We start with the press hype and VIGIL’s hunt of Punisher both heating up. And that’s basically the first issue: Punisher running around through abandoned buildings getting shot at by cops. It’s solid action. But at the end of that first issue, Captain America joins the fight.
Oddly, he doesn’t even make the cover of issue #66. I’d think they’d use his appearance as a selling point.
There’s some solid chasing-and-fighting scenes, until Punisher uses a water tower to make his escape.
Cap seems to give up after this because he doesn’t appear again. Instead, Spider-Man joins the hunt.
And he captures Punisher.
He leaves him for VIGIL, but it turns out another bad guy group is wearing VIGIL gear, and they are the ones who take him into custody. This other gang is not important–they’re mad at Punisher because he did his Punisher thing to them, but they need him alive because he stole their money to use for his crime war.
I like this twist–it works. (But why didn’t Spider-Man’s spider-sense warn him that they were imposters?)
Anyway, of course, he kills the entire gang.
And in the end, Lynn Michaels is dressed like Punisher–and swearing to kill the leader of VIGIL who, of course, is corrupt.
The story doesn’t amount to a whole lot, but it’s cool seeing VIGIL get in trouble for failing to capture Punisher–large segments of this story are more police stories than Punisher ones.
There’s also a back-up story that’s standard Punisher stuff. Nothing particularly good or bad about it. Art is by Kevin Kobasic, with Steven Grant writing both the back-up and main stories.