Wanton Punishment: The Living Daylights

This is supposedly yesterday's post. But because my line got blocked yesterday, due to unforseen circumstances, I was forced to delay my posting and doing my assignment. Anyhow, with tomorrow being an off day for me, since tomorrow is the King's installation day, I would be able to proceed on with doing some work of my own.

On Monday, I have mentioned that I have bought The Man of Stone, the 7th arc of Punisher Max written by Irishman Garth Ennis. My friend Edmund was very excited of hearing my commentary about the Man of Stone and here it is, exclusively since being released a week ago is the review of The Man of Stone.

BTW, the TPB cover for the arc is not from issue #39, but instead from issue #41. Here is the final cover: That's my favorite cover for the arc as well!


A word of warning: the storyline literally ties up whatever loose ends that are found in the two storylines: Mother Russia and Up Is Down, Black is White. If you do not understand what these characters say and mean in the current story, please read those two storylines first before reading this.

Art wise, the art is drawn by Leandro Fernandez who also drew Up Is Down, Kitchen Irish and The Slavers. The coloring is done by Dan Brown. Brown is famously noted for his brush stroke coloring. Hence his coloring scheme and lighting tones is very familiar to readers who also read Up Is Down and The Slavers. The mute color scheme illustrates the harsh world of The Punisher. It is augmented with hard and top down lights - a term used by cinematographers to symbolize drama and tension.

Basically, the premise is mainly about settling the score. You need to read the final part of Mother Russia to get the idea. Frank knew from that moment after rescuing the girl that some guy will be looking for him someday as to seek the answer behind the assault at the Suhdek ICBM complex. Rawlins, the man who tried to assassinate Castle for pissing the cabal of generals was selling him out as revenge and attempting to even the score against his ex-wife Kathryn O'Brien. She's back on a vengeance mission - hunting six ex-Taliban men who she was involved in ten years ago.

Here's the quote from Castle in Mother Russia:

"I think one of the Ivans figured out who we were. I was even kind of counting on it towards the end...It doesn't seem to bother you much the virus being destroyed. As a matter of fact, a suspicious man might think you set the whole thing up."

This implies that the Man of Stone himself...Nikolai Zakharov is obsessed for the truth.

If that is not convincing enough, refer this from Mother Russia:

"The generals crawl back into their holes intent on burying Barbarossa in the deepest darkest eyes-only files they've got. Don't know if they'll be pissed enough to come and fuck with me."

This above implies that Rawlins had come to assassinate Frank in Up Is Down. Ultimately, Castle taped his confession as the proof of their intention of screwing him - which is using as blackmail.

"The Russian government keeps the silo business under wraps, which isn't difficult once the screaming starts about the airliner. All the same, someone figured out we were not Al-Qaeda: someone who might come looking for me some day."

Man of Stone literally examines Russia and Zakharov, a relic of the Cold War. It questions a man who was hated during the Cold War and his influence in the current Russian ideology. After the fall of the Communism and under the stewardship of former president, the late Boris Yeltsin, Russia has been turned into a country of democracy and capitalism. However, Yeltsin's leadership had some problems. He attempted to shape the country into following the new direction but it caused more problems than positive results.

In the process, Russia became soft enough. If there is an incident happening inside here that risks more consequences should a matter is spilled out, they are preparing to keep in under wraps and tight. As mentioned in Mother Russia, "Moscow is full of mental pygmies". They have started to show more cowardice than it was before during the Cold War. In World War 2, cowardice is punishable by death with the implementation of Order #227 on July 28 1942, signed by Stalin. That order became known as the "Not One Step Backwards" Order. If there is a truth that leaks out to the people, you can expect a revolt like the Bolshevik Revolution. A government would definitely try to avoid a scandal.

This quote from Zakharov from Act I of the story provides the meaning to the text:

"No one in Moscow wants to know. The idea of U.S involvement in the attack terrifies them. To confront Washington over such a matter would be unthinkable. They are cowards. They dream of mushroom clouds and wet their beds."

It is this story that Ennis posed a question to us: shouldn't the Communism ideology be dissolved in this kind of situation where the world is right now? We are now witnessing the case where the dark side of capitalism - which defeated Communism during the Cold War - through the corporate crimes and the hegemony committed by the pencil-pushers of the U.S Government. Zakharov, through experience knows the tricks that the Americans would pull in order to achieve victories. We have gone through two World Wars. What if there is a World War Three happening in 2012 onwards? World War Three happening because of the hegemony of the USA? Another modern Holy Crusade? Up Is Down, Black Is White - maybe the next day we wake up, it is war and the world goes the other way round, cuckoo...period.

"Maybe there is hope for the Motherland after all!" - Formichenko, Mother Russia.

In this kind of situation, maybe we might need a figurehead like Zakharov to save the day.

Afghanistan is currently a place nearest to Russia where the military from nations like Britain and America would be hunting Islamic insurgents and extremists who are alleged to be part of the terrorist cells, Al-Qaeda and Osama. Zakharov cannot do it in Russia, he would be charged if he does his plan in Russia - where's the best place for fighting where no one can hear you? Of course it is Afghanistan. In this kind of situation, where's the best place to fight your wars when you are in a neutral country?

