Punisher War Journal is making a return this June, picking up on the developments in Jason Aaron, Jesus Saiz, and Paul Azaceta’s relaunched Punisher series. Written by Torunn Grønbekk with art by Lan Medina, Punisher War Journal: Blitz #1 is the first of three one-shots set during Frank Castle’s controversial status quo change that has him working with the villainous Hand organization. Punisher’s next mission finds him hunting Hate-Monger, an aging war profiteer. So far, Punisher’s team-up with The Hand has featured the resurrection of Frank Castle’s deceased wife, Maria.
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Covers by Mahmud Asrar and Jeff Dekal show Punisher with his updated logo, which takes inspiration from The Hand. “Maria has a big impact on the series going forward,” Aaron told ComicBook.com. “This is the first time we’ve really gotten to see Maria’s POV. She’s only been seen in brief flashbacks. Fans will get to see what she thinks about Frank’s mission as The Punisher since her death.”
Punisher includes scenes from the past as well as in the current day, with Paul Azaceta handling the flashbacks and Saiz tackling the present day. Each issue will swap how the flashbacks are handled. “The structure of the flashbacks will change as the series progresses,” Aaron added. “There will be more of them. I knew I wanted Paul to do the flashbacks since he’s from NY.”
The solicitation for Punisher War Journal: Blitz #1 is below. Let us know what you think of the series in the comments!
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL: BLITZ #1
TORUNN GRØNBEKK (W) • LAN MEDINA (A) • Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
Variant Cover by TAURIN CLARKE • Variant Cover by JEFF DEKAL
HEADSHOT VARIANT COVER BY TODD NAUCK
THE TRICK IS TO INVENT A WAR WORTH FIGHTING.
Finn Fratz knows that if you want people to hate each other, a Banner cannon in the right pair of hands goes a long way. The aging war profiteer earned his spot on the Punisher’s kill list well before he adopted the moniker Hate-Monger, but he has proven an elusive man.
Now, with the Hand at his disposal, Frank Castle is ready to smoke him out. But not only has Hate-Monger gone to ground, he’s fighting back. Good for him. It’s not going to change anything but the death toll.
Torunn Grønbekk and Lan Medina join forces to bring you the first of three thrilling tales from between the pages of PUNISHER, exploring Frank’s new modus operandi through some of his deadliest missions yet…
40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Parental Advisory …$4.99
