Introduction[]
The Punisher is one of my all-time favorite characters, and a definite contender for my number one character of all time. Often misunderstood thanks to a load of stories that oftentimes show the Punisher as nothing more than either a mindless killing machine or a character to be used in a gimmick-y story, several writes have nonetheless pushed the envelope with the character, going above and beyond those brain-dead stories and showing the potential he truly has.
So, load up, grab your War Journal, and enter the War Zone with me as I count down my personal Top Ten Punisher Stories of All Time! And that's not all. I will also be counting down the Five Worst Punisher Stories of All Time as well. These will be stories that show what NOT to do with the character.
The Best Stories[]
10. Kingpin Punishermax 1-5 Written By: Jason Aaron Art by: Steve Dillon, Matt Hollingsworth
After Ennis concluded his Punisher Max run, Jason Aaron took the reigns in 2010 and took the Max brand to the wider Marvel [Max] Universe. Almost always a recipe for disaster in the past, Aaron proved his grit, and matched Ennis blow-for-blow with the amazing Kingpin story. A generally two-note character in mainstream Marvel, Kingpin was almost given a mythological status in this story, and it’s fun seeing just how Frank is going to put down the Kingpin if he’s not even sure he exists. Dillon, a Punisher mainstay, absolutely knocks it out in the art department with the help of Hollingsworth. This style of art just fits Punisher surprisingly welI, even if I prefer the gritty art of Ennis' Punisher Max. It’s absolutely gripping, and with tough as shoes to fill as Garth Ennis’, Aaron shows big respect to the Punisher’s place in the Marvel Universe.
9.Child’s Play Daredevil #182-184 Written By: Frank Miller Art By: Klaus Janson
After just finishing one of the greatest Marvel arcs of all time, Frank Miller continued to push the boundaries of the comic medium, following The Elektra Saga with Child’s Play, a story that redefined what the Punisher was at that point in the character’s history. Miller turned the Punisher, prominently a Spider-Man recurring character, into a darker, more noirish version of the character that fit more into Daredevil’s world than he ever did in Spidey’s. Featuring a dark storyline with drug dealers selling to children, Child’s Play was a fantastic preview into the potential of the Punisher.
8. Circle of Blood Punisher Vol. 1 #1-5 Written By: Steve Grant Art By: Mike Zeck
Punisher’s debut solo story is one I’ve only recently just warmed up to. Steve Grant and Mike Zeck through a noir roller coaster, following the footsteps of Frank’s appearances in Daredevil. While delightfully cheesy, with The Police-singing mobsters, a squad of brainwashed wannabe Punishers, and a mob deaths montage ripped right out of Goodfellas (while predating it!), Circle of Blood is also smartly paced, quiet when it needs to be, yet tons of explosive action, like a few of my favorite Punisher stories. Circle of Blood deals with very mature themes for its time, the most jarring to me being the death of a child in issue 3. Circle of Blood set the stage for many a Punisher story to follow, and for that, it ranks top ten on my list.
7. Valley Forge, Valley Forge Punisher Max #55-60 Written By: Garth Ennis Art By: Goran Parlov
The end of Ennis’ Punisher run was done in spectacular fashion. As a conclusion, it’s absolutely masterful. Though, there’s one prevalent problem: you really need to read the whole Max run to get it. All the way back to Born. It’s worth it though, as Ennis neatly and masterfully ties everything together into one neat conclusion. Like Born, Valley Forge focuses on the horrors of war, though a different aspect of it: what happens when soldiers return home. Ennis lays everything out on the table in this story, from Frank’s weaknesses to the damnation of money-hungry war mongerers. It’s all some damn powerful stuff, but like I said, it’s still a conclusion and the message doesn’t hit nearly as hard if you only read this story. I also didn’t really care for the book excerpts that kinda broke up the pace of the comics.
6. Up is Down, Black is White Punisher Max #19-24 Written By: Garth Ennis Art By: Leandro Fernandez
Yet another sickening story arc from the brain of Garth Ennis, this story arc shows gangster Nicky Cavella not only digging up the corpses of Frank's family, but friggin' pissing on them and broadcasting it on national news. As you can imagine, the Punisher gets super pissed off at this, and the amount of bloodshed leading up to the eventual confrontation with Cavella is just astronomical. Nicky Cavella himself is the true star of this book, a hilarious (in a sleazy way of course) and well-rounded character that's just so fun to read. There's not too much continuity here, so feel free to jump right into it! It's some f*****-up work to be sure, but I'll be damned if it also isn't a fun and gripping read.
