Essential Punisher

"The Punisher's earliest appearances from Amazing Spider-man, Captain America, Daredevil & more!"--Cover.

A by-the-numbers drug bust is about to take Frank Castle by surprise...and he HATES surprises. The horrible fallout threatens to send The Punisher into the heart of darkness, but Castle won't make that journey alone: A DEA agent is on his trail and attempting to get into his head...but what horrors will she find there, and will she survive the experience? Writer Becky Cloonan and quintessential Punisher artist Steve Dillon are forcing Frank Castle out of his comfort zone and taking him to the edge of the world he thought he knew! COLLECTING: THE PUNISHER (2016) 1-6

Frank Castle's war on crime continues as Microchip returns! The Punisher takes on rapists, drug lords, serial killers, Neo-Nazis, Yakuza, kidnappers, baby-snatchers and more - and even ends up embroiled in a Middle Eastern conflict! But when the Kingpin sets his sights on the Punisher, Frank Castle ends up sentenced to 30 years in prison - right next to old foe Jigsaw! A prison break becomes a nightmare when Jigsaw takes his revenge by slicing up Frank's face - and Microchip's solution for patching up his pal leads to the strangest change of all! Guest-starring Nick Fury, Daredevil and Captain America! Collecting PUNISHER (1987) #41-59 and ANNUAL #4-5.

Collects Punisher MAX #71-74. Celebrated crime novelist Victor Gischler takes on Marvel’s greatest vigilante! Traveling the Louisiana back roads with something awful stored in his trunk, Frank Castle stops at a service station on the edge of the bayou and steps into a world of unspeakable horror. Patrolling the depths of hell, the Punisher has crossed paths with plenty of unsavory characters, but nothing has prepared him for the unspeakable depravity of the Geautreauxs. Plus: Vette’s little black book is a treasure chest of dark secrets. Movie stars, politicians, gangsters — they all pay to play. Tonight, she is making a house call — and the Punisher is riding shotgun. Because one of the names in that book is Carlos Ramirez, a powerful Miami drug lord who hides in an impenetrable fortress, and Vette is the Punisher’s best ticket inside. Before the night is through, Vette will learn a thing or two about what really lurks in the hearts of men, about the difference between dogs and wolves.

The battle for the soul of Hell's Kitchen! It's wall-to-wall David Lapham (Stray Bullets) as the Eisner Award winner writes and illustrates two of Marvel's biggest icons! Daredevil and the Punisher clash as half the East Coast's underworld - in chaos since the Kingpin was deposed - scramble for a shot at the big chair. And as the city descends into chaos, as murder and intimidation become the staples of the day, Daredevil and the Punisher each seek to restore order in their own unique way. For Daredevil - who's anointed himself the city's new "Kingpin" - this means dispensing justice at the end of a billy club. COLLECTING: DAREDEVIL VS. PUNISHER 1-6.

Contains Punisher #21-40 & Punisher Annual #2-3.

Since the Punisher's first appearance in the pages of Spider-Man #129, the character has become one of the most popular and controversial figures in Marvel's vast universe. The Punisher represents one of the most recognizable types of anti-heroes. His iconic skull insignia stands for a unique type of justice: protecting the innocent while violently eliminating everyone he sees as a villain. This collection examines the Punisher from philosophical perspectives about morality and justice. Essays critique the character through the lenses of gender and feminism; consider the Punisher's veteran status in relation the Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq wars; and examine how politics and gun violence connect the Punisher's world with the real world. Many iterations of the Punisher are examined within, including the Netflix release of Marvel's The Punisher, comics series such as Punisher: MAX, Marvel Knights, and Cosmic Ghost Rider, and several fan fiction stories.

"A first-person account of the Iraq War, from a Navy SEAL who was part of SEAL Team 3 with American Sniper Chris Kyle, describes their legendary unit, "The Punishers," and provides gripping details of their missions in Ramadi, "--NoveList.