The cover to #1 is a classic–albeit inaccurate. It says this is the first issue of an “unlimited series.”
This was not an unlimited series. It would go on for eight years and then end. But as series go, 8 years is a good and respectable lifespan.
The early issues of Punisher’s first solo ongoing are clearly the inspiration for his Marvel MAX books decades later.
They’re gritty, and the stories are based on real (or vaguely realistic) crimes and criminals.
In the first two issues, Frank Castle returns to his Vietnam War roots by linking up with an old service buddy to track down a former VC General who is now selling drugs in New York as part of The Rockhouse Operation.
And the interior art by Klaus Janson borrows heavily from Janson’s days with Frank Miller. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I debated whether to cover these issues as a big spread because issue-by-issue there’s not a lot here. They’re good comics, but they don’t “matter” in the 616 sense.
At the end of the second issue there’s a page on the creators.
