Punisher War Journal

I’m only half gone! This blog is on an unannounced semi hiatus while my life settles itself down. I’m pretty much just on mobile now which limits my posting, and also I miss Ask notifications. I apologize for that!

As for your question, admittedly 2099 is the one Punisher series I didn’t actually read in depth. I couldn’t really get into it so I never gave it much more time. I imagine it’s a bit of both? Certain older Punisher comics that aren’t 2099 seem to straddle that weird line as well, where you’re not certain if it’s over the top on purpose. The EXTREME kind of era of comics was an amusing thing. This may inspire me to take another look at it. I mainly remember Vendetta sounding interesting to me, since I tend to like when a second character takes the mantle for themselves.

But honestly.

This has to be self-aware.

Punisher Holiday Special #2

The Punisher #7

You’re very flattering! I appreciate it. I truly love having an excuse to talk about this character, so I’m glad you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. As always, if there is something in particular you’re curious about, feel free to ask!

Or cake? Cake helps. Everybody likes cake...

The Punisher #10

Punisher MAX #75

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: I can honestly tell you that I could barely read Last Days. a) I’ve been too busy to sit and focus intently, and more importantly b) I am very fed up with Edmondson’s run on the character. As a result, if something I say here rings false, please let me know? It’s probably because I honestly couldn’t bring myself to focus on it much further than this. I could have very well missed a very poignant word bubble, but I doubt that would do much to sway my overall distaste with it.

Last Days is generic, lazily written, and uses a bunch of stereotypes for Arabic foes who have captured a bunch of American hostages! You get two whole issues of Frank threatening and shooting dudes in the most uninspired plot I’ve seen in a long time!

Garth Ennis made his antagonists something you hated. You feared them, loathed them, and felt disgusted by them. That was what made the stories so gripping. Nathan Edmondson gives us cardboard cutout terrorists who don’t even seem very threatening. There’s no story. There’s no drama. No build up to this happening, and therefore no gratification when it’s over. No feeling of sick, shameful relief that a monster has been destroyed – by a bigger monster, arguably. On that note: there’s no introspection of that same sort of darkness existing within Frank himself.

Instead… we have a generic terrorist group with the motivation of “death to America,” essentially. It’s a dull sort of grind of just idly seeing Frank shoot a bunch of racial stereotypes with very little opposition. Sure, he wears down eventually, but I actually find myself bored. That’s the thing: this is my favorite character, presumably bleeding to death in this comic, and I actually do not care! I have been given absolutely no reason to care. That is a feat!

The triumphant cry of “I came here… for punishment!” is supposed to gain some emotional reaction but those sorts of lines always come off comical.

I enjoy this character for many reasons. I find several people who do not enjoy him sometimesassume a lot of negative things about him – and I feel like Last Days (and all of this run) confirms a lot of those terrible stereotypes by making them canon! I don’t read Punisher comics to just see a dude shoot racial stereotypes while a vaguely dramatic monologue plays out in black boxes. I have a hard enough time convincing people that Frank Castle can be a compelling character without stories like this being published in 2015.

Punisher MAX #75

I’m excited! I talked about the casting before. I do think Daredevil is a great way to introduce Frank as a character. I am a big fan of Matt and Frank’s dynamic in comics, so this makes me happy. I think introducing him as an antagonist first is a good approach for a shared-universe setting, instead of just launching him into his own series – which he may eventually get! Who knows.

Hello and thank you! You’re very flattering. This will be a short reply because I am going to be working on a full, proper recommended reading page once I have more free time. This is a very clipped version, for which I apologize, but I promise to have a full list with issue numbers/etc soon!

For the time being, there’s both 616 and MAX. For MAX recs, I will point you here! For 616 it gets more complicated.

If you want 616 runs that are similar to MAX, the best way to go is Greg Rucka or Garth Ennis’ early Punisher work (beginning with Welcome Back, Frank). Other 616 runs get very difficult to recommend, in my opinion, because certain people don’t like an added silliness that comes from Frank being part of the whole Marvel Universe, and other people do! Also, a lot of the more recent-ish stories are not the sort I’d suggest, so it means clawing way back into older issues which aren’t perfect simply due to not aging well.

