| The Punisher (vol. 4) | |
|---|---|
Cover of The Punisher vol. 4, 1 (April 2000). Art by Tim Bradstreet. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics Marvel Knights |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | Crime, superhero |
| Publication date | April 2000 – March 2001 |
| Number of issues | 12 |
| Main character(s) | Punisher |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Garth Ennis |
| Penciller(s) | Steve Dillon |
| Inker(s) | Jimmy Palmiotti |
| Letterer(s) | Comicraft Wes Abbott Richard Starkings |
| Colorist(s) | Chris Sotomayor |
| Editor(s) | Jimmy Palmiotti Joe Quesada |
| Collected editions | |
| Welcome Back, Frank | ISBN 0-7851-3384-4 |
The Punisher (also known as The Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank) is a twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Garth Ennis with art by Steve Dillon and published under the Marvel Knights imprint of Marvel Comics. The series features the vigilante anti-hero the Punisher and ran from April 2000 to March 2001.
Contents |
The story continued in Ennis' The Punisher vol. 5 ongoing series.
Frank re-establishes himself in New York City by taking on the Gnucci crime syndicate. Detective Soap is assigned to "catch" the Punisher; it is purely a P.R. move as the cops do not really want to. Frank turns Soap to his side, getting him to pass information on local crime syndicates.
Against his will, Frank gains three loyal friends in his neighbors, Joan the Mouse, Mr. Bumpo, and Spacker Dave. All end up helping him in his fight against the Gnuccis, partly out of self-defense as the criminals learn where Frank lives. Spacker suffers torture at the hands of the Gnuccis, unwilling to give up Frank's location.
In the end, the Gnuccis are destroyed, no longer a threat. Soap becomes police commissioner. Frank's friends find themselves wealthy with stolen Gnucci money and Frank himself has moved on. Joan and Spacker would play larger roles in Frank's life later. Bumpo suffers a medical accident ("something important fell out of his bottom") and must live in the hospital.
The series was collected in a trade paperback, along with Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe, as The Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank (Marvel, hardcover, ISBN 0-7851-3384-4; softcover, ISBN 0-7851-0783-5; Panini, softcover, ISBN 1904159214), which became the informal series title.
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