Marvel Announces New 'The Punisher' Series

Frank Castle is going back to basics in a new The Punisher series.Writer Matthew Rosenberg will [...]

Frank Castle is going back to basics in a new The Punisher series.

Writer Matthew Rosenberg will continue to tell the Punisher's story after his current stint as War Machine concludes. He'll be joined by DMZ artist Riccardo Burchielli. While the series will see Frank returning to his usual Punisher look and methods, he is not unchanged by his time in the War Machine armor.

"We're going to get back to Frank Castle with a handgun and a knife, stalking the streets of New York, and getting his hands dirty," Rosenberg tells Marvel.com. "But we're also going to see a man who has changed from his time in the armor. He developed a taste for bigger game and larger targets, and he's not going to give that up easily. So in a sense, it's back to basics — but on a bigger scale.

The Punisher #1

"I think the big thing for the Punisher is the knowledge that he can affect things in a more direct way," Rosenberg continues. "We're going to have seen him travel overseas to overthrow a government and kill a world leader, and then come back home and go toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful people in the Marvel Universe. He's been able to do real damage, cause real change, in ways he's not used to. They used to say that when a shark attacked a human they had to be hunted down because once they'd developed a taste for it they'd never stop. That's Frank. He's back on the streets, but he has a taste for the bigger game and he isn't going to stop until he puts them in the ground — or they put him in it."

Frank Castle has always had a tense relationship with the other vigilantes in New York City, but his joining Hydra during Secret Empire and then stealing the War Machine suit will take that tension to an entirely new level.

"Frank and the capes will most definitely be touched upon," Rosenberg says. "More than touched upon. With Secret Empire, the War Machine armor, and what he has coming up, he has made himself something that means they can't just look the other way. And he knows that. He's operating in cape spaces these days, and he knows that puts a target on his back. But he also knows he's willing to do what they won't — and that gives him an advantage over the capes on most days."

The Punisher #1 goes on sale August 1st.

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