Personally, while it’s not perfect, I enjoy Rick Remender’s run on the character. This leads into Franken-Castle, which many people balk at, but I always found it to be very self-aware in how it was having fun and doing something unique.

If you want to go way back, early Punisher by Steven Grant (Circle of Blood), Mike Baron (volume one), Chuck Dixon (War Zone) and Carl Potts (Punisher War Journal) are enjoyable! Keep in mind these are older comics, and tend to go towards the overdramatic. However, they do lay a lot of groundwork for things Ennis and modern writers reused. Most of these long, early series go up and down in quality as creative teams shift around and I intend to break apart ideal arcs when I make a proper page. Marvel Knights also by Chuck Dixon is also an entertaining team book featuring Frank and other Marvel characters; it’s a bit silly too, and a much better version of Frank on a/versus a team. On that note…

Things I don’t recommend are the current Punisher run by Nathan Edmondson, Frank’s recent appearance on the Thunderbolts teams, or Matt Fraction’s War Journal. The latter has some all right moments, but generally the run is a bit odd for reasons that will take awhile to get into!

Teams-ups/books focusing on Frank and other Marvel characters that I suggest are: Marvel Knights, Powerless, Frank’s appearances in Moon Knight, his appearances in Daredevil (however the actual book Punisher vs Daredevil is rather lacking), and Captain America: Blood & Glory, specifically.

You’re the man who killed my husband.

Punisher MAX #46

Punisher MAX: The Tyger

Garth Ennis + John Severin

As is inescapable with comics, variations on characters will arise. Garth Ennis is responsible for reshaping and defining the modern characterization of Frank Castle, and in The Tyger he explored Frank Castle as a child more than any other author. There are several revelations in this oneshot, and most notably is Frank’s demeanor even as a child.

It was, and sometimes still is, a habit to characterize Frank as a glowing, extroverted and gushingly affectionate family man before the events of Central Park. Which, in reflection, doesn’t actually line up well. Such a drastic change in disposition might not be considered unreasonable, especially when older comics depicted Frank as more openly mournful and overdramatic -- but it doesn’t fit the modern interpretation of Frank Castle, as a somber, dark, jaded man who honestly cannot remember his family anymore; who continues his work not strictly because of his family, but because it’s all he can do.

Punisher #10

If “dark, gritty, realistic” is what you want specfically, then yes! MAX is definitely the way to go! The Punisher MAX universe is its own ‘real’ world: no heroes exist, no super powers or anything of the sort; there’s just the Punisher. It also has the adult label, which allows the narrative to go into darker places. This run does go into sensitive issues such as child abuse, sex trafficking, and has very graphic violence. I usually assume that if someone is asking about the Punisher, they expect these things, but I may as well make that clear.

Garth Ennis’ full run (which is volume one, #1-60) is incredible and very gripping; without a doubt the best take on the character. There is also the mini-series Born, which talks about Frank in Vietnam (although I do not recommended reading it first! I think it has more impact after reading MAX in full) and three one shots, The Tyger; The Cell; and The End. The oneshots are meant to frame the beginning, middle, and end of Frank’s life. The latter I haven’t reread in some time, since I don’t remember enjoying it? Although it’s been some time for me, so your mileage may vary!

MAX does continue after issue 60 with other creative teams, but I find the quality lacking by comparison. I don’t really recommend it, or any of the other independent oneshots for MAX. I did, however, like issue 75, which is an anniversary issue with some worthwhile short stories.

Jason Aaron takes over for volume two, and I enjoy the beginning of that run, but I feel it falls apart after the second arc. That’s my taste, however! I won’t go into that specifically for the moment.

You can also try Ennis’ 616/Marvel Knights run, which he wrote prior to MAX. It’s less somber and cold, and more crudely humorous instead; much like his work on The Boys. I also suggest Greg Rucka, which is 616, but is also a very good take on the character under that same kind of dark lens.

...try not to make a wrong turn.

Powerless #5