5. The Slavers Punisher Max #25-30 Written By: Garth Ennis Art By: Leandro Fernandez
The creative team of Ennis and Fernandez go at it again with one of the most taboo story arcs in comic history. It's Punisher Max, you already know it's gonna be dark, bloody, and absolutely soul-crushing. But, somehow, The Slavers manages to be different. Dealing with the subject of women-trafficking, many writers would take the easy way out and paint each character as a walking cliche, another cardboard cut-out for the Punisher to kill. But Ennis delves deeper into everybody, aided along every step of the way by the fantastic Fernandez art. I think my favorite aspect of this story arc is that Ennis shows a real sympathetic side to Frank almost rarely seen. The Slavers is another gold-standard Punisher story in the outstanding Max run.
4. The Cell Punisher: The Cell Written By: Garth Ennis Art By: Lewis LaRosa, Scott Koblish
This friggin’ story, man. The Cell is one of the grimiest and brutal comic stories of all time. Ennis forgoes his traditional black humor to focus on an almost entirely too real depiction of life in Ryker’s Prison, with one of the most brutal endings ever. The true star of the Cell is the art however, which is just about the filthiest art I’ve ever seen, and I mean that in a good way. Ryker’s feels more like a sewer than a prison, and the story is appropriately dirty. Not much more to say, it’s more worth it just to check it out yourself.
3. Welcome Back, Frank Punisher Vol. 4 #1-12 Written By: Garth Ennis Art By: Steve Dillon
Welcome Back, Frank is THE definitive and influential Punisher story of the Modern Age. The series brought Frank back to his roots after the disastrous Purgatory series, that of brutal, street-level classic brawls and shootouts. The story was also injected with some much needed black humor, fresh off of Ennis’ own Hitman series. Frank, surprisingly, is given a lot of introspection into his character by Ennis. The story of Frank’s neighbors is a charming, happy one as well, and his neighbors, while not too richly characterized, show enough personality to really stick with you. The series was certainly groundbreaking, and we wouldn’t have the two best Punisher stories without it.
2. Born Born #1-4 Written By: Garth Ennis Art By: Darick Robertson
Born is downright one of the eeriest and grimmest stories I have ever read, period. Garth Ennis’ showing of the Vietnam War is one of the most realistic and pessimistic portrayals of war ever written. At the center of this war of course is Frank Castle, written in Born as a man right at home among the Vietnam jungles, always hungry for the next firefight, goaded along by a strange voice in his head. Ennis really goes to great lengths in Born to show what really makes Frank tick. Though ostensibly set in the Max Universe, Born is a catch-all origin story, and quite applicable to both Max Frank and mainstream Frank. Ennis also takes the time to look into the life of one Private Goodwin, contrasting his wanting to get home with Frank’s wanting to stay. Filled with the darkly comic moments Ennis is known for and a haunting climax that will leave you thinking for days, Born is pretty damn close to being the best Punisher story of all time. But, there’s still one more…
1. The Exchange The Punisher Vol. 8 #1-16 Written By: Greg Rucka Art By: Marco Chechetto
Greg Rucka’s run with the Punisher is certainly one for the ages. My personal favorite comic run of all time, Rucka makes sure to hit all the high points of the character, at once a deep, quiet, introspective experience and a high-tension, high-stakes action thriller. Rucka smartly relegates Frank to an almost background character, preferring to take the views of two NYPD detectives and a woman who’s origin is nearly identical to Frank’s own, who all serve as great foils to the Punisher. When Frank is brought to the forefront, Rucka portrays him as wise and solemn, and steadfastly opposed to anybody joining his crusade. This is all coupled by absolutely gorgeous art by Marco Checchetto, who compliments Rucka’s quiet approach to the character with dripping, moody visuals that give this comic run an atmosphere like no other. Rucka’s run on The Punisher is something everybody should check out, and I consider it THE perennial run of the character and the gold standard that all Punisher stories should strive for.
