The Punisher Appreciation Thread

Francis Castiglione was born in the New York area (specifically Queens) in either the late 50's or early 40's. He grew up always hating bullies and figured the best way to combat them was to "Hit 'em back [or] they're just gunna keep hurtin' you."[size=9pt](Ennis, Punisher kills the Marvel Universe, pg. 1)[/size] Later in life he began to study to be a Roman Catholic Priest. Well, it won't take long for a reader to see that he didn't, Frank once sites that he couldn't forgive those who did evil. Eventually, he enlisted in the Marines and rose to the rank of Captain.

Frank began his first tour in 'Nam after he went through Recruit Training, Infantry School, the USMC's Reconnaissance, Force Reconnaissance and Sniper Schools. During this training he met a man named Phan Bighawk, a scout who taught Frank how to live in the wilderness, which would ultimately save his life. At this time, Frank's wife Maria was pregnant with their first child, a girl named Lisa Barbara Castle. Afterwards, Frank began his 1st tour in Vietnam he served as Point Man (or "look out") in the Special Forces Unit. There he met Lt. Burt Kenyon, that's when the ***** really hit the fan. As detailed in Amazing Spider-man #175 Frank's platoon came under Vietnamese fire. Frank got hit by a grenade from behind and he thought he was dead. Lt. Kenyon however, would not let this happen and saved him. Two months later Lt. Kenyon was deemed mentally unfit for service and was discharged. Frank almost immediately went back to war, but this time he served as a Scout Sniper. Afterwards Frank and Maria had their second child, a son named Frank David Castle (aka Frank Jr.)

Frank's third tour is the most detailed one due to the graphic novel "PUNISHER: BORN," if you haven't read it, consider this my personal recommendation. You'll learn how Frank Castle slowly turned into The Punisher. I will however, give you the basics. Frank led a platoon in 1971, they are out on the patrol stopping any Vietnamese they see trying to carry supplies and Frank takes no prisoners. Going months without one causality, Frank's platoon finally gets attacked head on and all of his group dies, and all the Vietnamese die. The only survivor: a changed Frank Castle. For heroism in the line of duty, he was decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, the Silver Star 3 times, Bronze Star, the Purple Heart 4 times, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Six years later (1976) after the American involvement in Vietnam ended, Castle ran Special Black Ops training missions for Marine Recon Commandos in the upper New York State area.

His life was relatively normal until that fateful day in 1976 where Frank and his family decided to go to the park. Their they accidentally witnessed a gangland execution on an important informant. The mob doesn't like to leave witnesses, they shot through Frank's family and him. He was the only survivor. Now in a bitter battle against crime, he tours day and night, as the Punisher.

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I used to be addicted to crystal meth, now I'm just addicted to Breaking Bad.

here is how I'd rate the MAX imprint story arcs (for the ones I've read)
1. KITCHEN IRISH
A+
2. LONG COLD DARK
A+
3. WIDOWMAKER
A
VALLEY FORGE, VALLEY FORGE
A
4. UP IS DOWN AND BLACK IS WHITE
A-
BORN
A-
6 HOURS TO LIVE
A-
5. BARRACUDA
B
IN THE BEGINNING
B
6. THE SLAVERS
B-
MOTHER RUSSIA
B-
MAN OF STONE
B-
7. GIRLS IN WHITE DRESSES
D


Currently reading: 6 HOURS TO LIVE

Still haven't read: FROM FIRST TO LAST

Edited: 11-22-08 to add Mother Russia and up Girls in White Dresses

So which issue had Spidey Vs. Flavor Flav, cause I'd read that. Flav would smack Spidey with his huge clock necklace.

The Punisher is a cool character, though. When I was in the army I got really homesick, and my brother mailed me a new issue of the Punisher (the first Garth Ennis mini-series) every month. It gave me a taste of home and the issues got passed around the barracks after I was done with them. When I finally went home, I had a ton of comics to pack. heh. I still have those books, and I am still a fan of the character. The issues where he teamed up with and/or fought Wolverine were my favourites. The image of Wolverine with no face after being shot point blank by the Punisher really stuck with me. LOL.

