The Punisher: One Last Kill

I have to be honest with y'all. I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to. It is clear that the Punisher is a character that Jon Beranthal loves and is a passion project for him. He even gets a writing credit and producer credit. But at a certain point, you keep trying to mine depth for a character that we don't need it on. The Punisher's family was killed by the mob, so he wants revenge. That's the story.

Then they layer on PTSD and his time in the special forces. They did this in the two seasons he had on Netflix, so this is ground WELL covered. In this special, we deal with all of that again. It's like seeing Batman or Superman's origin repeated in every iteration of the character. We know the back story, so let's move on to something new.

I'm at least thankful this was one long episode and not a series. I  would not be able to stick around for seven more hours of the life and times of Melancholy Frank. He barely says a word for about 75% of this episode. He speaks when haunted by his demons, but he is just being standoffish and weird the rest of the time. Also, this Punisher doesn't have a scream that he hasn't met.

What makes watching the Punisher difficult for me is that they can't contain themselves on the action. They have Frank taking hits like he's a super hero, but he's a regular guy. He's falling off buildings and getting slammed into walls like it is nothing. It's like I'm watching Looney Tunes. What next, an anvil drops on his head? As violent as Daredevil gets, they at least shows restraint. Frank dishing out the violence is not my problem for the most part because the fight choreography is great. It's just that it goes overboard. They try to set up the fight scenes like "The Raid", but this show wishes it was that.

This special episode never explicitly specifies where on the timeline this takes place. You can infer some, but it's not said and that is frustrating because we just saw him at the end of Season one of Daredevil: Born Again and you would think this takes place then? Frank has fallen off since then. 

And this is about to be the most neck beardy complaint I can make but, would it kill them to put Frank in his costume? I came to see The Punisher, not down-on-his-luck guy. 

I really don't have much more to add. I just hope they pick their spots better with his appearances.

Daredevil: Born Again - Season 2

I finished Daredevil: Born Again - Season 2 a few days ago and of course I have thoughts! You would expect nothing less.

Like season 1, I thought overall, this was pretty good. The show's action is brutal, but draws the line at being too cartoony (looking at you Punisher). Let's just get to my thoughts, in my lazier, bulleted format. I will have two longer thoughts at the end.

• The show still looks like when the show was on Netflix, gritty and not overly stylized. I love that.
• Loved seeing Jessica Jones show up
• Karen Page finally has more to do.
• So much tension in watching Kingpin's inner circle start to collapse in on itself
• This show is extremely well acted.
• To rephrase what I stated in the paragraph above, the fight choreography is easily the best in all Marvel projects (television). I didn't say all Marvel movies because Winter Soldier and Shang-Chi would like a word.
• An unhinged Bullseye is a perfect, chaotic force in this season
• With that being said, the physics of some of his attacks border on ridiculous
• I liked the little moment in the courtroom scene where Fisk is testifying and speaks under his breath knowing only Matt Murdock can hear what he is saying. Very nice touch. 
• I, for one, wish there was even MORE courtroom scenes. There were plenty, but I just like the legal battles they show and the drama that shows. Just like any flavor of Law and Order. 

For my longer thoughts, first I need to talk about Matt/Daredevil the character. His self-righteousness is extremely off putting. I know his rigidity is a character flaw, but in this show he needs to go with the flow of traffic, not at his own speed. Feels a lot like our politics. The landscape has changed, but you want to still play by old rules that don't exist anymore. A moral high ground isn't going to save lives.

When Matt has a choice to end Kingpin or Bullseye, he always chooses the righteous path, like they're going to suddenly switch sides. This is who the character is but it is exhausting. It's the same way they always play Captain America. Dude was literally in World War II and I'm sure he wasn't stopping Nazis with strong words. Daredevil is putting his beliefs above his closest allies and eventually that should cost him. 

My other long thought is I loved this season, but hated how the Kingpin arc resolves itself. Let's just say he kills a lot of people and is allowed to get exiled, but not put in jail. But Daredevil, for acting outside of the law as a vigilante, is thrown into a maximum security prison. The math ain't mathing.

I love the street level characters and I love that this show is tying into the Netflix series more than trying to jam that other MCU madness into it. It keeps this show grounded. Easily my favorite series of the Disney plus shows they've done. So glad they got season three coming!

Wonder Man: Season 1

When it comes to comic books, if there is one thing I enjoy, it's being proven wrong. I was extremely skepitcal when this show was announced. Wonder Man on his best day is a D-List Marvel character. I don't care what anyone says. Yes, he's shown up in Avengers, but I was not an Avengers fan pre-2003. I felt like this was Marvel, once again scrambling with their own IP. There was no way this show would be any good.

