The Punisher (2004 series)

The Punisher (re-titled Frank Castle: The Punisher after issue #66; sometimes referred to as The Punisher MAX) was a comic book ongoing series published under the MAX imprint of Marvel Comics, featuring vigilante and anti-hero the Punisher.

This article is about the comic book series. For the film from the same year, see The Punisher (2004 film).

The Punisher
The Punisher #1 (March 2004), cover art by Tim Bradstreet.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics MAX Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing series
Publication date	March 2004 – October 2009
No. of issues	75, plus 1 Annual
Main character(s)	The Punisher
Creative team as of October 2008
Created by	Garth Ennis
Written by	Garth Ennis Gregg Hurwitz
Artist(s)	Laurence Campbell

Publication history

Garth Ennis, also writer of the 2000 and 2001 Punisher series, wrote issues #1-60 of the series. Also like the earlier series, Tim Bradstreet provided the covers for those issues. Continuing his run on the character, Ennis used the freedom of the MAX imprint to write more graphic and hard-edged stories than had previously been seen.[1][2] Ennis also wrote two miniseries accompanying the main series, The Punisher Presents: Barracuda and The Punisher: Born. Several one-shots were also produced, some written by Ennis and some by other writers.

With issue #61, Gregg Hurwitz replaced Ennis as writer, joining artist Laurence Campbell to do a five-issue story arc.[3] With issue #66 released on January 21, 2009, the series was re-titled Frank Castle: The Punisher, with writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Michel Lacombe coming to the series.[4][5] Victor Gischler came on board for the storyline "Welcome to the Bayou" in issues #71-74[6][7] before the title finished with issue #75, a double-length issue with stories by Thomas Piccirilli, Gregg Hurwitz, Duane Swierczynski, Peter Milligan, and Charlie Huston.[8]

The title was relaunched as PunisherMAX in late 2009, with writer Jason Aaron and artist Steve Dillon.

Plot

Differences with the mainstream Marvel Universe Punisher

The series explicitly does not use a floating timeline like the mainstream Marvel Universe, instead presenting a Punisher who ages in real time. Gravestones and other references indicate that his family was killed in 1976. The Punisher has been active for almost 30 years at the time presented in most stories, with issue #19 specifying that he has killed approximately 2,000 people. The Punisher: Born also establishes that the Punisher's service in the Vietnam War is still in MAX continuity.

Promotional art for the cover of Punisher #44 (March 2007), gives Frank Castle's birth date as February 16, 1950, but that was removed for the published issues. The story "Valley Forge, Valley Forge" corroborates this date, referring to Castle as "a twenty-one year old Captain" in April 1971.

Another major difference is the complete lack of superheroes and supervillains in the series, although non-superpowered characters from the Punisher's past, most notably Microchip, do make appearances. Nick Fury also makes several notable appearances, with his characterization echoing Ennis' MAX-imprint Fury stories. However, the character Jen Cooke, a social worker, appeared in the Marvel Knights storyline "Hidden". She then appeared in the MAX storyline "Slavers". The character Yorkie Mitchell made appearances in both the Marvel Knights and the MAX Punisher comics.

In the Civil War Files comic, just before the "Civil War" storyline was published, Iron Man talked about events in the Punisher's past from the Marvel Knights and MAX comics, which indicated that it did happen in the mainstream Marvel Universe at some point:

• "Captain Frank Castle, sole survivor of the Firebase Valley Forge massacre".
• "Although recently Castle has escalated his war on crime even further, with record-breaking body counts, he is paradoxically now rarely encountered in the field by any super hero save Daredevil".
• "It's almost like he inhabits two worlds, one where heroes can capture him and one where they can't, and he can slip from one to the other with ease".[9]

Many characters are past or current intelligence and military operatives from governmental agencies like the American CIA, the Soviet KGB and the British SIS and SAS and militaries and militias from the Balkans, the Middle East and the IRA, all with agendas rooted in past conflicts like the Cold War or the Yugoslav Wars.

