The Punisher hit the big screen recently with his appearance in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is kind of appropriate given that he debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #129 in 1974. However, what got me thinking about this piece was the fact that his first solo outing was in Punisher Vol. 1 (1986), about 40 years ago. I’m not going to talk about some of his great stories like that original mini, dubbed “Circle of Blood”, John Romita’s run on art in Punisher War Zone Vol. 1 (1992), “Suicide Run” or most of Garth Ennis’ MAX run. No. I’m gonna talk about some of the weird stuff…
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It Ends in a Face Off (1992 – 1993)
Originally published in Punisher Vol. 2 (1987) issues 55 – 59
Collected: I hope not. Unsurprisingly, the storyline is not on the Marvel Unlimited App, and the Punisher: Epic Collections have skipped those issues; although the story was reprinted in Holland, in De Punisher, published by Juniorpress
The “Final Days” sees The Punisher blackmailed by the Kingpin, killing his dog Max, being caught by the police and ending up in prison. That prison also houses Jigsaw. Jigsaw runs an army of prisoners and they end up messing up Frank Castle’s face. This of course is revenge for what Castle had done to Jigsaw years earlier. (This is pretty similar to the first Punisher mini from 1986, where he is also in prison with Jigsaw). Punisher gets sent to the infirmary and manages to escape.
The story was pretty good and had some potential for future stories, but then it gets strange. Punisher seeks medical help from an underground doctor, who uses an experimental procedure on him. The result being that he is now black. One of those you wouldn’t do now and probably shouldn’t done then scenarios. It was quickly undone in a story called “Fade To White” in issue 62. The letters page of that issue saw the resurrection of Max the dog, due to fan outrage. Speaking of resurrections…
They Quite Forgot to Fit Him with Wings (1998)
Originally published in Punisher Vol. 4 (1998) issues 1 – 4, Wolverine / Punisher: Revelation issues 1 – 4
Collected: Surprisingly yes, as Marvel Knights Punisher: Purgatory, in 2019
Marvel seemingly did not know what to do with Punisher in this era, a problem that has reoccurred in recent years. This one is another odd choice. After Frank Castle kills himself, which does not sit well with me, Heaven decides that they need a new angel to do their bidding.
The only creative decision that I enjoyed here was the inspired choice of Bernie Wrightson, known for his horror work, as artist on this. He was not able to save it for me. The follow-up story, a team-up with Wolverine, was largely the same, with artist Pat Lee making it look great, the Punisher unraveling the mystery of a deadly young mutant named Revelation. The supernatural element did not work here (more on that in a bit). Punisher only really recovered from this when Garth Ennis took the over the reins with Punisher Vol. 5 (2001). Ennis still manages to make this list though…
You Can’t Do That to Spider-Man (2003 – 2004)
Originally published in Punisher Vol. 6 (2001) issues 33 to 37
Garth Ennis notoriously has no great love of superheroes, which is one of the reasons why I prefer his Punisher MAXrun. In this story, Daredevil arranges a meeting with Wolverine and Spider-man to talk about their issues with The Punisher. Meanwhile, Frank hears about an underground auction with a mysterious weapon on sale. It turns out to be just some unimpressive white guy. However, a tape Frank found with him reveals that it is Bruce Banner with memory loss. Frank seemingly looks after him by feeding him stew.
After a couple of run-ins with the heroes, Frank decides that he needs to get them out of his hair. He arranges a further meeting by calling Matt Murcock. He then uses The Hulk as a weapon, slapping Banner around to affect the transformation.
Using The Hulk might seem a bit crazy but Frank has fed Bruce C4 and causes his insides to explode, so he reverts back to Bruce Banner. The heroes all look pretty bad in this one. It is oddly funny though.
Mary Shelley’s Punisher (2009)
Originally published in Dark Reign The List: The Punisher (2009) and Punisher Vol. 8 (2009) issue 11 – 21
Collected: Punisher: Franken-Castle (2011), Punisher by Rick Remender Omnibus HC (2012)
The Punisher’s 8th volume, set in the Dark Reign Era, was dedicated to Frank Castle’s attempt to assassinate Norman Osborn, who had risen to a position of power. Naturally, the man who used to be the Green Goblin doesn’t take this lightly. Dark Reign The List: The Punisher, published in 2009, featuring art by John Romita Jr, someone who drew some Punisher in his early years, sees Wolverine’s son Draken literally slice and dice Frank. However, before Osborn’s goons can recover the body, some familiar Marvel monsters steal it – or rather the pieces of it. The monsters need Frank Castle skills to fight a war for them and so they put him back together again…
Despite the weirdness, this is one of the stories that works. The creative team, Rick Remender and Tony Moore, does a great job. The duo have collaborated before, co-creating Fear Agent (2005 – 2011), and it shows. I also think that the fact that it was never going to be something that was going to be permanent helps.
Enter The Ninja God (2022 – 2023)
Originally published in Punisher Vol. 13 (2022) issues 1 – 12
Collected: Punisher: King Of Killers (2026)
The use of The Punisher’s symbol in the real world led to Marvel changing it for this adventure, and kind of taking him away from his usual storylines. His 13th volume sees him becoming the leader of The Hand after they resurrect his wife Maria. He ends up becoming an evil god.
This one definitely veers into the mystic end of the Marvel Universe but it also deals with Frank Castle’s early life and his relationship with his family after he came back from the war.
This goes into the same ideas that Garth Ennis did with Frank Castle having the potential to be The Punisher long before that day in the park. I’m unsure what I thought of this story, but Marvel has moved away from it, continuity wise, already. I’m not sure of the mystic stuff but his connection to his main opponent, Ares, worked for me. The grounded stuff with his family was well done. I think I’m ok with it, as it was only a 12 issue run and they tried something new.
Head downthetubes for…
Marvel Comics have just launched Punisher vs. Spider-Man, a five-issue comic book limited series written by Dan Abnett and illustrated by Matteo Della Fonte. Set shortly after their classic first clash in Amazing Spider-Man #129, the series follows the duo as they are forced to team up, before turning on each other… Issue One, published last month, came in a multitude of variant covers.
• Marvel.com: Punisher Book List
• Punisher: Epic Collections (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
• Crushing Krisis: Punisher – Definitive Collecting Guide and Reading Order
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David is a writer of stuff on comics and pop culture for GCN.ie. He is also a contributor and editor (Hugo nominated) for Journey Planet
