The Punisher Appreciation Thread

It was a 12 issue mini series published in 2000, then was turned into a regular series, but was cancelled when they started the MAX series. Some of the Punisher movie with Tom Jane was based on it.

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I feel weird holding this book. As this was the second Punisher book I've ever bought, it's also in the worst condition. I had a little peanut butter accident and the first page's ink peeled off. Never the less, it is a good book, not the greatest ever, but still a well enough to buy.

It all starts on a cold night, Punisher just doing his, well ya know, punishment. When a girl shoots his target. The targets fellow gang members, imaginably pissed, come after the girl. Frank, being the guy he is, decides to save her and take her back to a hotel room where he learns of a slave ring. While saving her, a cop and his partner comes around, the Punisher, wanting to be bullet-hole free, takes their gun and lockes the guns in their car. A detective from the same department, also working for the said slave ring, he starts a no tolerence Punisher campain. Violence ensues.

Garth Ennis' writings is what really lacks here, it's not so much in the story, but in Ennis' portrayal of Frank Castle. The Punisher I know of could have kicked your ass, and all of your friends asses, he could even rip your ass out and beat you with it. Here, The Punisher is a bit to nice for my taste, I mean sure he's always been nice to civilians that are caught in the crossfires. But he's never just bought them a hotel room and new clothes, he's normally just let them be. Frank also has to study up, I mean wtf, this man has been through war, seen Vietnamese torture people probably. He's been through hell, not much more he can, or should, learn. He also makes a stupid mistake. Again, Frank is not some stupid brute, he's actually smart, he's military trained. The Punisher I know can kick your ass without you knowing it till death.

Leandro Fernandez finally perfected his Punisher character design! The damned head finally goot bigger. Now Frank looks more like a badasss and less like a circus freak I'd pay $5 to see. The old man is legitimatly scary looking and the blood still looks great. Can't complain when something's very good.

Grade: B-

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Thank God for two for ones! I got this with The Slavers, and believe it or not, they share a lot of similarities. Both start off with what seems to be a simple enough job, but lead to a big ol' evil business that Punisher must kill. They both are also good, but they both aren't great.

Like I said, this book's plot starts with Frank, doing his duty, killing cokeheads and cokehoes alike. There he finds a naked, (and freshly butt-raped) civilian, who tells him of an evil scheme by the evil corporation of Dynaco (not the Cars or Toy Story company, I checked.) They plan on periodically blacking out parts of Florida so their stocks will go up. Frank doesn't like that, so he goes to Miami to stop them. Dynaco has a big black man named Barracuda in their corner to fight back.

Ennis' writing again lacks here. I know I've said it once, I'll say it again, The Punisher I know of is smart, strong, and always had a plan. Here, he talks too much and Ennis makes him complain way too much. By issue #35 I was like, "I get it, Barracuda beat you up, a lot" and he kept going. Ennis also wrote in the character of Barracuda, for me, he was way too cartoony and unrealistic. I mean sure Punisher has done crazy-!@#@ before, but Barracuda like tripled that.

Parlov is a good artist, for a cartoon. The Punisher MAX isn't a light book and shouldn't be drawn as such. His backgrounds are too bright and his faces all ended up looking the same (primarily in the eyes.)
Grade: B

This is the type of book I buy and point as evidence that I'm not gay. I would define this as the manliest book I own. You've got five hot chicks, lots of sex, and even bigger guns. I loved the whole thing!

Those babes I mentioned are also widows, Punisher-made widows. They are really pissed off, and think of a genius idea, try to kill the Punisher. This imaginably doesn't go well because of a thought to be dead little sister, getting revenge for her bad marriage, ended by the Punisher.

Garth Ennis' writing finally came back to his true greatness. I really liked that he told some of the stories, behind some of the grunts, and how he's really just doing to them, what was done to him. IT's good for drama, and like I've said before, Punisher is supposed to be dramatic, and it also has to have heads being blown off. With that said, I must say I was dissapointed with the end, the kills weren't good, Punisher didn't kill, and we didn't even need the black cop.