I was wrong. This show is a breath of fresh air. Instead of something flashy full of stupid special effects on a TV show budget with mind numbingly dull action, this is a character story first and foremost. You also don't have to have watched many other Marvel properties. As loathe as I am to say it, I would argue that watching Iron Man 3 is a good pre-requisite to this show. Also Shang-Chi. I'll explain why later on.

I know comic fans were angrily typing away on their sad, overcomensating keyboards when Simon Williams was cast as a Black man, instead of a white man as he appears in the comics. If there's one thing they hate besides strong female leads, it's race swapping. I said before that Wonder Man is a D-List character, so if nothing else, now he can have an actual personality because by being a Black man, his struggles in life are amplified.

One thing I specifically like is when actors play actors and have to act like they don't know how to act. Simon's whole story is trying to become an actor because it is that art that fills his cup up. That's buoyed by the secret he has and why he always has to keep his emotions in check. (Welcome to the life of a Black person). I don't know what it's like to be an actor, but the way they portray it here, I feel like I have a clear picture. The story revolves around his love of an old movie, also called "Wonder Man". There is a remake being made and he feels his whole life has lead to this. The love and care this show takes on that aspect of Hollywood is evident everywhere in this series.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is fantastic as Simon Williams. You see the full range of his struggles with his career and within his own family. Side note, I love that they added the personal detail that Simon is the child of Haitian immigrants. That gives him more depth, because he always felt like an outsider except when he's with his family, for the most part. 

Remember when I talked about Iron Man 3 up above? I only bring it up because that's where you're introduced to "The Mandarin", played by the character Trevor Slattery, played by Ben Kingsley. They reference his role as "The Mandarin" a lot and it is the other parallel plot running through the show. Slattery also showed up in Shang-Chi. Iron Man 3 is a terrible movie, but I am glad that they have spun gold out of their use of Ben Kingsley and they keep finding ways to bring him back. 

The core of this show is about the friendship between Simon and Trevor and it is truly heart of this show. I found myself just enjoying minutes upon minutes of them just talking and interacting. I was transfixed. Trevor finds a mentee and helps Simon open up and be a better actor. Simon finds a mentor that pours into him the way that no one else has. Their friendship felt authentic, even if it started under false pretenses. Both characters grow by knowing each other.

Here's a quick spoiler. You've been warned.

Unlike other Marvel shows, there is no big bad to fight. There's no super hero battles. Hell, there really aren't any fight scenes. This show remains tightly focused on the dual goals of Simon and Trevor. I'm being deliberately vague because I don't want to spoil everything. They do slip in a deep cut origin of what will potentially be a super villain. They took time out to dedicate a whole episode to it and it was all in black and white, a huge stylistic swing in a show like this.

This is the kind of show you get when Marvel just leaves the creators be without interfering. You get a cohesive show that doesn't rely on 40 movies and 20 series as requisite viewing. You feel this was a passion project for the creators.

Now, I'm going to pivot to what pissed me off. It is not aimed at this show. It's aimed at Marvel itself. They just slid out all 8 episodes in the cover of night. I barely saw any advertising for this show. It's hard for me to not think, "I bet if this was a show around a white lead, they'd promote the hell out of it." I felt the same about Ironheart last year. No runway to build up anticipation. Just a trailer and then months later, it arrives. They could have waited a week and premiered it during Black History month. They have left this show out to die and it is one of the best efforts they've put out since they started doing TV shows. It feels like nothing more than some kind of tax write off with how dismissive they've been. 

Simon and Trevor BETTER show up in other shows and get a second season. The way this has panned out, I won't hold my breath. I hope word of mouth, increased ratings, etc. makes Marvel take a hard look at doing more with this show or these characters.

The Inevitable Best and Worst List of 2025 - Part II

 

Let's carry on with Part II of my year in review. Now we get on to favorite writers, mini-series, events and favorite series and whatevers.

In Memoriam

Peter David - I didn't address this when it happened back in May, but we lost writer Peter David this year. He was a stalwart in the industry. When I started reading comics in the early 90's during my formative years, he was at the helm of the Incredible Hulk and X-Factor. His run on Hulk is the very reason that the smart Hulk is my favorite version. He did numerous other titles throughout the years and he was a writer that if I saw him on a book, I picked it up. His series, "Spyboy" is an underrated gem and not known well enough. He single handedly made me like the character Madrox (X-Factor member) and that is impressive in itself. I'd seen him at a few cons, but never went over to talk to him and I regret that. His death highlights a very real problem in the comic book industry and how they don't have proper healthcare. You would think companies as big as DC and Marvel at least could take care of their people better. I'll always remember his work fondly. With that being said, if you ever have some money laying around and want to give to a charity, please include The Hero Initiative. 

