Garth Ennis’ “Punisher Max” series is not part of the 616 Universe, but I am covering it because it is one of my favorite comics of all time.
When people talk about Garth Ennis’ Punisher, they’re talking about the first sixty issues of Punisher MAX.
When issue #1 broke free from Garth Ennis’ violent mind, it helped change the world. Think about it: Marvel was recovering from bankruptcy both financially and intellectually. New EiC Joe Quesada needed to do something, immediately, that would signal to the world that comic books—in particular, Marvel comic books—were not a dead medium. And he delivered
There were a total of ten arcs (six issues each), and three interrelated one-shots contained in the trade paperback “From First to Last” that told of Castle as a boy (first); as a prisoner (as an adult); and in his last adventure as Punisher.
They may be the greatest comics of all time.
The first story arc, Punisher Max #1-6, was aptly titled, “In the Beginning.” The cover alone told you that you were in for something unlike anything that you’d seen before: Tim Bradstreet, who did all of the covers for Ennis’ run on Punisher Max, created a photorealistic image of Castle, with a Mona Lisa type smile, holding an AK-47 before a wall of guns of all sizes and types. The man in his workshop, sitting, posing for the cover photo. Open the book and you’re greeted with a splash page of the Castle family tombstone. Then, a two page spread with just five panels: Two of Punisher’s sepia-toned face, two of white words on pure black background, and the last of Lisa Castle, eyes filled with horror. The narrative recaps Punisher’s origin, and the unusual panel arrangement continues for several more pages of unflinching, gory retrospective, before we get a full page of Punisher. We’re looking up at him from below. From Hell. And he looks insane, as he characterizes his own mission: “Every night I go out and make the world sane.”
The issue then shows Punisher slaughtering just about every major crime boss in the five families. It’s just like the beginning of one of the several Punisher movies, in a line of pretty crappy Punisher movies. The hook, though, is Microchip.
The old character from the old Punisher series. Micro betrays Punisher, capturing him and offering him a contract: Get paid to go capture Osama Bin Laden. I won’t give away more than that, but as far as first stories go, this was a good intro. It let us know that the book would be about Punisher in the “real world,” without superheroes or easy solutions, and it would be horrendously, horrifyingly, delightfully violent.
In the end, though, Ennis shows us that Micro knows Punisher better than anyone…
…Which means he has to die.
This series does not shy away from gore. Until now, the “MAX” imprint logo hasn’t meant very much. This book changed everything.
Best lines:
“Don’t go gettin’ fuckin’ cute, or I’ll cut ya balls off and put ‘em in a cup.”
-Pittsy, a gangster, threatening a man who, of course, eventually has his testicles removed and placed in a paper cup.
“Asshole’s been eating his spinach.”
-Punisher, while tussling with Pittsy.