Will there or won’t there be more? I hope there will

Near Death Vols. 1 and 2
Image Comics
Creators: Jay Faerber, Simone Guglielmini and Ron Riley
Release date: 2012

I guess I’m on a bit of a dark kick when you consider the last post was about the Netflix version of the Punisher and now this one is about a story about a hitman called Near Death. But it wasn’t planned that way. Instead, it all came about rather serendipitously.

I won’t go into my whole explanation of how I listen to podcasts here. In short, just know that I listen to a lot of older shows when I have a chance to listen. And sometimes, I will be inspired to try a book based on a podcaster’s thoughts and reactions to it. Such was the case recently when I heard a 2012 podcast review of the then-current Near Death series.

The series is about a hitman who gets shot and dies. Turns out his death was very brief but had a dramatic impact on the man. While dead on a makeshift operating table, the hitman sees what he believes to be hell. He comes back willing to do whatever it takes to balance the scales of his life in an effort to avoid ever going back to that place again. His solution, try to save people’s lives rather than taking them, ideally saving one person for every one of the many lives he’s cut short.

The concept piqued my curiosity. So next time I was placing my monthly order with my online comic shop, I decided to look for and found two collected editions of the series available among the back issue stock. I added them to my order and went on with my life. Then I got a small surprise the next month when I placed my next pre-order. There among the new solicits from Image Comics, the publisher of Near Death, was a solicitation for a forthcoming third trade. I added that to my order, and when the first two trades came, I set them aside to wait until I had the third in hand, too.

Obviously, I didn’t stop to consider the math of the situation right then. If the series was new in 2012, why would it just now be reaching the point of a third trade collection? I didn’t delve into that question until another month had passed by and I received word that the third Near Death trade had been canceled by the publisher. No mention of whether it was merely being delayed and would be resolicited or canceled due to lack of interest/orders.

So I finally researched that timing question. Turns out the 11 issues collected in the first two trades were the only issues of the ongoing series published before Near Death went on hiatus. The third trade I had seen solicited was intended as a standalone original graphic novel that would continue the story. If successful, a series of one-shots might have been the future of the stalled story. I certainly hope more are forthcoming as this is a great story. And the art is great, too. Artist Simone Guglielmini reportedly said he was trying to mimic the style of books like Criminal and Gotham Central, both of which I liked. So no surprise I like Near Death, too.

Markham, the hitman in the story, has few friends. That’s not surprising for someone who makes his living killing people. He does have a large number of work contacts, though. Many of those work contacts are less than thrilled by Markham’s change of heart when he starts saving people by thwarting some other hired killers’ efforts. Most heroes who work on behalf of others do so with the assistance of the police. That doesn’t work so well for Markham who is known as a contract killer by many law enforcement officials. All of these factors make it very challenging for Markham to live up to his new mission in life.

Near Death is written in an episodic format, with most issues being done-in-one tales. But Markham’s universe slowly grows over the course of the 11 issues as some folks who benefit from Markham’s new savior tendencies become recurring characters. Along the way, readers are given glimpses here and there into Markham’s past — nothing major, but little vignettes that help flesh out his character. And Faerber does his best to keep the story interesting, throwing some twists and turns I did not see coming. Many of the stories call into question conventional wisdom of right and wrong. This is the kind of story that leaves you thinking after you finish reading.

I’ll definitely be watching for future Near Death stories, and I sincerely hope I don’t have to wait long. This is a story worth telling and one I very much would like to continue reading. Can you hear me, Image Comics?

Update: Maybe Image Comics can't hear me, but Jay Faerber did. He tweeted this response to my tweet about this blog post when it went up: "We’re planning a new Near Death-related graphic novel. Stay tuned...!" So more is coming!

I miss you, bro

“Marvel’s The Punisher” Season 2
Netflix
January 2019
 

Shawn died in 2000, nearly 20 years ago now. He was a son, a husband, a musician, a Marine, a prankster, a police officer, and he was my younger brother. He was 28 at the time of his death, so in just one more short decade, he will have been gone as long as he lived.

