Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #672260 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 112 pages

Customer Reviews

man this book rocked
I havent been a punisher fan for long, so was unsure of what to expect from this title. After reading it however, i immediately turned back to the beginning to read it again just to make sure i wasn't imaginig what it was i had read! This is probably one of the grittiest and brutal comic books i have read for a long time. The final twist (which i wont spoil for y'all obviously)left me looking at Frank Castle in a whole new light. I was also impressed at the numerous subtle appearances of the punisher skull in the background throughout the story. The last image of Castle's tour in 'nam will haunt me for a while. My only gripe is that a bit of previous knowledge of the punisher is probably required to fully appreciate it. All in all i would recommend this fantastic book to anyone who is a fan of the punisher and wants to now the real story behind Castle's war against crime.

Woah!
I recently got into the Punisher when I watched the 2004 movie. I was instantly hooked. Slowly I got into it more and started buying the punisher MAX comics. These portray Frank Castle as he would be now -50s, aging, wrinkled but still mean and violent.

Just for the heck of it, I got ahold of the Born series (4 comics). The storyline goes back to Vietnam, where Castle served, WAY before he becomes the Punisher.

Until I read this series, I had thought Castle became the Punisher because of the death of his family. Now I realise that it's much more than that!

I truly urge you all to go out and buy this. All I can say is...DARK!

Genesis of the modern punisher
Garth Ennis is on the record as considering The Punisher to be a kind of pathological killer, the reason detre of vigilantism arising from the mob hit which wipes out his family being less significant than an underlying psychotic nature. This comes across very clearly in the more recent Marvel Knights and Marvel MAX label series and makes for some interesting and engaging storylines.

This is essentially the genesis of this characterisation of The Punisher, not the first appearence of him in print but the story of who Frank Castle was before he became The Punisher. The scene is the Vietnam war and the narrator is for the most part a rookie, raw recruit who has a relationship to Castle and most of the other soldiers not dissimilar to that portrayed in the movie Platoon.

There is no portrayal of Castle as in any way particularly heroic, there are scenes in which he is as willing to use violence against his own troops as against the Viet Cong forces. The Punisher alter ego communicates with Castle in narrator boxes and represents a more macabre, sinister aspect of his personality which encourages Castle to kill the corrupted among the soldiers in the camp.

In the end Frank survives his vietnam ordeal only by surrending to and being overwhelmed by this alter ego, who by this point has taken on the character almost of a molevolent or demonic entity that wishes to take possession of Castle. Upon return to "the world" Frank realises that his family are in fact his stabilisers, they keep him sane and prevent him becoming overwhelmed by the darker inner dialogue.

In addition to Punisher fans this should appeal to fans of The 'Nam comic book series, although it is much more gritty and less sugar coated than that comic book series and succeeds in what is probably as fair portrayal of America's last "conscript war" by the people fighting it. The dynamic certainly doesnt focus completely upon Castle and the story, with a tragic finish of the raw recruit is just as engaging.

On the whole I'm not a fan of this characterisation of The Punisher, the pathological killer, with a death wish, to which vigilante justice has its utility in giving vent to his true nature. Instead I'm a fan of the other characterisation of The Punisher emerging from the Spiderman comics and resembling Batman in the DC universe or an honorific samuari or soldier. Ennis' creation is perhaps much more gritty and realistic, reflecting, no doubt, real world vigilante or "retaliation" psychology but reading comics isnt always undertaken with an aim of getting a good reflection of the real world. However, even feeling this way I can heartily recommend this to Punisher fans or general readers alike, its a great, albeit dark and at times horrific addition to the Marvel MAX universe. These stories where made for the MAX label and the target audience of adult or mature readers is warranted.

The book also includes cover art, from its early stages to the final draft, the proposal for Born, thoughts on born, concept art, concept photos of vietnam.