PUNISHER, THE 491
drawn by Mike Zeck, Mike Vosburg, and John Beatty. Th e story features the return of
Jigsaw and the escape of the Punisher from Rikers Island Penitentiary. Th e popularity
of the title led to the creation of an ongoing Punisher series the following year, further
feeding fans’ interest in the character. Th e ongoing series also introduced the character
Microchip, who assists in creating and maintaining the Punisher’s arsenal of weapons
and gadgetry. Spin-off titles were additionally created, including Punisher: War Zone
and Punisher: War Journal ; the character’s story was turned into a motion picture star-
ring Dolph Lundgren in 1989.
Despite the character’s explosive popularity and franchise status, interest in the
character waned by the mid-1990s, and by 1995 all of the ongoing titles featuring
the Punisher were canceled. In the latter half of the 1990s, Marvel attempted to revive
the character twice, with little success. In 2000, however, Marvel successfully re-launched
Th e Punisher , fi rst as a 12-issue miniseries (published under the title We l c o m e B a c k ,
Frank ), then as a regular ongoing title that has remained in publication in various incar-
nations since that time. Writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, the creative team
behind the DC/Vertigo series Preacher , were the creators responsible for the Punisher’s
successful relaunch, though a variety of other artists and writers would contribute to the
Punisher titles. Ennis used the Punisher character as a vehicle for a variety of storytelling
possibilities: his characteristic contempt for super powered characters led to stories in
which, for example, Frank Castle shoots Wolverine in the face with a rifl e and rolls over
him with a steamroller. Other stories feature Frank fi ghting an eastern-European pros-
titution ring, assisting Nick Fury and the American government in covert operations in
Russia, or battling Irish mobsters both in New York and Ireland. Ennis also wrote various
Punisher side-projects, such as Born , drawn by Darick Robertson, depicting Castle’s days
as a Marine in Vietnam, Th e Tyger , drawn by EC Comics legend John Severin , and Th e
End , drawn by Richard Corben, depicting Frank’s future death. Th e Punisher lasted 37
issues as a Marvel Knights title before it was moved to the Marvel MAX adult- oriented
imprint with a new #1 issue in 2004. Ennis’s run on the Marvel MAX Punisher title lasted
until issue #60, and was subsequently retitled Th e Punisher: Frank Castle. Marvel also
created a new main-continuity Punisher title, and licensed two new Punisher fi lms, one in
2004 starring Th omas Jane, and another in 2008 titled Punisher: War Zone starring Ray
Stevenson. Far more than many recurring characters, Frank Castle has earned legendary
status as a comics character.
R o b e r t O ’ N a l e
