The Punisher (1986 limited series)
Encyclopedia
The Punisher was a five-issue comic book
limited series
published by Marvel Comics
in 1986, starring the fictional vigilante the Punisher
. It was written by Steven Grant
, and illustrated by Mike Zeck
and Mike Vosburg
.
In keeping with its hard-boiled premise, The Punisher included several events rare in Marvel Comics publisher in the mid-1980s: a suicide, the death of an innocent child, and the main character having intercourse. In issue #3, the warden of Rykers prison (who assisted in the Punisher's prison break) committed suicide when faced with the options of battling the Punisher or going to prison himself. Also in issue #3, Marcus Coriander, a small time numbers runner used as a proxy crime boss by the Kingpin
, accidentally kills an innocent girl while exchanging gunfire with the Punisher. In issue #2, the Punisher is nursed back to health by Angela, a plant by Punisher's enemies "The Trust". In one panel, Angela states that "everything I have is yours." In the next panel, the Punisher is shown walking away from a bed containing a nude Angela; intimating they had had sex.
(script), and Big John Beatty (inks)." The covers were paintings by Mike Zeck and Phil Zimelman.
that he has killed the Kingpin. The purpose of this is to start a gang war where the criminals will kill themselves. The Punisher then becomes concerned by the large number of innocent people caught in the crossfire.
has been brainwashed and become a member of the Punishment Squad. The Punisher defeats Jigsaw, but is captured by Alarec and placed in the conditioning room.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
in 1986, starring the fictional vigilante the Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
. It was written by Steven Grant
Steven Grant
Steven Grant is an American comic-book writer best known for his 1985-1986 Marvel Comics mini-series Punisher, with artist Mike Zeck and for his creator-owned character Whisper.-Biography:...
, and illustrated by Mike Zeck
Mike Zeck
Mike Zeck is an American comic book illustrator.-Biography:Zeck was born in Greenville, Pennsylvania to Michael and Kathryn Jean Zeck...
and Mike Vosburg
Mike Vosburg
Mike Vosburg is an American comic book artist primarily known for his work on the Tales from the Crypt TV series.-Biography:...
.
History
In the early 1980s, Grant and Zeck proposed creating a Punisher miniseries. The company was initially uncomfortable with the idea of a protagonist who killed in cold blood. However, as crime increased nationally throughout the decade, Marvel responded by testing the market for such a character and then publishing though not initially promoting a miniseries which debuted in January 1986. The initial issue had a banner indicating that the series would be four issues long; however, the series had always been intended to have five issues, and the banner was an error that recurred throughout the entire run.In keeping with its hard-boiled premise, The Punisher included several events rare in Marvel Comics publisher in the mid-1980s: a suicide, the death of an innocent child, and the main character having intercourse. In issue #3, the warden of Rykers prison (who assisted in the Punisher's prison break) committed suicide when faced with the options of battling the Punisher or going to prison himself. Also in issue #3, Marcus Coriander, a small time numbers runner used as a proxy crime boss by the Kingpin
Kingpin (comics)
The Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
, accidentally kills an innocent girl while exchanging gunfire with the Punisher. In issue #2, the Punisher is nursed back to health by Angela, a plant by Punisher's enemies "The Trust". In one panel, Angela states that "everything I have is yours." In the next panel, the Punisher is shown walking away from a bed containing a nude Angela; intimating they had had sex.
Publication
Issues #1, #3, and #4 had banners promoting a four-issue limited series; and issues #2 and #5 promote a five-issue series due to a production error (the first and last issues were due to be double-sized, but the last one was split). Mike Zeck was the artist on the first four issues and Mike Vosburg was the penciller of #5. The splash page of issue #5 has a caption stating, "Special thanks to true pros Mike Vosburg (pencils), Jo DuffyJo Duffy
Jo Duffy, sometimes credited as Mary Jo Duffy is a comic book editor and writer, known for her work for Marvel Comics in the 1980s, and DC Comics and Image Comics in the 1990s.-Biography:...
(script), and Big John Beatty (inks)." The covers were paintings by Mike Zeck and Phil Zimelman.
"Circle of Blood" (January 1986)
The Punisher is sprung from Rykers prison by the Trust, a citizens organization whose purpose is to make America great by brainwashing criminals and making them part of their "Punishment Squad". This group wears uniforms similar to the Punisher's and kills criminals. A man named Alarec is in charge of this operation."Back to the War" (February 1986)
After being rescued by Angel, a female operative of the Trust, the Punisher falsely tells Ben UrichBen Urich
Ben Urich is a Marvel Comics character, usually appearing in comic books featuring Daredevil and Spider-Man. Created by Roger McKenzie and Gene Colan, he first appeared in Daredevil #153 ....
that he has killed the Kingpin. The purpose of this is to start a gang war where the criminals will kill themselves. The Punisher then becomes concerned by the large number of innocent people caught in the crossfire.
"Slaughterday" (March 1986)
The Punisher forces mob leaders (at gunpoint) to have a meeting to stop the gang war. Force is necessary, because the Trust had previously used a purported gang meeting to kill a number of criminals."Final Solution" (April 1986)
The Punisher attacks Alarec's home and finds that JigsawJigsaw (comics)
Jigsaw, in comics, may refer to:* Jigsaw , a Marvel Comics supervillain and enemy of the Punisher* Jigsaw , a Harvey Comics character and the star of two eponymous series...
has been brainwashed and become a member of the Punishment Squad. The Punisher defeats Jigsaw, but is captured by Alarec and placed in the conditioning room.
"Final Solution, Part 2" (April 1986)
The Punisher escapes the brainwashing room because his weapons and clothing were not removed when he was put there. The Punisher then forces Alarec to implicate the Trust in his prison break and the Punishment Squad's murders. While leaving the mansion, the Punisher is confronted by an Angela. He defeats her and leaves her in her jeep, precariously situated on the railing of Alarec's mansion's bridge. The Punisher walks away as the jeep begins to slip.Collected editions
The series has been collected into a single volume as a softcover (1989, ISBN 0871353946) and a hardcover (2007, ISBN 0785123318). The complete series is also included in the black-and-white Essential Punisher, Vol. 1 (2004, ISBN 078512375X).External links
- The Punisher at Don Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's Toonopedia was a web encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation. Don D...