Favorite Single Issue

Uncanny X-Men #18 (Marvel) - Sometimes when I read comics, I put it down and go, "Man, that was so great." and I feel a sense of calm and joy. And I smile uncontrollably. This issue did that for me. Why? It felt like classic X-Men from the 90's in the best way. The X-Men work together as a team seamlessly, everyone gets a moment to shine and there wasn't an outright bad guy. They were just trying to relax and then do some super hero stuff. The cherry on the top is it was for a celebration of them and for once humans are not hating on them, a long going issue in X-Men. It just felt so refreshing. It also helps that I like this particular team of Xmen. 

Worst Single Issue

Spectacular Spider-Men #11 (Marvel) - I clocked this issue earlier in the year and there was nothing that beat it. What's wrong with this issue? Miles and Peter get shrunk down in Central Park and see this weird fantasy world beneath the grass. I personally HATE shrinking stories. Strike #1. They created a new character in this book named, "Elemental". She can transform into different elements, you see. This is the kind of character that a creater dreams up that will re-appear in a few years as a deep cut cameo that everyone goes, "Who was that?". She featured prominently in this story. Look, I hated this issue, okay?

The I'm older now and this book returned, am I still a fan? of 2025

Powers (Dark Horse) - Powers first came out TWENTY FIVE years ago! I didn't jump on when it first came out, but I did buy back issues, caught up and then followed it across companies from when it was at Image to an imprint at Marvel to now Dark Horse. It was a gritty, Noir-ish detective story involving regular people investigating super hero crimes. It was fresh, the art was unique and the dialogue was snappy. After a nearly decade long hiatus, it came back with the same creative team. I immediately jumped back in, but as I was reading, I was thinking, "Do I still like this?". The art is still good and the writing is still snappy, but at this point in my life I was thinking, "Why is everybody talking so damn much!?" Not everything has to be jokey, but it felt that way. The book does you no favors by catching you up on the huge time jump between series either. I was completely lost and like I said, I READ the previous series. I don't know, I think I might have to drop this book. 

Pleasant Surprise of 2025

Batman/Deadpool, Deadpool/Batman (Marvel/DC) - You read that right, after decades, Marvel and DC are finally crossing over again. Beef between the editorial teams prevented this from happening sooner after the JLA/Avengers event in 2003-2004. I didn't see this coming until I saw the soliciations and was overjoyed at seeing characters from each universe interact with each other. That is with the understanding that crossovers like this always follow a specific set of tropes. The different characters fight over a misunderstanding first. Then team up to fight villains from both companies. Everything is written so carefully so that one does not seem more dominant than the other. Rinse, wash, repeat. It is fun to see which ones will work together. Batman and Deadpool is the headliner, but the undercard is full of fun interactions. I will say this publicly, I like the Deadpool movies and the character sometimes, but he is truly annoying for long stretches.

Best Event of 2025

One World Under Doom (Marvel) - This further solidifies why Doom is the best villain in the Marvel Universe. He's always the hero in his own mind and his ego will never tell him different. Doom as the sorcerer supreme and what those consequences are get laid out in this series, for good and for bad. It feels real in that the world gets divided on his motives and when it's revelaed what he's REALLY done, it's one of those, "But the trains ran on time" scenarios. The Fantastic Four (rightfully so) play center stage here, but at least it doesn't feel like this event was made to tie in with the movie. Also, central to Doom is the love he has for his goddaughter and you see how that plays out.

Honorable Mentions: KO (DC)

Worst Event of 2025
Age of Revelation (Marvel) - Yet another alternate timeline story for the X-Men that wants to chase that Age of Apocalypse dragon, but doesn't get there. Sorry, but Age of Apocalypse is the gold standard and the fact Marvel KEEPS trying to recreate that is a problem in the industry. Also, centering this around Doug Ramsey, the least interesting mutant character ever is another problem. To use wrestling terms, he got a push. My larger problem with this event is they released like 20 mini-series around it. That is too much to try and follow the thread. I was not going to do that because the premise was already uninteresting.