The Worst Stories[]
5. How I Won the War Punisher: War Journal Vol. 2 #1-3 Written By: Matt Fraction Art By: Mike Deodato, Jr.
Matt Fraction’s Punisher run was a weird one for sure. Punisher had not really been integrated into the wider Marvel Universe for a few years, and it could’ve been a nice return, but Civil War was happening, and Punisher just doesn’t fit in a side vs. side conflict. Punisher starts the series killing off some c-list villains which really served no purpose, and had a conflict with Captain America with this sort of weird idoltry that just didn’t work for me. Fraction’s run afterwards was of fluctuating quality (though Small Wake for a Tall Man almost made my top ten Punisher stories list), but it was clear that this was the wrong time to put Punisher back into the center of things.
4. Franken-Castle Dark Reign: The List - Punisher - Franken-Castle #21 Written By: Rick Remender Art By: John Romita, Jr., Klaus Janson, Dean White, Tony Moore, Dan Brown, Dan Brereton, Roland Boschi, Jefte Palo
Rick Remender's Punisher run started off decently strong. Once again staring off in the midst of a Marvel Universe crisis, it was at least a better start than Fraction's attempt at putting Punisher in the Marvel Universe. With no sides to choose from, Punisher felt like he actually belonged in this story. But then, half-way through, Remender blows everything to pieces with the abomination known as Franken-Castle. Really, after all of Ennis' ground-breaking work and fixing up the Punisher from the gimmicky "avenging angel" storyline, Remender goes and shoots that in the face with yet another gimmick. We REALLY needed to see Punisher as a Frankenstein monster. It added so much depth to his character, didn't it? This is everlasting proof that Punisher needs the utmost care if he wants to be placed into the Marvel Universe. Ennis got it with humor in Marvel Knights; Aaron got it with the Max brand; Remender should've just left things alone. Luckily, he redeemed himself with the pretty great In the Blood storyline, but Franken-Castle will go down in history as one of the worst Punisher stories ever.
3. Punisher Turns Black Punisher Vol. 2 #59-62 Written By: Mike Baron, Marcus McLaurin Art By: Hugh Haynes, Jimmy Palmiotti, Marie Javins, Val Mayerik, Al Williamson
This has to be one of the weirdest stories ever. I mean, did anybody, while they were working on this, really go and say "this sure is a good idea!"? This story is racist, horribly written, and hell, the artwork is horrid too. The characters, from Frank to Luke Cage to the supporting cast are all these cardboard cut-outs, representing the worst of the worst in character development. This is a story where Frank gets pulled over by racist cops for being black. This is a story where one of the issue titles is "Fade to White". This is a story where the woman who turned Frank black in the first place calls him handsome as he turns back to white. There's so much preachy, racist subtext here that it's pretty damn cringe-worthy. Sure, maybe it's good for a laugh nowadays, but this is one Punisher story that should've been left on the chopping block.
2. Purgatory Punisher Vol. 4 #1-4 (aka Punisher: Purgatory #1-4) Written By: Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski Art By: Bernie Wrightson, Jimmy Palmiotti
It was late 90s. Punisher, one of the most enduring characters of the decade, was all but creatively bankrupt by this point. Hell, Marvel itself was going bankrupt as well. DC's Vertigo brand was going strong, with great supernatural series like Preacher and Hellblazer being all the rage. All of these surely contributed to the disaster that was Punisher: Purgatory. As a concept, Punisher as an "avenging angel" is already terrible enough. But with uninspired writing and even more uninspired art, Punisher: Purgatory ended up being utterly derivative, corny as hell, and just plain stupid. With such god-awful "revelations" like Punisher's skull being inspired by a demon, Purgatory goes down in history as just plain one of the worst comics ever. Thankfully Ennis came along!
1. Punisher is... Gay?! Wolverine #186 Written By: Frank Tieri Art By: Terry Dodson
Really? REALLY?! Really. Gay Punisher. Good one Frank Tieri. Created as a response to Garth Ennis’ Marvel Knights Punisher series where Wolverine gets flattened with a steamroller, this right here is one of the worst representations of comics and the Punisher character. I mean, it doesn’t even make any sense. The reason Punisher does what he does is for his dead wife and family. This was just a low-blow and not a smart response. This is just one issue that gets my blood boiling, and I don’t even want to give it anymore light of day than I already have.