Showing posts with label Punisher (title). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Punisher (title). Show all posts

Saturday, September 14, 2024

PUNISHER versus KINGPIN
Face Off (Marvel)
Where:
Punisher #18 When: April 1989
Why: Mike Baron How: Whilce Portacio & Scott Williams

The Story So Far...
Investigating gun & drug running gangs at Malcolm Shabazz High School draws The Punisher into a web of crime that leads from the schoolyard all the way to the very top of the illegal empire overseen by The Kingpin of Crime - Wilson Fisk!

The Punisher's intervention begins a game of cat & mouse as his allies come under fire from The Kingpin's hired muscle and assassins. When one of his closest allies is killed -- The Punisher vows to follow through on her final wish to bring Wilson Fisk to justice. So begins the plot to disrupt The Kingpin's operations and infiltrate his skyscraper fortress for a final showdown!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Kingpin 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Punisher 2 (Average)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Punisher 2 (Average)
Fighting: Kingpin 5 (Martial Arts)
Energy: Punisher 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Draw 22 (Champion)

It's an interesting proposition. As The Punisher: Frank Castle is a one-man army against the sprawling criminal underbelly that took the lives of his wife and children. His methods are uncompromising and lethal, making use of a seemingly endless armory of munitions in his efforts to extinguish any & all crime.

Wilson Fisk lords over much of the criminal activity in New York as its Kingpin -- making him a natural target. His death won't end organized crime in New York City, but at least deals a hefty blow through a vast portfolio of illegal operations.

Of course, killing The Kingpin is no mean feat. Many men on both sides of justice have likely tried, but in addition to a vast network of henchmen and assassins, including Bullseye and Typhoid Mary, he is also himself a proficient hand-to-hand combatant, marshalling incredible skill and muscle, beneath a rotund facade that might lead some to mistakenly assume he's merely overweight, or out of shape.

Although defeated in both instances, we've seen The Kingpin handily hold his own against the super-powered Spider-Man, and the ninja horde of The Hand.

Off the page -- we know the biggest problem for this match-up is The Punisher's intent to kill an enduring icon of Marvel Comics.

War Journal diehards might feel otherwise, but eliminating The Kingpin just isn't a good outcome for the publishing giant, or fans of his villainy. So, the question becomes - does that prevent The Punisher earning a non-lethal victory?

I'm inclined to think there are any number of ways Punisher might execute the win without executing Wilson Fisk. The Kingpin can survive quite a lot, and one way this might play out is a spray of gunfire that appears lethal, but is ultimately survived through Fisk's iron will, and immediate access to top medical attention.

As much as the gloves are on - this is still a more grounded depiction of Punisher. He won't be wielding supernatural weapons like he did against Rhino, or stolen sci-fi tech as he did against The Hood's Syndicate. Which actually means Kingpin might be looking like a good prospect here.

Frank Castle's military training and personal dedication mean he's a very effective hand-to-hand combatant, but against Kingpin's arch-rival Daredevil, he was simply outclassed. DD had the advantage in Daredevil #257, and took care of him soundly in Daredevil (Vol.2) #65. Kingpin might just do the same.

The Tape: Draw Ranking: Punisher (#81)

What Went Down...
Awaiting a helicopter from Atlantic City to assist with his crisis-stricken money laundering operation; The Kingpin is alerted to the helo's arrival -- only to be met with the face of The Punisher on his rooftop security system. The last image he'll see, as the closed circuit monitoring is rendered inoperable.


The Kingpin is surprised by his opponent's moxie, but grateful for the convenience of The Punisher coming directly to him. He knows there is no other course but to dispatch of the militant vigilante personally.

Punisher and Microchip breach the 53rd floor of the building, shooting their way through a small group of opposition with machine gun fire. A successful tactical entry that allows them to plant a controlled explosive charge on the floor -- blasting an opening to The Kingpin's counting room & personal quarters below!

Microchip deploys gas into the suite, but Kingpin's inner sanctum has been fortified and outfitted with contingencies for any number of infiltration outcomes. 

A gas mask is conveniently stowed in a desk drawer at arm's length, protecting Kingpin from the fog that claims his unprotected collaborators.

