The Punisher

Written by: Garth Ennis
Pencils by: Leo Fernandez (currently but has revolving artists)
Inks by: Scott Koblish
Covers by: Tim Bradstreet
Published by: Marvel Comics /Marvel MAX
Suggested for Mature Readers

I’m sorry but if Batman fought Frank Castle, Batman would get his pointy cowled ass handed to him. Frank Castle, aka: The Punisher, is the embodiment of the anti-hero. He was gritty before Batman was grim.
Everyone seems to underestimate Frank and that is where his strength lies. In Garth Ennis’ current Punisher run, all doubts that Castle is the numero uno vigilante are laid to rest, Ennis is by far one of the best Punisher writers thus far (and of course Chuck Dixon, but that’s for another time.)
The Punisher is a Marvel Max series , for those of you not in the know, Marvel Max is an imprint from Marvel that lets writers and artists deal with characters and stories in mature themes and so it is finally being written the way it should be. Ennis takes Castle to the depths of vengeance, where many heroes won’t go, and in fact I don’t consider Castle a hero, but more of a force of nature. Castle has become the proverbial bogeyman, his legend among the criminal element is even more mythical than Batman’s, because Batman will not cross the line that the Punisher does, and that in fact makes him much more dangerous to those that stand in the way of his “war.”
The new series started off with a bang, pardon the pun, using all the elements that make the Marvel Max series a hit, extreme violence, profanity, and of course sexuality. The first 6 issue story arc centered on the one man who got close to the Punisher and knows his inner workings and how to stop him, Microchip, the Punisher’s ex-weapons and tech expert from back in the Punisher Vol. 2 series. The Feds want to bring Castle in because he is a threat to national security so they “acquire” Micro to give them the low down on how to get Castle. Microchip is doing it because he feels that Frank has gone too far and the war he wages is a pointless one. Micro still feels some sympathy for Frank and decides to help the Feds. In the opening moments of the series’ first issue, Castle crashes a Mafia get together and kills about ¾ of the entire New York Mafia, which sets the remaining Mafiosos on a vendetta to destroy the Punisher once and for all, that is if they can find a Mafia Boss who isn’t dead to initiate the mission. Added to the mix is an obsessed FBI nymphomaniac agent who wants nothing more than to jump Frank’s bones and keeps obsessing over how large the Punisher’s main weapon is, if you get my point, and the series is off and running, with blood practically spilled on every page as the Punishers war continues with even a higher death toll!
The Max title is really letting Ennis open the doors on just how far Castle will go to destroy those that no one else will go after. It shows exactly how the Punisher serves his purpose in the Marvel U, how he cleanses real evil, though he may not be dealing with it on a global or universal level such as the Avengers, he is dealing with society’s dirty laundry when no one else will do it, and he likes it that way.
I don’t want to sound long winded but the series is awesome, I’ve always liked the Punisher, and the way that Ennis writes him is totally in synch with the character, his motivations, his goals, his artillery, and of course the hundreds of ways to kill someone with your bare hands. Sure everyone says Batman could take out Galactus given the time to plan and figure it out, but if it came down to it in a hand to hand with Frank, my money is on the Punisher. No gadgets, no vibrating hand technique, just “chingazos” because the Punisher has the one thing that Batman does not have, Frank has nothing to lose because everything he had has been gone for a very long time, or maybe it was never even there.
If you like the Punisher and want to understand him better, read the Born series which Ennis also wrote, it gives insight on why Castle was destined to become the monster killer he became, because we must always remember, when one fights with monsters, one must take care not to become one. The Punisher became that which he hated, but he has embraced it and become more than those Mob assassins could have imagined when they killed his family. In the end the only thing that will survive won’t be the Hulk and cockroaches, it’ll be Frank Castle. If you think I’m wrong, find The Punisher: The End one shot also written by Ennis and read the last Punisher story. It shows exactly how the Punisher will finally be taken out of the picture, and what it takes for that to happen.
Pick up the Punisher on-going monthly from Marvel and catch up with the original grim and gritty vigilante that started it all…

Originally Published on www.hiredgunthecomic.com December 2005