Garth Ennis' new series is about a soccer mom that also happens to be The Punisher. It's a simple premise. Ennis has said that he wanted to write something fun. What we have in this first issue isn't exactly “fun” unless you think blood and guts and driving kids to school is a good read. The suburban malaise theme has been done to death (think American Beauty and Revolutionary Road), but the reasons for Jennifer's midnight murder spree on local criminals hasn't been given enough of a back story to define the series' theme just yet. So far it's a chick with kids and a nice husband that doesn't satisfy her. She likes guns. She goes out at night and wrecks havoc. It's nothing new of course, but it could be a worthwhile read if it was entertaining or had some bite to it. The diary entries throughout the book feel tiresome (and really, Garth, you're married...you don't know that it's called a pedicure and not a manicure?). The uber-violence isn't shocking, it's just boring. The art is a little sloppy, although Adriano Batista is probably as good as it's going to get since this isn't a D.C. or Marvel book. The big problem that I have is that Garth Ennis did such a remarkable job writing Preacher that it's almost sad that he's never written anything even close to as fresh, funny, or wildly entertaining as that book. Is he really a one-trick pony? I really hope not, but this new series is a big disappointment. *1/2
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