Punisher & Microchip can't see through the cloud of gas, but have expertly timed each step of their incursion. They're expecting everyone to be knocked out cold, but Frank's a little keen. Microchip adds another five seconds for success, counting for an additional ten before the gas is inert. Their calculations are moot.


A massive hand smashes through the floor beneath them and grabs Microchip by the ankle -- swinging him down to the 52nd level and into a nearby wall!

The Kingpin hits a button to activate a ventilation fan -- clearing the literal fog of war to invite The Punisher to a man-on-man confrontation. He keeps his right foot planted on Microchip's back, threatening to end the hacker's life. He could do it too.

Punisher drops through the hole and lands in The Kingpin's private quarters.

The hulking Kingpin clutches Microchip's skull in his massive, meaty hands, manipulating the hostage onto one knee. He orders Punisher to drop his gun, and presumes rumors of the vigilante losing his edge must be true when he complies.

Punisher rightly presumes Fisk will need to keep Microchip alive to undo the virus wrecking havoc with his financing systems. Kingpin tosses the hacker aside and readies to meet his opponent's advance, toying with his affection for allies lost.


Punisher draws a knife from the back of his belt, but the massive Kingpin is more agile than he seems! He narrowly avoids the swing of the blade, grabbing hold of Punisher's left wrist within his massive hand -- taking control of the weapon!

He chides the vigilante for his reliance upon hardware -- tightening his grip and shaking the knife loose from The Punisher's hand!


Punisher desperately throws his head back -- headbutting Kingpin in face!

He slips his wrist loose and stomps on Kingpin's left foot, using the leeway to draw another knife from his holster!

He throws his left elbow back into The Kingpin's face, twisting his body around to swing the knife towards its massive fleshy target -- but again The Kingpin moves faster than the attack! He grabs the wrist and delivers a brutal right hand!


The Punisher sails through the air -- launched by the incredible punch!

Kingpin follows his grounded prey -- delivering a swift kick to his mid-section!

"You're like a terrier chasing a lion. But what will you do when you catch the lion? I will tell you. You will die."


The Kingpin manhandles his winded foe, grabbing him by the leg and throat with the promise of death.

The Punisher is as good as finished, but a sudden burst of gunfire fills the room and distracts the Kingpin from his foul business.

Vernon Brooks -- a school teacher and collaborator in the break-in -- has gone against orders to linger in case of a situation like this. He knew The Punisher wouldn't negotiate. He knows killing The Kingpin will only lead the streets to run red with blood as new powers vie for the vacuum of power.


Kingpin warns that if he's shot he'll snap The Punisher's neck. Frank tells his compadre to do it anyway, but Vernon Brooks has seen enough bloodshed. He wants to prevent any more. They agree to a 24 hour truce. It's over.

The Hammer...
School teacher with a gun, Vernon Brooks, successfully extracts The Punisher and Microchip, but it's a non-lethal end to a foregone conclusion: Kingpin had the vigilante dead to rights. We'll call Brooks an assist and be on our way.

There's probably an unfortunate observation to be made here about the state of gun control in the United States, and enthusiast's deranged fantasy for addressing the prolific phenomenon of school shootings. Ugly stuff I'd just as soon move away from. I'd rather reminisce about my own relatively carefree childhood.

I don't remember if I was looking up at this issue when I went wide-eyed at the wall of weekly comics cascading down racks at the local newsagency. 1989 was one of the first years I was regularly engaging with comics, and while I think I might've absorbed Kingpin's existence through 60s Spider-Man and pop culture osmosis -- I'm not so sure the combination with Punisher would've been appealing at that young age. The skull logo was cool, but he was still just a guy with guns.

Sure, I liked The Phantom, but a guy with an ammo box just didn't seem exciting to a pup getting to grips with a world of amazing super-powers, and colourful costumes. It took Erik Larsen and palling around with Spidey to get me at all intrigued by the sense of danger that surrounded the character.

Here in 2024 things are a little different. The Punisher is actually one of the titles I'm most anticipating for the exciting release of the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection!

It's out now on digital platforms for PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, but I'm holding out for a disc copy in November. Then I'll be gratefully diving in to all those wonderful fighting games I haven't played in about twenty or so years! A collection I've been hoping would happen for a long time now, given the secondary market is a little pricier than I'm willing to invest in, and I never had the pleasure of actually owning those games. Just arcades and rentals.