Prints

Issues

No.	Title	Cover date	Comic Book Roundup rating	Estimated sales (first month)	Rated
#1	In the Beginning Part One	March 2004	9.0 by two professional critics.[10]	56,350, ranked 20th in North America[11]	PAL/EC[12]
#2	In the Beginning Part Two	March 2004	6.5 by one professional critic.[13]	49,197, ranked 24th in North America[14]	PAL/EC[15]
#3	In the Beginning Part 3	April 2004
#4	In the Beginning Part 4
#5	In the Beginning Part 5
#6	In the Beginning Part 6: Conclusion
#7	Kitchen Irish Part One
#8	Kitchen Irish Part Two
#9	Kitchen Irish Part Three
#10	Kitchen Irish Part Four
#11	Kitchen Irish Part Five
#12	Kitchen Irish Part Six
#13	Mother Russia Part One
#14	Mother Russia Part Two
#15	Mother Russia Part Three
#16	Mother Russia Part Four
#17	Mother Russia Part Five
#18	Mother Russia Part Six
#19	Up is Down and Black is White Part One
#20	Up is Down and Black is White Part Two
#21	Up is Down and Black is White Part Three
#22	Up is Down and Black is White Part Four
#23	Up is Down and Black is White Part Five
#24	Up is Down and Black is White Conclusion
#25	The Slavers Part 1
#26	The Slavers Part 2
#27	The Slavers Part 3
#28	The Slavers Part 4
#29	The Slavers Part 5
#30	The Slavers Conclusion
#31	Barracuda Part One
#32	Barracuda Part Two
#33	Barracuda Part Three
#34	Barracuda Part 4
#35	Barracuda Part 5
#36	Barracuda Part 6
#37	Man of Stone Part One
#38	Man of Stone Part Two
#39	Man of Stone Part Three
#40	Man of Stone Part Four
#41	Man of Stone Part Five
#42	Man of Stone Conclusion
#43	Widowmaker Part 1
#44	Widowmaker Part Two
#45	Widowmaker Part Three
#46	Widowmaker Part Four
#47	Widowmaker Part Five
#48	Widowmaker Part Six
#49	Widowmaker Conclusion
#50	Long Cold Dark Part One
#51	Long Cold Dark Part Two
#52	Long Cold Dark Part Three
#53	Long Cold Dark Part Four
#54	Long Cold Dark Conclusion
#55	Valley Forge, Valley Forge Part One
#56	Valley Forge, Valley Forge Part Two
#57	Valley Forge, Valley Forge Part Three
#58	Valley Forge, Valley Forge Part Four
#59	Valley Forge, Valley Forge Part Five
#60	Valley Forge, Valley Forge Part Conclusion
#61	Girls in White Dresses Part One: Quinceañera
#62	Girls in White Dresses Part 2: Another Day in Paradise
#63	Girls in White Dresses Part 3: She is Dead
#64	Girls in White Dresses Part 4: Satan Dust
#65	Girls in White Dresses Part 5: Jigsaw

As of issue #66, the series was officially re-titled Frank Castle: The Punisher.

No.	Title	Cover date	Comic Book Roundup rating	Estimated sales (first month)	Rated
#66	Six Hours to Kill Chapter One: The Weak End
#67	Six Hours to Kill Chapter Two: Field Day
#68	Six Hours to Kill Chapter Three: Hour Game
#69	Six Hours to Kill Chapter Four: Minute Men
#70	Six Hours to Kill Chapter Five: No More Second Chances
#71	Welcome to the Bayou
#72	Welcome to the Bayou Part 2
#73	Welcome to the Bayou Part 3
#74	Welcome to the Bayou Conclusion
#75	Dolls/Gateway/Ghoul/Father's Day/Smallest Bit of This

Collected editions

Trade paperbacks

Title	Material collected	Writer	Artist	Year	ISBN
Vol. 01: In the Beginning	The Punisher MAX #1-6	Garth Ennis	Lewis Larosa	2004	978-0785113911
Vol. 02: Kitchen Irish	The Punisher MAX #7-12	Garth Ennis	Leandro Fernandez	2005	978-0785115397
Vol. 03: Mother Russia	The Punisher MAX #13-18	Garth Ennis	Dougie Braithwaite	2005	978-0785116035
Vol. 04: Up is Down and Black is White	The Punisher MAX #19-24	Garth Ennis	Leandro Fernandez	2005	978-0785117315
Vol. 05: The Slavers	The Punisher MAX #25-30	Garth Ennis	Leandro Fernandez	2004	978-0785118992
Vol. 06: Barracuda	The Punisher MAX #31-36	Garth Ennis	Goran Parlov	2006	978-0785120230
Vol. 07: Man of Stone	The Punisher MAX #37-42	Garth Ennis	Leandro Fernandez	2007	978-0785121657
Vol. 08: Widowmaker	The Punisher MAX #43-49	Garth Ennis	Lan Medina	2007	978-0785124542
Vol. 09: Long Cold Dark	The Punisher MAX #50-54	Garth Ennis	Howard Chaykin (#50), Goran Parlov (#51-54)	2008	978-0785128144
Vol. 10: Valley Forge, Valley Forge	The Punisher MAX #55-60	Garth Ennis	Goran Parlov	2008	978-0785127550
Vol. 11: Girls in White Dresses	The Punisher MAX #61-65	Gregg Hurwitz	Laurence Campbell	2009	978-0785125204
Vol. 12: Six Hours to Kill	Frank Castle: The Punisher MAX #66-70	Duane Swierczynski	Michael Lacombe	2009	978-0785131823
Vol. 13: Welcome to the Bayou	Frank Castle: The Punisher MAX #71-74	Victor Gischler	Goran Parlov	2009	978-0785133780

Hardcovers

Title	Material collected	Year	ISBN
Volume 1	The Punisher MAX #1-12	2005	978-0785118404
Volume 2	The Punisher MAX #13-24	2006	978-0785120223
Volume 3	The Punisher MAX #25-36	2007	978-0785119814
Volume 4	The Punisher MAX #37-49	2007	978-0785114178
Volume 5	The Punisher MAX #50-60	2009	978-0785137825
Volume 6	The Punisher MAX #61-74	2011	978-0785156567