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I love The Punisher (movie, that is ^_^ but the comic sounds cool too). It reminds me of Mad Max, how Max's wife and baby is killed so he gets revenge or whatever. I can't wait for the second Punisher film.

I hate you, I want that so bad....

Have you ever read anything that made you feel sad and good at the same time? This is the feeling that many Punisher fans (myself included) feel. For one thing, this is nothing short of great. And another, it is the last PUNISHER MAX, comic we will see from Garth Ennis. To paraphrase a quote from the crap-fest movie Southland Tales, "This is the way the Garth Ennis ends. Not with a whimper, but with a bang."

I think this book will seal people into non-Punisher comic fans, into becoming Punisher fans. Punisher gets to be a total bad-ass as always, but seems to take a back seat in this one. It is primarily about a group of Special Forces hired to take down the Punisher. Why? It's because of a bunch of Army generals trying to cover up encriminating evidence on a tape that the Punisher has. One problem: this Special Forces team is full of good, honorable men, so Punisher won't kill them.

Garth writes this perfectly with enough twists and turns to keep you interested. There was also enough violence to keep action afficianados entertained and enough smart dialouge to not seem like the next Schwarzenegger action movie.

The one flaw (but it is very minor) was the art. At times Goran Parlov drew things too cartoony. But looking back it is barely noticeable.
Rating: A

I am currently getting hyped up for Punisher: War Zone by reading all the Punisher MAX story arcs. Where better to start than the number 1?

Right from the start we know that this is a MAX title, and by golly it is the best MAX title today. You see people's inners come out, spilling guts and almost as much profanity, as there are bullets. This is because two groups are hunting the Punisher. A CIA group with the help from Micro, trying to hire The Punisher, and Nick Cavella, a mobster hired to kill the Punisher because of him killing about 100 people from the same mob in 2 days.

I almost hate to say this, but Garth Ennis' writing wasn't on par with the other great issues he's written. First, he barely shows Punisher's origin, I mean if something causes you to kill over 1,000 people, give it a bit more than four pages. Second, The Punisher barely shows that he will never kill an innocent. Look at his plans, those could have all easily gone wrong and killed a kid.

The art is good though. Lewis Larosa draws with the backround mostly blurred, that could have been good or bad. Luckily Lewis draws the people well enough to make it good. Backed up by Palmer's inking and shadowing, it's great.

Grade: B

I am hoping against hope that the trailer is just unusually bad and that the movie will be a pleasant surprise.

On an unrelated note, one reason I like the Punisher is that he is a streamlined Batman, I always had problems with Batman as a vigilante, mostly because he didn't kill people.

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...uh the post is up there...

Which trailer are you talking about?

P.S. Have you seen this?

The trouble is that in movies, The Punisher comes across as just another vigilante.

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All secrets are safe with this man, because none are as deadly to him as his own. His secret is that he is Richard Kimble. (The Fugitive - Conspiracy of Silence)

It is available as a trade paperback, I'm sure. It's a lot of fun, but not as graphic as the newer MAX series.

What is the publication date?

Found this on Marvel.com

This part is straight from "Wizard":
WHO'S GUNNING FROM THE PUNISHER?
The brilliant Garth Ennis steps down from his 60-issue run on Punisher MAX in August, and that means the search for a new writer is on. Three new writers will handle the next three five-issue runs on the popular mature readers imprint. Here's the 411 on the new authors and their plans to bring the punishment!

GREG HURWITZ (Punisher #61-65/Aug-Dec 2008)

BOOK SMARTS: Author of numerous best-selling crime novels including "The Kill Clause" and "The Crime Writer". The Foolkiller scribe debuted in comics last year in Wolverine Special: The Deathsong of J. Patrick Smitty.