Of course, in the case of the 1993 Punisher scrolling beat 'em up -- it's a chance to get my hands on a game I never got the opportunity to play!

Their work was always to a very high standard and that made these some of the best Marvel games ever released. I'd only ever read about The Punisher, and although a tad drier than their X-Men and Marvel Super Heroes titles -- Capcom were fantastic for drawing their inspirations directly from comic books -- and it was clear they were sourcing directly from this period that I'm so fond of.

The licensing habits of Japan in the late eighties and early nineties are really quite intriguing, and perhaps as an outsider to the United States myself, I share in their enthusiasm for that era's urban decay, and grimy action movie aesthetic.

1989 felt like another age by the time 1993 rolled around, so it's intriguing they sourced most of their inspirations for the brawler from that era's issues. I wonder if Marvel had any hand in guiding them towards the more fantastical characters who crossed Frank Castle's path during the period, or if somebody was just a fan. Perhaps the existence of the 1990 NES game elevated the period in their minds.

The '93 game delivers Bushwacker, Bonebreaker, Jigsaw, and even a non-descript robot that was actually Doctor Doom's handiwork when it appeared during the Acts of Vengeance crossover. Good stuff for a video game. A bit more interesting than your run of the mill gun-toting guy in jeans.

If you've been around the site over the years, you know my affection for that villain-swapping storyline, and I rather like the idea of finally getting a chance to [re]visit some of those interesting issues. Of course, I couldn't help but skip right to the game's final boss -- the big bad behind the brawling action!

Punisher and his allies are on the hunt for The Kingpin for a handful of scattered issues before they get to the showdown in Punisher #18. As noted in The Tape: it presents the difficult scenario of a villain Frank Castle can't blow to bits by the end. So how do you handle it? The outcome isn't illogical, but a little unsatisfying.

It's cool that Kingpin got the better of Frank in the fight. I enjoy The Kingpin as a proficient martial arts enthusiast, and I also like to think of Punisher as a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, but a step behind the masters.

What bothers me is his belated arrival at the mutual conclusion that Kingpin is the lesser of evils. A criminal overlord whose demise would open up a vacuum of even greater evil that would impact the kinds of ordinary citizens that perished after joining his crusade, to say nothing of his wife and children.

It's not that it's a bad argument. It's just that my mind always goes straight to that very thought when it comes to a Kingpin endgame, and Punisher has already been presented with the notion throughout the issue, including the earliest planning stages of the assault on Kingpin's tower. That he comes to agree with it only after losing the fight just doesn't ring true. Especially given his motivation to follow through on the wishes of one of his fallen comrades from the prior issue - Conchita Ortiz. A name wielded by Kingpin in spite.

I suppose it speaks to a softening of the character, who had failed to fully consider the consequences of his vigilantism during Frank Miller's Daredevil, and the brilliant Ann Nocenti/John Romita Jr follow-up, which this series crossed over with. Punisher was now a star of his own successful series. A lead character in a mainline Marvel Comics title long before he was segregated into imprints like MAX and allowed to indulge in the most single-mindedly deranged interpretations.

I ultimately prefer this version of the character. The restraints of occasionally going up against iconic villains may risk leaving him feeling a tad toothless, but it's worth propping him up with big names every so often, indulging in the superhero excess of it all. There are certainly worse things for the character than adhering to a moral code - or finding he can't solve all his problems with a gun.

It sure doesn't hurt anything that Whilce Portacio is on pencils with frequent-Jim Lee inker Scott Williams. Like the characterization of Castle, this is a softer style for Portacio, not quite as deep in its shadows and quirks. I like that more abrasive Portacio of his later nineties work, but he's still a great hand throughout these early Punisher issues. It makes me reevaluate my childhood disinterest!

Should we come back to check out more of this now-classic Punisher? If you think so, perhaps you would like to consider becoming a supporter on Patreon. Your patronage will go a long way to helping me out and keeping these updates a little bit more regular than they have been lately. I'd sure appreciate it!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 700 fights and ranked more than 1,000 characters! You can find them all for free by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of battles in order of publisher, series, and issue -- or by hitting links to your favourite topics found throughout each entry.

