yorkie and Peter’s little chat about the Troubles. This is an extraordinarily powerful and (I think) heartfelt piece of writing from Ennis with much of what Yorkie says being what Ennis himself believes (as shown in my interview with him) especially the damning condemnation of an idealism that has led to three thousand dead and Yorkie assertion that the people of Ireland “are getting on with their lives” when Peter goes on another Republican rant. However, there is one part that of it that jars slightly and that’s Yorkie’s assertion that all the Troubles were just a “game we were playing” as the British couldn’t fight the IRA properly whilst the IRA couldn’t take the gloves entirely for fear of offending its American backers. The blindly obvious problem with that is the fact that the IRA twice struck at the British Government with the 1984 Brighton Bombing and the 1991 mortar attack on 10 Downing and killed senior pro-Unionist politicians close to Margaret Thatcher such as Airey Neave and Ian Gow. That hardly sounds like a “game” or fighting with kid gloves to me.
But, Ennis has lived the Troubles and is able to vividly make his take on them work on paper with his depiction of a British army fighting army through duty rather than Unionist zeal ringing true. What’s more he tells this brilliantly with the confrontation between the cynical, streetwise Yorkie and the idealistic, naïve Peter being a master class in drama with the interaction being perfectly written especially in regards to the status of the two characters. Yorkie’s high status is brilliantly captured not only by the dialogue but his body language adds a real dynamism to the scene as he attempts to destroy Peter’s confidence in his own beliefs.
MAX Punisher has been a fantastic series so far due to Ennis returning to adult, all-action style that first made his name. However this arc has in places go beyond his current form due to his emotive and personal (to Ennis) subject matter. An absolute must read story that sets The Punisher apart from most American titles.
If you are interested in the politics of Northern Ireland then make sure to read my Daily Pulse column next Thursday when following the unsuccessful “peace” talks this week I’ll be talking about The Good Friday Agreement 1997 and why I feel that far from being Ulster’s best chance for peace its instead an armistice that will eventually beget a worse war.
Final Word: Ennis at his very best with a powerful and vivid story that is as nasty as it is relevant.