PUNISHMENT PLANS: In Hurwitz's run, "Girls in White Dresses", Frank Castle deals with the abductions and abuse of young women from the Mexican village of Tierra Riotta.

WIZARD'S READ: Combine Hurwitz's experiences with crime prose and Wolverine, and you've got a super-charged Punisher.

DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI (Punisher #66-#70, Jan-May 2009)

BOOK SMARTS: Recent works by the crim-thiller author include "The Blonde" and the recently released "Severance Package". Current X-men: Divided We Stand reads know him best from Cable.

PUNISHMENT PLANS: Swierzynski's stint, "Six Hours to Kill," injects the Punisher with a slow-acting poison. With only six hours to live, he's got 360 minutes of pure punishment to dish out.

WIZARD'S READ: Swierzynski's break-neck pacing mixed with the bombastic action as seen in the dystopian Cable- filled to the brim with explosions and gunshots- will prove invaluable to Frank's war on crime.

VICTOR GISCHLER (Punisher #71-#75, June-Sept 2009)

BOOK SMARTS: A crime author whose works include "Gun Monkeys, Pistol Poets" and "Shotgun Opera", Gischler made his comics debut in June with Punisher Special: Little Black Book.

PUNISHMENT PLANS: Gischler takes Frank to the Louisiana back roads, with something awful stored in his trunk.

WIZARD'S READ: Gischler's book titles prove that he's no stranger to firearms, and the compelling film noir style used in Punisher Special: Little Black Book may give us a chance to get into Frank's head.

[quote=Lennon;464316]Which trailer are you talking about?

P.S. Have you seen this?





The Warzone trailer, which the first trailer didn't thrill me, but some of the newer ones seem more promising.

God, Punisher: Mother Russia is harder than finding Bin Laden. I had to 'settle' with reading this Punisher tale. Luckily, this is like having to 'settle' with Silver at the Olympics. Sure, it's not the best I've ever read, but dang, it's still pretty good.

This is pretty much the sequel to 'In the Beginning' in my opinion. It is a sequel in the fact that we learn what happened to O'Brien, Roth, Pitsy's bloodline, and Nicky Cavella even returns. O'Briend has been in jail after that clusterf@!# in Punisher #5-6 and recently broke out due to being framed in the killing of a guard. Roth has been living quietly (and ball-less.) It also turns out the Pitsy has a sister, named Teresa, who also helps out Cavella. Nicky Cavella pisses on Punisher family's grave (wow, he can pick on dead people, I can bet he can guess how many fingers I'm holding up too.) This starts Punisher on a rampage that is totally badass, and has a lot of people running scared.

Garth Ennis again proves himself worthy in writing the Punisher. Here he combines, action, some childhood drama, and even some black comedy. He goes a bit more in depth with Cavella and we learn were he comes from and how much of a badass he is and what he's done to be known as an evil person. We also get more developed (from ITB) characters and they get more of a personality. Even when it seems like we have an uneccisary character, Ennis makes it up by including them into another story arc, (aka Valley Forge, Valley Forge.)

Leandro Fernandez is still my favorite Punisher artist. The way he draws explosions and blood is completly awesome. His character design is also good, but dude, make the head a bit bigger. Punisher's supposed to be massive, but isn't supposed to look like a freak.

Grade: A-

You're clearly a huge Punisher fan, Lennon. I won't pretend to know too much about the comics but he is far more interesting than Spiderman or Superman. I read that Welcome Back Frank comic awhile ago. It was pretty good, but to date, that's the only Punisher book i've read.

I still don't understand how the film adaptations have been ****ed up. The Punisher is not that difficult to turn into an entertaining action romp. Jesus.

Easily, change his setting to sunny Tampa, make him slightly less stronger, almost completly relient on guns, and make him get attacked by singers.

But, apart from being a huge Punisher fan, I did like the Punisher 2004.

Thomas Jane saves that film. Single handedly. He makes it worth watching. Oh, that and the fight with The Russian. Apart from that, the film is pretty bland.