The Punisher is one of the most contentious but popular superheroes of them all. The character first appeared in 1974’s The Amazing Spider-Man #129 as an assassin paid to go after the Web-Slinger, but would soon become one of the most popular anti-heroes of all time in the ’80s. Tthe character’s ultra-violent methods became more popular in a decade that was full of high octane action movies, and he became a low key icon. He was one of the first heroes to actually kill in a long time, and the conversation around the character’s methods has honestly changed superheroes as a medium. Over the years, the character has stayed controversial for many reasons.
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However, beyond the controversy about the violent vigilante, he’s earned his spot as one of the most popular Marvel characters of the last 50 years. The Punisher is a multimedia star, but all of that came from the excellent stories that the character has starred in over the years. Frank Castle is a very interesting character and readers have gotten to see him in many kinds of stories. There are some great eras of the character, but most fans agree that the years writer Garth Ennis took over writing him was the best. All of that began 25 years ago with the Marvel Knights classic The Punisher (Vol. 5) #1-12. The story, titled “Welcome Back, Frank”, reminded everyone why the character was so amazing, after some pretty impressive failures.
“Welcome Back, Frank” Is a Brutal and Entertaining Return to Form
The Punisher entered the ’90s as one of the most popular characters around, but he wouldn’t stay that way. Marvel Comics in the ’90s was a weird place; the decade started with the X-Men, Spider-Man, Punisher, and Ghost Rider all at the top. Within a few years, though, Punisher and Ghost Rider would fall off. Punisher stories fell into a weird place where they were fine, but it was the same kind of thing over and over again. Eventually, we got the “Over the Edge” saga, which pit Frank against Nick Fury and some of Marvel’s other street level heroes. This story was a complete failure, and would lead to the end of the Punisher in own series and his life.
However, 1998 would roll around and Frank Castle got another chance with the birth of the Marvel Knights line. Marvel hired Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti to edit their own line of comics, and they were given some major characters that had fallen from grace: Daredevil, Black Panther, the Inhumans, and the Punisher. Punisher (Vol. 4) would resurrect the character and see him try to be taken in a horror direction, becoming an angel that hunted demons. The legendary Bernie Wrightson drew the story, but that didn’t save its lame premise. This wasn’t the Punisher and fans rebelled.
Over at DC Comics, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon were finishing up the Vertigo blockbuster Preacher, and the two of them would be signed by Marvel to do a new Marvel Knights Punisher story. The two creators were known for their ability to combine poetic, thoughtful prose with the most entertainingly insane action you can imagine; their books combined humor and heart in equal measure and never let anyone tell you otherwise. Punisher (Vol. 5) wasn’t going to be an anything goes Vertigo book, but with these two onboard, fans knew that this was going to special. And they were right.
“Welcome Back, Frank” fit the story perfectly as a title. It felt like the Punisher that we had known and loved for years, except brought up to ten thanks to Ennis’s evocative captions. This was perfect Frank Castle, and the art from Dillon gave readers some amazing scenery to go with it. He truly brought the story to life in a way that needs to be seen to believe. It’s one of the best 12-issue series in Marvel history, telling a brilliant story beginning, middle, and end. It was thoughtful, it was exciting, it was emotional, it was hilarious. It was everything you could want from the Punisher and it kicked off the greatest era of the character.
Ennis Would Go On to Revolutionize the Punisher
“Welcome Back, Frank” was a story that became instantly iconic. I remember the praise it got from everyone as it was coming out; my local comic store had closed and Wizard magazine was my only link to that world, so I had to trade wait. Upon reading it, I understood why people loved it so much: it gave us a Punisher we could sink out teeth into. Ennis and Dillon had such an understanding of the character, as well as a great respect for him, and it paid off. The world wanted more and Marvel gave it to them.
Ennis and Dillon would return for Punisher (Vol. 6), a Marvel Knights ongoing series that fans loved. It was still amazing, and it brought the character back to prominence as a viable solo star. Darick Robertson would eventually take over as artist, and the book remained stellar. Eventually, Ennis would get a MAX series, where he was allowed to go to extremes, and it was perfect. For a few years in the ’00s, we got numerous perfect Punisher stories that helped define who the character could be when the creators actually cared and were willing to take a chance with him. All of that came about because of the blockbuster known as “Welcome Back, Frank”. Welcome back, indeed.
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