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Winner: The Kingpin
#455 (+617) Kingpin
#88 (-7) Punisher
#1043 (-124) Microchip
#666 (new) Vernon Brooks [+1 assist]

Friday, May 22, 2009

PUNISHER versus THE HOOD'S SYNDICATE
Living in Darkness: Part 5 (Marvel)
Where:
Punisher #5 When: July 2009
Why: Rick Remender How: Jerome Opena

The Story So Far...
When opportunity presented itself, Norman Osborn branded former Director of SHIELD and man in whom the people put their trust, Tony Stark, a traitor and coward. A conspiracy of events, including the secret invasion of disguised Skrull aliens, created the circumstances through which the former Green Goblin was able to elevate himself from directorial position within the Thunderbolts, to the head of a newly formed intelligence agency replacing the corrupted SHIELD.

Recognising Osborn for the man he truly is -- (rather than the man records show was once wrongly accused of being a super-villain) -- the Punisher sets out to do the thing he knows best: wage a bloody war on the bad guys!

Standing in Frank Castle's way is a network of allies Osborn has formed both on the right and wrong sides of the law. After clashing with membership of Osborn's Avengers, he now faces the ire of card carrying powers from Osborn's secret Cabal, forcing him into a much less public fight with the self-proclaimed "Kingpin of super-villains," Parker Robinson, aka; The Hood. Joined by whiz hacker "Henry," Punisher attempts to turn the tables on his pursuer, but the Hood's demonic powers will provide a twist Frank Castle could not possibly have a contingency for, bringing him face-to-face with an old friend and new enemy...

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Mr. Hyde 5 (Superhuman)
Intelligence: Punisher 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Mr. Hyde 3 (Street Wise)
Stamina: Mr. Hyde 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Razor Fist 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Razor Fist 5 (Martial Arts)
Energy: Punisher 4 (Arsenal)


- When his family was murdered by the mob for witnessing a gangland execution, Frank Castle dedicated himself to a zealous one-man war against all organized crime as The Punisher.

Drawing upon his extensive training as a soldier during the Vietnam War; Castle adopts the death's head skull as his symbol, dealing death to gangsters, drug dealers, kidnappers, and any other criminal who crosses his path.During his career as the Punisher he continues to hone his abilities while also amassing a wealth of standard and unusual munitions, including supernatural and super-science weapons stolen from super-villains he has defeated. Combined with a rare tactical mind for warfare, and his skills in hand-to-hand combat, Frank Castle's arsenal makes him a formidable opponent even for superhuman targets.

Prominent enemies include; Jigsaw, Kingpin, Bullseye, Barracuda, Ma Gnucci. Violent activity in New York has made Punisher a regular sparring partner (and sometimes ally) for heroes such as Spider-man and Daredevil, as well.

Most recently, Castle has set his sights on Norman Osborn; the former Green Goblin who usurped Tony Stark's position as the head of the foremost intelligence agency connected to super-powers. Punisher's attempts at assassination have earned him the attentions of Osborn's allies, including members of the Avengers and the legion of villains operating under the leadership of The Hood.

- The Hood's Super-Villains are: Brothers Grimm (Grimes), Mr. Hyde, Grizzly, Razor Fist, and Microchip.

A series of attacks on rival criminals and low rankings superheroes earned Parker Robinson the role he sought as Kingpin of Super-Villains in New York City. Tigra and the The Owl were among the first key victims in a showing of strength that gained The Hood the trust and loyalty afforded by cult status within the ranks of the underworld.

The Hood's immediate associations include the demonic sorceror who sponsors his powers, Dormammu, as well as members of the secret organization called The Cabal. Their ranks include Norman Osborn, Dr. Doom, Loki, Sub-Mariner, and Emma Frost.
Among the prominent figures holding membership within Hood's syndicate of villains are; Jigsaw, The Wrecking Crew, Madam Masque, The Wizard, Crimson Cowl, The Controller, Electro, Grey Gargoyle, Night Shift, Living Laser, Scarecrow, Nitro, Mr. Hyde, Purple Man, Razor Fist, and Tombstone.

Math: Punisher (Avg) The Hood's Gang (Ttl) Ranking: Punisher (#101)

What Went Down...
Having infiltrated The Hood's base via the use of Ant-Man shrinking technology and a strategic pizza delivery, Punisher successfully storms the villain's street level security, enabling him to go straight for the prize -- The Hood himself!