Time has passed. Life goes on. And there are many days when he doesn’t cross my mind at all. That’s life. But there are also random things that will bring his memory to the front of my mind.

One of the losses I feel most consistently on behalf of my brother are movies and television properties that he would have loved but missed. He was a huge Star Wars fan, yet he never got to see the second and third prequel films or the more recently realized but long-rumored sequels. He very much enjoyed “Phantom Menace,” and I have no reason to doubt he would have been thrilled by and enjoyed all of the films to follow.

The plethora of comic book films is another thing I think he’d have enjoyed. He was always more a Marvel fan than I was growing up. I remember crying when I saw “X-Men” in the theater for the first time in 2000 because he wouldn’t get to experience it, and he was always a huge Wolverine fan. The “Spider-Man” films began in 2002. Then the modern Marvel cinematic age began in 2008 with “Iron Man.” I think he would have loved the explosion of films since then from the various “Avengers” and “Captain America” films to “Black Panther” and “Infinity War.”

Another of my brother’s favorite comic book characters was always Frank Castle, the Punisher, and I’ve been thinking of my brother as I watch Netflix’s second season of "Marvel's The Punisher," starring Jon Bernthal. This is a phenomenal show, and everyone involved deserves kudos for the excellent product they have created.

The Punisher first appeared in Marvel Comics in Amazing Spider-Man No. 129 and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The character went on to appear in various other titles for several years before starring in his own limited series in the mid-1980s. At the peak of the Punisher’s popularity in the late 80s and early 1990s, he starred in three concurrent monthly titles: The Punisher, The Punisher War Journal and The Punisher War Zone. There was also a short-lived black-and-white Punisher Magazine and other limited series and one-shots at various points along the way.

Shawn collected most of these titles by a number of creators, but the book that struck a chord with me was War Journal. This title, initially written by Carl Potts and illustrated by Jim Lee, would later feature creators such as Mike Baron, Mark Texeira, Chuck Dixon, Steven Grant, Tod Smith, Ron Wagner and others. Potts and Dixon stand out in my mind the most when I think back about favorite issues.

I’m not as familiar with Billy “Jigsaw” Russo, although I know he also existed in the comics. I’m not certain if the comic Jigsaw played a role in the deaths of Frank Castle’s family as he does in Ben Barnes’ portrayal of the character in the Netflix series. If not, the inclusion of that detail helps bring the two characters’ lives full circle in the show.

As far as I know, most of the other characters in the Netflix version of the Punisher are original to the program, but may have been portrayed in comics in some form or fashion. But I love how the ancillary characters add to the show’s drama. Karen Page and Brett Mahoney show up from the cast of Netflix’s “Daredevil” to add cohesion to the shared universe. And Curtis Hoyle, Dinah Madani and Krista Dumont add dimension to the proceedings of both seasons of the show.

Netflix’s “The Punisher” is definitely more gritty and bloody than I typically like my comics stories, but so was the Netflix version of Daredevil. Both worked well in the realities established for the series, and the visceral visuals of the programs don’t glorify violence. Rather they use it to emphasize the physical and emotional toll of these peoples’ lives and choices.

Jon Bernthal does an exceptional job of bringing Frank Castle to life in this series. The later comic series added some nuance and character beats to what could have easily been a one-note, disposable caricature. Bernthal and his supporting cast help do the same with the on-screen Punisher. Bernthal portrays an efficient killing machine on a deadly mission, to be sure. But he also shows Frank’s caring side without turning the brutal vigilante into a parody of the original creation.

I can watch this show for what it is and enjoy it. I tend to think Shawn would have seen it as a more pure expression of the character than some of the various movie attempts. Believing my brother would have liked the show adds a level of appreciation to watching it. But it also makes me sad that my brother will never be able to see one of his “heroes” brought to life on the small screen in such an effective way.

I’m also very sad all of these Netflix Marvel shows have been canceled due to business concerns and we won’t get more of this version of the Punisher, Daredevil or Jessica Jones.