There are some comic writers who have excellent ideas, and are superb at translating them into stories as long as they have complete free reign. If you put them under an editorial umbrella like Marvel or DC's, their work suffers. And there are some comic writers who have excellent ideas who need editorial oversight or else their otherwise great story goes off the rails, or contains some unpleaant elements that an editor would have removed or altered.

Ennis falls in the latter category. His work on Punisher is far better than any of his indie work. There are certain knives he likes to twist that do his plots a disservice.

Volume two of the series contained deliberately provocative laguage to illustrate character growth, and decry its usage, so now whenever it's used, it stings more. A better writer would have used it more sparingly after volume two, but Ennis isn't a better writer here.

The main problem with this volume, though is The Legend. Having a Stan Lee or Julie Schwarz type character involved in this story could have been interesting, but instead you might as well call the character Captain Exposition. He provides a dull way to expand the mythology that Ennis has set as the back story.

I'd rather he had just done a side series that showed us the events than had a character tell the events with occasional flashbacks.

Also the 9/11 angle is just tacky. I know it's the lynchpin of this comic, that this is superheroing in a post 9/11 world, but it's so clumsily handled in this book.

I have my fingers crossed that they're not going to introduce The Legend in Season 2 of the TV series (if they do, I hope it's brief). And I imagine they've cut out the whole 9/11 angle, and will let the plane episode from Season 1 sit in its place.