Following instructions from his tech-advisor, Henry; Punisher navigates toward the basement level of the Hood's establishment. There, Frank Castle comes face-to-face not with the red garbed Kingpin of Supervillains, but rather, his former ally and tech-support, Microchip. His once dead ally attempts to persuade Castle to abandon his violent quest, dangling the prospect of resurrecting his family like a carrot infront of a mule.

Before Castle can send his former partner back to the grave, he's ambushed by one of the tricks of the Brothers Grimm! They, along with Grizzly, Razor Fist, and Mr. Hyde, emerge from the shadows to defend Microchip and Hood's interests.

With Henry piping instructions in his ear, it becomes apparent the Punisher had not entered the fray without anticipating such an arrival. Armed with a stolen alien ice gun, he swiftly incapacitates Mr. Hyde and the other villains within constructs described as having a molecular desnity greater than a small sun. Despite this trivia shared by Henry, Mr. Hyde is able to break free of the ice!

He flings Punisher like a ragdoll, effortlessly sending the vigilante hurtling across the basement space. With blows that have rattled the Hulk and Thor, Hyde swings wildly at the scrambling Punisher, destroying computers and other incidental scenery in his wake. The Punisher evades each strike narrowly, scrambling while Henry formulates a back-up plan.

Cool under pressure, Castle dives for the tiny gun he'd used with dramatic effect in his entrance into the building. Though small, the advanced weapon packs a mighty punch, bathing Hyde in the explosive discharge of his fire.

Though impressive in scope, the weapon fails to phase the immensly powerful Mr. Hyde. Smouldering with his clothes in tatters, Hyde promises a grim fate for the intruding vigilante. Clutching his prey by the ankle, Hyde again tosses him across the basement, this time triggering an explosion from the impact delivered to Punisher's backpack of munitions.

With his weaponry options drastically reduced and his own body suffering the impact of the assault, defeat and even death appear to loom over the Punisher as Mr. Hyde steps over him. With seconds to spare, Henry orders Castle to activate his stolen Ant-Man helmet's external speakers, allowing the tech-whiz to pipe "dungeon metal" at a high frequency uniquely effective against Hyde!

Uneffected by the high pitched Three Inches of Blood concert, a battered Punisher rises to his feet to return to the foyer of the building. The Hood watches from behind the safety of bullet proof glass, while Punisher goes about planting C4 around the criminal headquarters, unable to reach the villain himself.

The Hammer...
With a well earned strategic victory, Punisher is your winner!

If you've been following sporadic activity on the site throughout 2009, you'll know that for the first time in the blog history, we've been focusing on releases from each week. That fact is slightly ironic, given the fact that preoccupation and lack of energy have seen the site slip well over a month behind schedule. Hopefully that'll change sooner than later, but I would hope the spirit of the content makes up for the lack of punctuality. On that subject, you might be surprised to have seen this week's entry overlook the more prominent and inevitable battle in Battle of the Cowl (#3). I'm sure developments in the Bat-books will become a regular talking point in the coming weeks, but one of the most interesting things about blogging the Infinite Wars based upon fights from each week is the opportunity to deliver a very naturally diverse selection of titles. I've made little effort to avoid repeat posts, happily following the most fitting and interesting battles that I've read in whichever title they've happened to be in.

Punisher was a title I tried with it's first issue in January, but was unimpressed with. The series debuted with a somewhat arbitrary #1 to signify the title's relaunch, sans War Journal, a mere two years after that successful relaunch.
As with the War Journal relaunch, the series promises to deliver Punisher stories intrinsically linked with the Marvel Universe itself, in this case, following on from the developments established as "Dark Reign" -- described by Marvel as a "status quo" rather than an event. To that end, they've done very well to live up to their claim, firmly establishing the 'wolf in sheep's clothing' motiff of repositioning Norman Osborn as the ruling denominator of the Marvel Universe.

To Marvel's further credit, a title like this really has been necessary. Over the course of the past decade, the character gradually became increasingly detached from his shared universe origins as he became part of mature reading imprint brands that somewhat divided editorial control over the character. It began with Marvel Knights, but became completely sequestered when the freedom offered by the MAX imprint saw the character's exploits become chiefly adult in nature.