Complete Collections

Title	Material collected	Year	ISBN
Volume 1	The Punisher: Born (#1-4) "In the Beginning" (The Punisher #1-6) "Kitchen Irish" (The Punisher #7-12)	February 2016	978-1302900151
Volume 2	"Mother Russia" (The Punisher #13-18) "Up is Down and Black is White" (The Punisher #19-24) "The Slavers" (The Punisher #25-30)	April 2016	978-1302900168
Volume 3	"Barracuda" (The Punisher #31-36) "Man of Stone" (The Punisher #37-42) "Widowmaker" (The Punisher #43-49)	October 2016	978-1302901875
Volume 4	Punisher Presents: Barracuda MAX "Long Cold Dark" (The Punisher #50-54) "Valley Forge, Valley Forge" (The Punisher #55-60) Punisher: The Tyger Punisher: The Cell Punisher: The End	December 2016	978-1302902445
Volume 5	Punisher MAX Annual 2007 Punisher: Force of Nature Punisher MAX Special: Little Black Book "Girls in White Dresses" (Frank Castle: The Punisher MAX #61-65) "Six Hours to Kill" (Frank Castle: The Punisher MAX #66-70) "Welcome to the Bayou" (Frank Castle: The Punisher MAX #71-74) Frank Castle: The Punisher MAX #75 ("Dolls", "Gateway", "Ghoul", "Father's Day", "Smallest Bit of This")	February 2017	978-1302902742
Volume 6	Punisher MAX X-Mas Special #1 Punisher MAX: Naked Kill Punisher MAX: Get Castle Punisher MAX: Butterfly Punisher MAX: Happy Ending Punisher MAX: Hot Rods of Death[16] Punisher MAX: Tiny Ugly World Untold Tales of the Punisher MAX (#1-5)	August 2017	978-1302907396

Omnibuses

Title	Material collected	Year	ISBN
Vol. 1	The Punisher: Born (#1-4) "In the Beginning" (The Punisher #1-6) "Kitchen Irish" (The Punisher #7-12) "Mother Russia" (The Punisher #13-18) "Up is Down and Black is White" (The Punisher #19-24) "The Slavers" (The Punisher #25-30)	May 2018	978-1302912079
Vol. 2	"Barracuda" (The Punisher #31-36) "Man of Stone" (The Punisher #37-42) "Widowmaker" (The Punisher #43-49) "Long Cold Dark" (The Punisher #50-54) "Valley Forge, Valley Forge" (The Punisher #55-60) Punisher Presents: Barracuda MAX #1-5 Punisher: The Tyger Punisher: The Cell Punisher: The End	August 2018	978-1302912062

Reception

The series holds an average rating of 7.9 by 40 professional critics on the review aggregation website Comic Book Roundup.[17]

In other media

Film

• The 2008 movie Punisher: War Zone starring Ray Stevenson is inspired by Punisher MAX, most notably incorporating characters from that series such as Gaitano Cesare, Carmine "Pittsy" Gazzerra, Ink, Cristu Bulat, Tiberiu Bulat and Maginty. The scene where Frank Castle/the Punisher kills Gaitano Cesare and the other mobsters is also taken directly from the storyline "In the Beginning", albeit cutting the head for the former instead of a headshot.

Television

• The second season of Daredevil adapts the "Kitchen Irish" story arc, while adding in the titular character into the story alongside Frank Castle/the Punisher (portrayed by Jon Bernthal).
• The first season of The Punisher has William Rawlins as its main antagonist, a character who originated in Punisher MAX.

References

1. Brady, Matt (July 11, 2007). "Max'ing Out the Future: Axel Alonso Talks Marvel MAX". Newsarama. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009.
2. "Punisher War Journal #4 Review". ComiXtreme.
3. Punisher #61 (October 2008) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
4. "Exclusive Preview: Punisher: Frank Castle #66". Newsarama.
5. Richards, Dave (January 16, 2009). "Swierczynski On Frank Castle: Punisher". Comic Book Resources.
6. Richards, Dave (April 29, 2009). "Swamp Things: Gischler Talks Punisher MAX". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
7. Rogers, Vaneta (June 9, 2009). "Welcome to the Bayou, Frank: Victor Gischler on Punisher MAX". Newsarama. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
8. Quesada, Joe (July 14, 2009). "Cup O' Joe: Thor, X-Factor, Punisher MAX". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
9. "Civil War Files #1 (September 2006)". Marvel.com.
10. "PUNISHER MAX #1". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
11. "January 2004 Comic Book Sales Figures". comichron.com. The Comics Chronicles. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
12. "PUNISHER (2004) #1". Marvel.com. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
13. "PUNISHER MAX #2". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
14. "January 2004 Comic Book Sales Figures". comichron.com. The Comics Chronicles. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
15. "PUNISHER (2004) #2". Marvel.com. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
16. "The Punisher Gets Road Rage in 'Punisher Max'"
17. "PUNISHER MAX". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-12-12.

External links

• Punisher (2004) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
• Frank Castle: The Punisher at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
• Punisher at the Grand Comics Database