Lan Medina's art was very good though. He knows how to draw, ummmm, rather large in chest area women. Being a hetrosexual male, I loved this. His Punisher character design is good, he has a thing for drawing faces and he doesn't rely on shadows too much.

Grade: A

Why did I not read this first? It's not that this isn't a good book, in fact it's a great book. It never bored me, and I liked the art. I guess I just had a cracked out moment. While not being in the same timeframe as other MAX stories, it's one of my favorites and still an A book.

Have you ever wondered why Frank is the way he is? Where he learned how to kill people so efficently? It's because of the Vietnam War, for years it remained a mystery of what exactly happened. Now Garth Ennis has told us what happened during Frank's third tour he almost didn't come home from.

Garth Ennis' writing here is really good. He captures a war-time people, a scared private, and a desperate to keep his war going, Frank Castle. I mean sure I didn't agree with many of the things Frank did, but I could see why he did it. His situation was so crappy it was almost comical, but Frank still kept his duty of killing and protecting. I also did like that Ennis' touched on many themes that could be adapted into the Iraq War.

Darick Robertson's art is also good. Seeing a young Frank Castle is really cool, and his portrayl of the Vietnam War is very accurate (from what I've seen on the History Channel,) I guess it pays to watch documentaries. The whole last issue is just so awesome looking that I want to get some of the iconic shots of Frank blown up and put in my room. Although, at times he does relly a bit too much on the shadow, but that can be forgiven.

Grade: A-

Keep in mind, this is from #61- 63, so it might get a lot better.

For those interested, the non-faithful, but Lennon still enjoys, The Punisher movie will be on FX Wed. Oct 22, at 7 P.M. and on Oct. 23 at 4:00 P.M.

All times EST.

I love the Punisher. He's my favourite comic "hero" of all time. Max is an incredible series, and the movie from 04 is my favourite comic book movie. Punisher War Zone wasnt the best, but it personified the Max series pretty well.

Best news I've heard all day.

For those interested: Steve Dillon and Jason Aaron's new Punisher book is previewed in Punisher MAX #75.

Great Thread. The Punisher is the coolest Hero in the Marvel-Universe. I used to read lot of "War Zone" Stuff when I was younger. Don`t buy Comics anymore, but Garth Ennis makes a good job. Old School-Favorites: "Psychoville", "Punisher kills the Marvel Universe" and the Silver-Sable/Venom Crossovers.

I was looking at some of the Punisher in Daredevil and I thought the fans would be more than happy with how he's been handled. I only know the character from the films but it seems to me that John Bernthal could be the best screen Punisher. My favourite is Thomas Jane and I loved Dirty Laundry, but I'm very impressed with this new take on Frank Castle and I'm very interested to see him in his own series.

By the way, I always liked Daredevil too; again just the idea of him in Ben Affleck's film.

I had the first appearance of the Punisher in comics (Amazing Spider-Man #129), bought it for $2, and it ended up being worth $300-400 dollars when I sold it. Now its probably worth a grand.



I havent seen the netFlix Daredevils yet, but am hearing alot of great stuff from it. I especially like D'onofrio cast as the Kingpin

The first storylines that really sunk Punnys teeth into me were some Daredevils and a Spider-Man annual done by Frank Miller. Miller likes the Punisher, and Ive always enjoyed his take on Frank Castle the most.

Yeah, he's great from what I've seen. I mean I remember him most from Full Metal Jacket and he was big enough there but he looks huge in this, and really physically threatening too.

Enjoying da hell out of some Daredevil, been gooshing over it in my review thread.

I like Jon Bernthal, good actor, but prefer Thomas Jane. He just looks like Frank Castle compared to Bernthal.

Neither would be better than this guy though. Jeffrey Dean Morgan would be the perfect Punisher. imo

The actor's name is Jeffrey Dean Morgan not Henry.