Most of you will know straight away that I'm the kind of guy that loves the concept of the shared narrative of a corporate superhero universe. I must say, I do have a fondness for the more adventurous nature of stories that isolated Punisher. This blog doesn't always adequately convey the multiple dimensions of my interests, or the potential of these characters, but a Punisher free to push the boundaries from concepts derived from he and his world is a good thing. Garth Ennis commands immediate association with the character for his unmistakable style that arguably led to the character's surgical removal from the Marvel U.

All of that said -- I'm glad Punisher's back in the thick of things again (again).

Perhaps because of the subconscious influence of the MK/MAX work - or the fact that Punisher is essentially a murderer fighting in a world of immortal intellectual property licenses - War Journal took the character into seperatist deviations once more. If anything has seperated this version of the title from that one, it's that the topical nature has been returned, all the while the story manages to be tailor made to fit. The first arc has thrown Frank Castle against opponents we knew he would never succeed against, but with this second story arc, the odds changed dramatically as Punisher fixes for a rumble with an army of resurrected D-list villains previously murdered by fellow gun-toter, Scourge of the Underworld.

This isn't the sex and drugs of the MAX comics, but casual fans of the character can rest assured that the compromises are kept to a minimum. The white boots and gloves might be there, but this isn't quite the pacified Punisher you might get carried away with imagining. The location of the Marvel Universe affects the character in ways that really feel like coming home for fans of the character's popular solo exploits in the eighties and nineties. It's a threat of violence with a twist of Marvel iconography that just wouldn't work in the MAX world.
Spending the issue in an Ant-Man helmet pretty much sums it up. It's referencial, a little bit tongue-in-cheek, but with all the zealous direction that makes the Punisher an uncompromising character. (Albeit, with mostly non-lethal results).

A lot of the credit has to go to the art team.
Jerome Opena gives his lines, which are presumably inked by him as well, a suitable roughness that differentiates it from what could be considered a Marvel superhero style. Granted, these days, a lot of the major books will carry rougher art styles and dark colour palettes, but Opena's work walks a line of the emotive competence of the MAX artists, with an accepting flair for Dan Brown's injections of the primary colours that come with fighting super-villains in Marvel comics.

Rick Remender succeeds far beyond his first issue, but I'd be expecting an improvement from the second arc. There's a sense of a common style persistent amongst comics written by certain Marvel writers that can sometimes feel a little lazy. It's competent, but has an air of expected praise for a consistency of tone, rather than the strength or depth of the content. There's a sense at times that Frank Castle has become a passenger in his own title because of this, but between writer and artist, this issue succeeds in dancing somewhere between a classic Marvel style, contemporary tone, and the musky indifference of writers like Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, some Brian Bendis, and a few others. Fans of those names have percentage odds of enjoying the book, but ten years from now, might find themselves looking back with a desire for more protein.

I don't want to be negative about the book, because it definitely turned out to be a pleasant bet on uncertainty. I really hope Remender can continue to grow even more comfortable in the book and capitalize on the rather delicious premise of the resurrected "mort" villains. It was certainly a delight to see the likes of the Brothers Grimm, Razor Fist, and the other villains, even if only in a conceptual cameo role. Fanboy delight aside, I think when these characters aren't so awful that they're redesigned in every appearance, they become the true custodians of the Marvel Universe, telling it's tale through their occasional visits in more involved chunks than anything Spider-man or Wolverine could ever hope for.
I really enjoy the obscure history these characters accumulate, which can be found in example by following some of the character tags on the site. Many, (like Mr. Hyde), haven't got a massive catalogue of examples on offer, but I think you'll note quite quickly how intriguing it is to observe these characters through their various contexts and appearances. In that respect, maybe it's not so bad Frank's killings are restricted to nameless goons and pizza enthusiasts.

NOTE: For more Punisher pizza antics, check out Deadpool: Suicide Kings #2!

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 4.5

Punisher is released monthly by Marvel comics and begins a brand new storyline, "Dead End," with issue #6! For more information about releases check out the weekly shipping lists, or enquire at Marvel.com, your local comic store, or one of the many other comics sites online. If you've got a hankering for some more readings, check out the Gift Shoppe, where you'll find collected editions from most issues reviewed in the Secret Archives on sale via Amazon. By using purchase links on the site, you help punish overpriced retailers and sponsor future justice on the Infinite Wars!