Whatever the actions that Zakharov did clearly mirror what Russia is currently doing against the rebel state of Chechnya. Like in the story, the situation in Chechnya is deteriorating so badly that Moscow is increasingly faced with a series of options, all of which are unfavorable to its strategic and security interests.

The highlands, the desert, the spots that fight well for a guerrilla fight - that's Afghanistan. In the 80s, in the quest to defeat the Russians, the Americans help the Mujahideen. But now, as of their double practice, the Americans are hunting those people down. That's what hegemony is. In fact, fighting in the place like Afghanistan is a nod to the late 80s movies like Rambo III and even Timothy Dalton's first film as James Bond - The Living Daylights. Of course, there are a lot of casualties in Afghanistan. Even the common people are killed and beheaded. In Act II, a reporter was beheaded for trying to snoop more about the Man of Stone. This is Ennis's nod to Daniel Pearl, a reporter was killed under the similar circumstances.


"Put him on the next plane to Moscow - in a diplomatic bag." - Leonard Pushkin

Both Frank and Nikolai have the same thinking as both are from the military. They know how the other one thinks. Just as Frank watching the news of Nikolai clearly implies a plan of inviting him back to Russia to clean up the mess that is Suhdek. Rawlins, the common denominator in this situation is a physical representation of the hegemony of the U.S.A. You can be sure that those sly tricks that he had in the sleeve represent the dark side of capitalism. But the common weakness of being a soldier is that you are bound to follow orders. That's one of the General soldier ethics. One moment he helps, one moment he double-crosses, as seen in the third act.

Ennis clearly clarifies and emphasizes that Kathryn is a all-rounded woman that never involves in those common cliches such as a damsel in distress. She has a vendetta and a score to settle. Perhaps it is a revenge against the humiliation suffered since she got stranded in Afghanistan since 1996.

Unfortunately, a lot of people complained about the fact that O'Brien is killed at the third act. But I felt that it was slightly rushed here. In writing an issue, you are only limited to 24 pages maximum per issue. So I guess that there was a problem in pacing and probably, Ennis had to rush in that issue. People are starting to like O'Brien as a popular all-rounded supporting character. Personally, I felt that O'Brien had done her role well in the entire arc. What is there for her to do after finishing her vendetta mission? Evidently, there was line that she spoke of in part 5:

"After that, comes the big question. What happens next. With hubby gone, I'll have no one left I want to kill. No battles left to fight. Little bit scary. The only job I know how to do and I never want to do it ever again. It's like what does that leave in my life, you know? What am I going to do with myself now?"

That's the situation that Vietnam vets are facing right now. During the war, they are able to handle million-dollar military equipment in order to defeat the Communists and the Vietnamese military. After the war, when they come back, they are booed by people. They struggled to find jobs, and getting hated by people anywhere. That's the disillusionment that every soldier faces in fighting in a hollow war.

Back to the O'Brien matter, her death was somewhat similar to Alec Guinness posing his question of his character Obi-Wan in the first Star Wars movie. What else can he do after in the Death Star? What else can he do? If he decides to stay around alive, there's nothing much he can do and consequently he was pushed back to the wall. So that's where he insisted that his character to be killed. But the thing of O'Brien killed by a land mine is somewhat could not be understood. It could have been better if she got wounded during the skirmish at the helicopter or being shot at by an unknown assailant - but I think it's rushed.

Somehow, the way of removing her off the board is paving the way of introducing a hard-ass all-round independent character, Jenny, that will be featured in the next storyline, The Widowmaker (issues 43-49) (January - September 2007)

In here, Man of Stone questions the role of people being in the military being asked to fight in war that has no purpose, whereas it is billed as a war against terrorism. They were sent to fight in war that is opposed by many parties and their own people. During the fight, over 5000 people were killed in two fronts, Iraq, and Afghanistan. People are tired. But they were sent here because the U.S wanted oil to supplement and stocking up their resources. The U.S is becoming like a parasite, as Zakharov commented. Rawlins, as the U.S is starting to be a parasite - not a soldier as he said to be. In the final act, Yorkie (seen in Kitchen Irish) felt that the war is not for good but instead keeps claiming more lives than meeting its purpose. Every year, it costs close to $100 billion to fund a year for war and in the end, the U.S Treasury is way below zero. Every taxpayer's money is used up for this worthless war. It was no longer fighting the Cold War, as I have mentioned before.

Clearly, Man of Stone fills up the gaps / blanks left out in Mother Russia and Up Is Down. The characterization is at is very best, with the characters such as O'Brien, Rawlins and Zakharov is defined clearly including the past history of the moment he was called as Man of Stone. What makes a man exact a vengeance? It is like whoever unleashes the killer side of you. So, whatever that is started in In The Beginning is finally coming to a close in this story arc.

"To manipulate a man is a careful project. Too light a hand and he follows to his own whim. Too heavy a hand and he will turn on you."