Favorite Mini-series of 2025

Uncle Scrooge: Earth's Mightiest Duck (Marvel) - I'm just as surprised as you are. What is not surprising is that Jason Aaron, who wrote this mini, is a great comic books writer. In one of his other one shots, he had an essay about his love for classic Uncle Scrooge comics and that love clearly comes through in how he writes Scrooge. If this harkens back to those old comics, then I need to go read those old comics. The art is all over the place, but the story is great. It's a clever way to delve into Uncle Scrooge's origin while dealing with an existential threat. I'm being vague because I don't want to give it all away, but basically Scrooge is in a fight for his memories or his fortune. Donald Duck and the nephews show up in this as well. Highly recommend.

Honorable Mentions: Mr. Terrific: Year One (DC), One World Under Doom: Runaways (Marvel)

Worst Mini-Series of 2025

The World To Come (Marvel) - Christoper Priest is a writer I've respected, but he has a very particular style that you have to get used to. This "sequel" to his game changing Black Panther run from 1998 shows all the things I don't like. Also, this event featured a stunt that I'm sure you've all heard about if you follow comics. There was a white Black Panther that was introduced in the first issue that had people in a tizzy. I've been reading comic books too long to get affected by something like this. First, it's in a potential future, so that's not modern day stuff, so as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't count. The path to explain all of that is confusing, in the Christoper Priest way. The rest of the story, also confusing and while it's nice to see Joe Quesada back on art, that's not enough to make me enjoy this book. 

Honorable Mentions: N/A

Favorite New Series of 2025
Escape (Image) - I almost need to do a separate post about this book. This is an image comic and it is by Rick Remender, so I don't know if this is a limited series or an ongoing. Honestly, the way it is constructed, I don't see how it can go more than 12 issues unless it turns into an anthology. Sometimes when you read comics, you can tell what is a passion project for the creators because there is a level of detail to the story telling that is apparent. This series is gripping and drawn beautifully by Daniel Acuna. The first issue had me on the edge of my seat. It's brutal and for anyone that has ever seen any war movies based on World War II will get the gist. The difference is the story is told using anthropomorphized animals. Highest recommendation.

Honorable Mentions: Ultimate Black Panther (Marvel)

Favorite Graphic Novel of 2025
Weirdo (First Second) - Technically this came out in 2024, but I read it for 2025. Also, this is MY list, so I can do whatever I want! Anyways, this was a heartfelt telling of the early life of Tony Weaver Jr., the black nerd you might have seen on tiktoks, instagram, whatever that has the backwards devil horn hat. It's reductive to say I see a lot of similiarties in him, as a fellow black nerd myself. What spoke to me in his story is the struggle to accept who you are. When I was a kid, being a nerd wasn't cool and I wanted to blend in enough to be left alone. But with my big ol' glasses and 90's flat top, that was difficult. I might as well have had a target on my back. It wasn't till I was well into my adult life that I was at peace with myself. I don't relate to all of his struggles, but I do with most. It was wonderfully drawn and endearing. I highly recommend checking it out. 

Honorable Mentions: N/A

Worst Series of 2025
Batman* (DC) - I need to clarify. This is specifically for the end of the previous volume of Batman written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Jim Lee. It's a sequel to their Hush storyline from (checks calendar) 20 years ago! And this story feels like it is written back then. I will go on record that I didn't think Hush was all that great. It just gave us beautiful Jim Lee art and an excuse for him to draw different DC characters. As a concept Hush always felt really stupid to me. It's the worst parts of retconning within a characters history. 

Honorable Mentions: X-Factor (Marvel)

Favorite Series of 2025
G.I. Joe (Image) - One thing you should know about me. Of all the shows I watched in the 80's as a kid, GI Joe was one I did NOT watch or like. I just didn't care for it then. So I'm not coming to this series with nostalgia in mine. Sure, I'm aware of G.I. Joe, but I wasn't a big enough fan to point out differences. With that being said, this other pillar of the Energon Universe that Image has built has been fantastic. It completely has me in a chokehold. There's this modern take on the Joes and Cobra and it's a series that has kept escalating and escalating. If I had one down side, it's that this is a modern comic book, so it takes five issues to have a single adventure. If you had done five one shot stories in that same amount of time, we'd get to know everyone better. I digress. The art from Tom Reilly has been fantastic, the story has included high stakes. Oh and there has been a sprinkling of Transformers here to add to the tension. This book and Transformers have slowly started to move to the middle and I can't wait for the inevitable crossover. 

Honorable Mentions:  Fantastic Four (Marvel), Saturday Morning Cartoons: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW)