# The Punisher (2004 series)

The Punisher (re-titled Frank Castle: The Punisher after issue #66; sometimes referred to as The Punisher MAX) was a comic book ongoing series published under the MAX imprint of Marvel Comics, featuring vigilante and antihero the Punisher.

## Publication history

Garth Ennis, also writer of the 2000 and 2001 Punisher series, wrote issues #1–60 of the series. Also like the earlier series, Tim Bradstreet provided the covers for those issues. Continuing his run on the character, Ennis used the freedom of the MAX imprint to write more graphic and hard-edged stories than had previously been seen. Ennis also wrote two miniseries accompanying the main series, The Punisher Presents: Barracuda and Born, and several one-shots.
With issue #61, Gregg Hurwitz replaced Ennis as writer, joining artist Laurence Campbell to do a five-issue story arc. With issue #66 released on January 21, 2009, the series was re-titled Frank Castle: The Punisher, with writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Michel Lacombe coming to the series. Victor Gischler came on board for the storyline "Welcome to the Bayou" in issues #71–74 before the title finished with issue #75, a double-length issue with stories by Thomas Piccirilli, Gregg Hurwitz, Duane Swierczynski, Peter Milligan, and Charlie Huston.
The title was relaunched as Punisher MAX in late 2009, with writer Jason Aaron and artist Steve Dillon.

## Differences from the mainstream Marvel Universe Punisher

The series explicitly does not use a floating timeline like the mainstream Marvel Universe, instead presenting a Punisher who ages in real time. Gravestones and other references indicate that his family was killed in 1976. The Punisher has been active for almost 30 years at the time presented in most stories, with issue #19 specifying that he has killed approximately 2,000 people. Born also establishes that the Punisher's service in the Vietnam War is still in MAX continuity.
Promotional art for the cover of Punisher #44 (March 2007), gives Frank's born as Queens, New York, 1947 but that was removed for the published issues. The story "Valley Forge, Valley Forge" corroborates this date, referring to Castle as "a twenty-one year old Captain" in April 1971.
Another major difference is the complete lack of superheroes and supervillains in the series, although non-superpowered characters from the Punisher's past, most notably Microchip, do make appearances. Nick Fury also makes several notable appearances, with his characterization echoing Ennis' MAX-imprint Fury stories. However, the character Jen Cooke, a social worker, appeared in the Marvel Knights storyline "Hidden". She then appeared in the MAX storyline "Slavers". The character Yorkie Mitchell made appearances in both the Marvel Knights and the MAX Punisher comics.
In the Civil War Files comic, just before the "Civil War" storyline was published, Iron Man talked about events in the Punisher's past from the Marvel Knights and MAX comics, which indicated that it did happen in the mainstream Marvel Universe at some point:
* "Captain Frank Castle, sole survivor of the Firebase Valley Forge massacre".
* "Although recently Castle has escalated his war on crime even further, with record-breaking body counts, he is paradoxically now rarely encountered in the field by any super hero save Daredevil".
* "It's almost like he inhabits two worlds, one where heroes can capture him and one where they can't, and he can slip from one to the other with ease".
Many characters are past or current intelligence and military operatives from governmental agencies like the American CIA, the Soviet KGB and the British SIS and SAS and militaries and militias from the Balkans, the Middle East and the IRA, all with agendas rooted in past conflicts like the Cold War or the Yugoslav Wars.

## Prints
### Issues

| No. | Story arc | Cover date | Comic Book Roundup rating | Estimated sales (first month) |
| #1 | In the Beginning | March 2004 | 8.0 by one professional critic. | 56,350, ranked 20th in North America. |
| #2 | In the Beginning | March 2004 | | 49,197, ranked 24th in North America. |
| #3 | In the Beginning | April 2004 | | 46,383, ranked 34th in North America. |
| #4 | In the Beginning | May 2004 | | 47,096, ranked 32nd in North America. |
| #5 | In the Beginning | June 2004 | | 34,236, ranked 57th in North America. |
| #6 | In the Beginning | July 2004 | | 48,533, ranked 31st in North America. |
| #7 | Kitchen Irish | August 2004 | | 48,126, ranked 30th in North America. |
| #8 | Kitchen Irish | August 2004 | | 47,477, ranked 31st in North America. |
| #9 | Kitchen Irish | September 2004 | 6.0 by two professional critics. | 46,885, ranked 30th in North America. |
| #10 | Kitchen Irish | October 2004 | 8.0 by one professional critic. | 45,397, ranked 33rd in North America. |
| #11 | Kitchen Irish | November 2004 | | 44,036, ranked 45th in North America. |
| #12 | Kitchen Irish | December 2004 | | 42,661, ranked 36th in North America. |
| #13 | Mother Russia | January 2005 | | 42,086, ranked 38th in North America. |
| #14 | Mother Russia | January 2005 | | 41,512, ranked 42nd in North America. |
| #15 | Mother Russia | February 2005 | | 40,359, ranked 37th in North America. |
| #16 | Mother Russia | March 2005 | | 39,262, ranked 35th in North America. |
| #17 | Mother Russia | April 2005 | | 38,732, ranked 42nd in North America. |
| #18 | Mother Russia | May 2005 | | 38,300, ranked 56th in North America. |
| #19 | Up is Down and Black is White | June 2005 | | 38,746, ranked 47th in North America. |
| #20 | Up is Down and Black is White | June 2005 | | 38,123, ranked 49th in North America. |
| #21 | Up is Down and Black is White | July 2005 | | 37,992, ranked 47th in North America. |
| #22 | Up is Down and Black is White | August 2005 | | 37,804, ranked 49th in North America. |
| #23 | Up is Down and Black is White | September 2005 | | 37,381, ranked 53rd in North America. |
| #24 | Up is Down and Black is White | October 2005 | 9.0 by one professional critic. | 37,019, ranked 65th in North America. |
| #25 | The Slavers | November 2005 | | 37,145, ranked 61st in North America. |
| #26 | The Slavers | December 2005 | | 36,427, ranked 50th in North America. |
| #27 | The Slavers | January 2006 | | 36,072, ranked 48th in North America. |
| #28 | The Slavers | February 2006 | | 35,535, ranked 55th in North America. |
| #29 | The Slavers | March 2006 | | 34,696, ranked 50th in North America. |
| #30 | The Slavers | April 2006 | 9.0 by one professional critic. | 34,281, ranked 57th in North America. |
| #31 | Barracuda | May 2006 | | 34,500, ranked 68th in North America. |
| #32 | Barracuda | June 2006 | | 34,076, ranked 60th in North America. |
| #33 | Barracuda | July 2006 | | 34,467, ranked 68th in North America. |
| #34 | Barracuda | August 2006 | | 34,162, ranked 65th in North America. |
| #35 | Barracuda | September 2006 | | 34,111, ranked 69th in North America. |
| #36 | Barracuda | October 2006 | | 34,162, ranked 68th in North America. |
| #37 | Man of Stone | November 2006 | | 34,246, ranked 59th in North America. |
| #38 | Man of Stone | November 2006 | | 33,835, ranked 61st in North America. |
| #39 | Man of Stone | December 2006 | | 33,947, ranked 52nd in North America. |
| #40 | Man of Stone | January 2007 | | 33,577, ranked 69th in North America. |
| #41 | Man of Stone | January 2007 | | 33,161, ranked 72nd in North America. |
| #42 | Man of Stone | February 2007 | | 33,001, ranked 63rd in North America. |
| #43 | Widowmaker | March 2007 | 9.0 by one professional critic. | 33,022, ranked 55th in North America. |
| #44 | Widowmaker | April 2007 | 8.0 by one professional critic. | 32,945, ranked 61st in North America. |
| #45 | Widowmaker | May 2007 | 7.0 by one professional critic. | 33,243, ranked 64th in North America. |
| #46 | Widowmaker | June 2007 | 8.0 by one professional critic. | 33,393, ranked 65th in North America. |
| #47 | Widowmaker | July 2007 | 10 by one professional critic. | 33,881, ranked 70th in North America. |
| #48 | Widowmaker | August 2007 | 8.0 by one professional critic. | 33,783, ranked 62nd in North America. |
| #49 | Widowmaker | September 2007 | 8.0 by one professional critic. | 34,305, ranked 73rd in North America. |
| #50 | Long Cold Dark | October 2007 | 10 by one professional critic. | 36,455, ranked 75th in North America. |
| #51 | Long Cold Dark | December 2007 | 8.6 by two professional critics. | 33,735, ranked 72th in North America. |
| #52 | Long Cold Dark | January 2008 | 7.8 by one professional critic. | 32,897, ranked 65th in North America. |
| #53 | Long Cold Dark | February 2008 | | 31,753, ranked 78th in North America. |
| #54 | Long Cold Dark | March 2008 | 9.5 by two professional critics. | 31,628, ranked 68th in North America. |
| #55 | Valley Forge, Valley Forge | May 2008 | 8.4 by two professional critics. | 31,627, ranked 60th in North America. |
| #56 | Valley Forge, Valley Forge | June 2008 | 8.6 by two professional critics. | 30,789, ranked 65th in North America. |
| #57 | Valley Forge, Valley Forge | July 2008 | 8.4 by one professional critic. | 30,519, ranked 71st in North America. |
| #58 | Valley Forge, Valley Forge | August 2008 | 8.5 by one professional critic. | 29,791, ranked 70th in North America. |
| #59 | Valley Forge, Valley Forge | September 2008 | 7.0 by one professional critic. | 30,058, ranked 82nd in North America. |
| #60 | Valley Forge, Valley Forge | October 2008 | 8.1 by three professional critics. | 30,667, ranked 79th in North America. |
| #61 | Girls in White Dresses | October 2008 | 6.2 by four professional critics. | 28,358, ranked 87th in North America. |
| #62 | Girls in White Dresses | November 2008 | 5.1 by two professional critics. | 26,898, ranked 91st in North America. |
| #63 | Girls in White Dresses | December 2008 | 6.3 by one professional critic. | 25,930, ranked 106th in North America. |
| #64 | Girls in White Dresses | January 2009 | 6.1 by one professional critic. | 24,656, ranked 76th in North America. |
| #65 | Girls in White Dresses | February 2009 | 6.8 by one professional critic. | 23,878, ranked 113th in North America. |
As of issue #66, the series was officially re-titled Frank Castle: The Punisher.
| No. | Story arc | Cover date | Estimated sales (first month) |
| #66 | Six Hours to Kill | March 2009 | 22,799, ranked 81st in North America. |
| #67 | Six Hours to Kill | April 2009 | 22,263, ranked 85th in North Americe. |
| #68 | Six Hours to Kill | May 2009 | 22,252, ranked 85th in North America. |
| #69 | Six Hours to Kill | June 2009 | 21,841, ranked 112th in North America. |
| #70 | Six Hours to Kill | July 2009 | 21,864, ranked 91st in North America. |
| #71 | Welcome to the Bayou | August 2009 | 21,311, ranked 107th in North America. |
| #72 | Welcome to the Bayou | September 2009 | 21,035, ranked 100th in North America. |
| #73 | Welcome to the Bayou | October 2009 | 20,354, ranked 104th in North America. |
| #74 | Welcome to the Bayou | November 2009 | 20,242, ranked 121st in North America. |
| #75 | Dolls/Gateway/Ghoul/Father's Day/Smallest Bit of This | December 2009 | 22,197, ranked 95th in North America. |

### Collected editions
#### Trade paperbacks

| Vol. # | Vol. title | Material collected | Writer | Artist | Publication date | ISBN |
| 1 | In the Beginning | The Punisher #1–6 | Garth Ennis | Lewis Larosa | 2004 | 978-0785113911 |
| 2 | Kitchen Irish | The Punisher #7–12 | Garth Ennis | Leandro Fernández | 2004 | 978-0785115397 |
| 3 | Mother Russia | The Punisher #13–18 | Garth Ennis | Dougie Braithwaite | 2005 | 978-0785116035 |
| 4 | Up is Down and Black is White | The Punisher #19–24 | Garth Ennis | Leandro Fernández | 2005 | 978-0785117315 |
| 5 | The Slavers | The Punisher #25–30 | Garth Ennis | Leandro Fernández | 2006 | 978-0785118992 |
| 6 | Barracuda | The Punisher #31–36 | Garth Ennis | Goran Parlov | 2006 | 978-0785120230 |
| 7 | Man of Stone | The Punisher #37–42 | Garth Ennis | Leandro Fernández | 2007 | 978-0785121657 |
| 8 | Widowmaker | The Punisher #43–49 | Garth Ennis | Lan Medina | 2007 | 978-0785124542 |
| 9 | Long Cold Dark | The Punisher #50–54 | Garth Ennis | Howard Chaykin (#50) Goran Parlov (#51–54) | 2008 | 978-0785128144 |
| 10 | Valley Forge, Valley Forge | The Punisher #55–60 | Garth Ennis | Goran Parlov | 2008 | 978-0785127550 |
| 11 | Girls in White Dresses | The Punisher #61–65 | Gregg Hurwitz | Laurence Campbell | 2009 | 978-0785125204 |
| 12 | Six Hours to Kill | Frank Castle: The Punisher MAX #66–70 | Duane Swierczynski | Michel Lacombe | 2009 | 978-0785131823 |
| 13 | Welcome to the Bayou | Frank Castle: The Punisher MAX #71–74 | Victor Gischler | Goran Parlov | 2009 | 978-0785133780 |

#### Hardcovers

| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
| Volume 1 | The Punisher #1–12 | 2005 | 978-0785118404 |
| Volume 2 | The Punisher #13–24 | 2006 | 978-0785120223 |
| Volume 3 | The Punisher #25–36 | 2007 | 978-0785119814 |
| Volume 4 | The Punisher #37–49 | 2007 | 978-0785114178 |
| Volume 5 | The Punisher #50–60 | 2009 | 978-0785137825 |
| Volume 6 | The Punisher #61–65 Frank Castle: The Punisher MAX #66–75 | 2011 | 978-0785156567 |

#### Complete Collections

| Title | Vol. # | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
| The Punisher MAX: Complete Collection | 1 | Born #1–4 The Punisher #1–12 | February 2016 | 978-1302900151 |
| The Punisher MAX: Complete Collection | 2 | The Punisher #13–30 | April 2016 | 978-1302900168 |
| The Punisher MAX: Complete Collection | 3 | The Punisher #31–49 | October 2016 | 978-1302901875 |
| The Punisher MAX: Complete Collection | 4 | The Punisher Presents: Barracuda MAX #1–5 The Punisher #50–60 Punisher: The Tyger #1 Punisher: The Cell #1 Punisher: The End #1 | December 2016 | 978-1302902445 |
| The Punisher MAX: Complete Collection | 5 | Punisher MAX Annual #1 The Punisher: Force of Nature #1 Punisher MAX Special: Little Black Book #1 The Punisher #61–65 Frank Castle: The Punisher MAX #66–75 | February 2017 | 978-1302902742 |
| The Punisher MAX: Complete Collection | 6 | Punisher MAX X-Mas Special #1 Punisher MAX: Naked Kill Punisher MAX: Get Castle Punisher MAX: Butterfly #1 Punisher MAX: Happy Ending #1 Punisher MAX: Hot Rods of Death Punisher MAX: Tiny Ugly World #1 Untold Tales of Punisher MAX #1–5 | August 2017 | 978-1302907396 |

#### Omnibus

| Title | Vol. # | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
| The Punisher MAX by Garth Ennis Omnibus | 1 | Born #1–4 The Punisher #1–30 | May 2018 | 978-1302912079 |
| The Punisher MAX by Garth Ennis Omnibus | 2 | The Punisher #31–60 The Punisher Presents: Barracuda MAX #1–5 Punisher: The Tyger #1 Punisher: The Cell #1 Punisher: The End #1 | August 2018 | 978-1302912062 |

## Reception

The series holds an average rating of 7.9 by 38 professional critics on the review aggregation website Comic Book Roundup.

## In other media
### Film

* The 2008 movie Punisher: War Zone starring Ray Stevenson is inspired by Punisher MAX, most notably incorporating characters from that series such as Gaitano Cesare, Carmine "Pittsy" Gazzerra, Ink, Cristu Bulat, Tiberiu Bulat and Maginty. The scene where Frank Castle/The Punisher kills Gaitano Cesare and the other mobsters is also taken directly from the storyline "In the Beginning", albeit cutting the head off the former instead of a headshot.

### Television

* The second season of Daredevil loosely adapts the "Kitchen Irish" story arc, while adding in the titular character into the story alongside Frank Castle/the Punisher (portrayed by Jon Bernthal).
* The first season of The Punisher has William Rawlins as its main antagonist, a character who first appeared in issue #14.