| The Punisher | |
|---|---|
The Punisher vol. 6, #1 (March 2004) Cover art by Tim Bradstreet. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics MAX Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | March 2004 – October 2009 |
| Number of issues | 75 |
| Main character(s) | The Punisher |
| Creative team as of October 2008 | |
| Writer(s) | Gregg Hurwitz |
| Artist(s) | Laurence Campbell |
| Creator(s) | Garth Ennis |
The Punisher: Frank Castle (titled The Punisher prior to issue #66, sometimes referred to as The Punisher MAX) is a comic book ongoing series published under the MAX imprint of Marvel Comics, featuring vigilante anti-hero, the Punisher.
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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 realistic 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 retitled Punisher: Frank Castle, with writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Michel Lacombe coming to the series.[4][5] Victor Gischler came onboard 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.
The series makes it explicit that it does not use a floating timeline like the Marvel Universe, and that the Punisher ages in real time. Promotional art for the cover of Punisher vol. 6, #44 (March 2007), gives his birth date as February 16, 1950, but that was removed for the published issues. The imprint depicts the Punisher as having been active for almost 30 years, 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.
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. 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" took place, Iron Man talked about events in the Punisher’s past from the Marvel Knights and MAX comic:
Whereas the traditional Punisher stories remained within the United States and involved antagonists and settings of conventional domestic crime, stories of the MAX Punisher often focus on current events, ranging from corporate fraud to sexual slavery, and the War on Terror. Many characters are past or current intelligence and military operatives from governmental agencies like the CIA, KGB, Secret Intelligence Service, SAS, militaries and militias from the Balkans and Middle East, also including the IRA, all with agendas rooted in past conflicts like the Cold War or the Yugoslav wars.
| Title | Material collected | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. 01: In the Beginning | The Punisher MAX #1-6 | 2004 | 978-0785113911 |
| Vol. 02: Kitchen Irish | The Punisher MAX #7-12 | 2005 | 978-0785115397 |
| Vol. 03: Mother Russia | The Punisher MAX #13-18 | 2005 | 978-0785116035 |
| Vol. 04: Up Is Down and Black Is White | The Punisher MAX #19-24 | 2005 | 978-0785117315 |
| Vol. 05: The Slavers | The Punisher MAX #25-30 | 2004 | 978-0785118992 |
| Vol. 06: Barracuda | The Punisher MAX #31-36 | 2006 | 978-0785120230 |
| Vol. 07: Man of Stone | The Punisher MAX #37-42 | 2007 | 978-0785121657 |
| Vol. 08: Widowmaker | The Punisher MAX #43-49 | 2007 | 978-0785124542 |
| Vol. 09: Long Cold Dark | The Punisher MAX #50-54 | 2008 | 978-0785128144 |
| Vol. 10: Valley Forge, Valley Forge | The Punisher MAX #55-60 | 2008 | 978-0785127550 |
| Vol. 11: Girls in White Dresses | The Punisher MAX #61-65 | 2009 | 978-0785125204 |
| Vol. 12: Six Hours To Kill | The Punisher: Frank Castle MAX #66-70 | 2009 | 978-0785131823 |
| Vol. 13: Welcome to the Bayou | The Punisher: Frank Castle MAX #71-74 | 2009 | 978-0785133780 |
| 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 |
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