Punisher War Journal
Cover to issue # by Alex Maleev.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
ScheduleMonthly
FormatOngoing series
Publication date2006
No. of issues26 + 1 annual
Main character(s)Punisher
Creative team
Created byMatt Fraction
Written byMatt Fraction
Rick Remender
Simon Spurrier
Artist(s)Mike Deodato Jr.
Ariel Olivetti
Howard V. Chaykin
Cory Walker
Scott Wegener
Clint Langley (covers)
Penciller(s)Mike Deodato Jr.
Ariel Olivetti
Howard V. Chaykin
Cory Walker
Scott Wegener
Werther Dell'edera
Inker(s)Mike Deodato Jr.
Ariel Olivetti
Howard V. Chaykin
Cory Walker
Scott Wegener
Letterer(s)Joe Caramagna
Rus Wooton
Colorist(s)Rainier 'Rain' Beredo
Dean V. White
Jesus Aburto
Shannon Blanchard
Edgar Delgado - 'Pato'
Ariel Olivetti
Dave Stewart
Editor(s)Axel Alonso
Michael O'Connor
Warren Simons
Aubrey Sitterson
John Denning
Jennifer Grünwald
Daniel Ketchum
Cory Levine
Alex Starbuck

Punisher War Journal or The Punisher War Journal is an American comic book series published from 2006 to 2009 by Marvel Comics featuring the character Frank Castle, also known as the vigilante the Punisher. It is the second series under the title The Punisher War Journal. Unlike the main Punisher series (which was published under Marvel's MAX imprint and was set in a more realistic world) at the time of its publishing the events of this edition of War Journal take place in the main Marvel Universe, Earth-616.[1] The series was mainly written by Matt Fraction and drawn by Howard Chaykin.[2]

The series takes place over the late stages of the infamous Civil War storyline and its following arc The Death of Captain America, following Frank Castle and focuses on his relationship with Steve Rogers, (Captain America), whom he deeply admires despite their fundamental differences and his method of dealing with his death. Following Rogers's assassination at the hands of Crossbones and Dr. Faustus (through a hypnotized Sharon Carter), Castle decides to honor him by killing a white supremacist tarnishing his name using a modified version of Rogers' uniform, while Punisher dons a new uniform of his own with the same inspiration.[3][4][5][6][7] The series spawned a spin-off named Punisher in 2009.

Publication history

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Plot

The series consisted of several story-arcs, "How I Won The War" spanning issues 1–3, "The Initiative" spanning issues 6–11, "Hunter/Hunted" spanning issues 13–15, "Jigsaw" for issue 18—23 and "Secret Invasion" lasting from issue 24 to 25. Several short stories between the main storylines are also featured for some issues.

Reception

Sales

Critical response

The series holds an average rating of 7.3 by sixty-one professional critics on the review aggregation website Comic Book Roundup.[8] The series was one of the most acclaimed new series of 2007.[9]

Timothy Callahan of Comic Book Resources expressed about the series that the author, Matt Fraction, has alternated between writing a clever, witty looks at the Marvel Universe and serious and severe looks at the screwed-up world in which the character of Frank Castle lives. He also stated that while the tone was not exactly consistent from arc to arc, he did not see that as a drawback at all, because the Punisher in his most general form is not a character that works for interesting in the long term in his opinion. "The Punisher is an inconsistent character, really, if you take into account all of his in-Universe portrayals over the years. He's been a buffoonish killer, a monster, a hero, a lunatic, a patriot, and almost anything you can imagine. Fraction has written him as a strange combination of all of those things, and if he isn't heroic in a traditional sense, at least he has a code he follows. He's a psychopath headlining a book set in the Marvel Universe, and Fraction has made him compelling and somewhat noble, while never going so far as to make Frank Castle admirable." Callahan also praised Chaykin's art.[10][11][12]

Prints

Issues

No. Title Cover date Comic Book Roundup rating Estimated sales (first month)
#1 How I Won the War, Part 1: Bring On the Bad Guys January 2007 6.9 by six professional critics.[13] 102,720, ranked 9th in North America[14]
#2 How I Won the War, Part 2: Dead Soldiers February 2007 7.2 by three professional critics.[15] 87,966, ranked 14th in North America[16]
#3 How I Won the War, Part 3: Mutually Assured Destruction March 2007 6.2 by three professional critics.[17] 70,139, ranked 21st in North America[18]
#4 Small Wake For a Tall Man April 2007 7.5 by two professional critics.[19] 52,951, ranked 35th in North America[20]
#5 NYC Red May 2007 7.8 by two professional critics.[21] 50,187, ranked 45th in North America[22]
#6 Goin' Out West June 2007 7.8 by two professional critics.[23] 53,443, ranked 45th in North America[24]
#7 Blood and Sand July 2007 5.8 by two professional critics.[25] 72,848, ranked 27th in North America[26]
#8 Sunset August 2007 6.2 by two professional critics.[27] 61,338, ranked 32nd in North America[28]
#9 Duel September 2007 6.8 by three professional critics.[29] 56,834, ranked 40th in North America[30]
#10 Sunset October 2007 5.5 by two professional critics.[31] 51,300, ranked 47th in North America[32]
#11 Heroes and Villains November 2007 7.5 by two professional critics.[33] 47,205, ranked 43rd in North America[34]
#12 World War Frank December 2007 6.9 by three professional critics.[35] 66,478, ranked 21st in North America[36]
#13 Hunter/Hunted, Part 1 January 2008 9.4 by three professional critics.[37] 41,768, ranked 55th in North America[38]
#14 Hunter/Hunted, Part 2 February 2008 9.6 by two professional critics.[39] 38,447, ranked 63rd in North America[40]
#15 Hunter/Hunted, Part 3 March 2008 8.6 by one professional critic.[41] 35,627, ranked 56th in North America[42]
#16 The Survivors Guild April 2008 8.6 by one professional critic.[43] 32,488, ranked 56th in North America[44]
#17 How I Survived The Good Ol' Days May 2008 6.8 by two professional critics.[45] 31,217, ranked 61st in North America[46]
#18 Jigsaw, Part 1 of 6 June 2008 6.9 by two professional critics.[47] 29,559, ranked 74th in North America[48]
#19 Jigsaw, Part 2 of 6 July 2008 6.8 by one professional critic.[49] 29,898, ranked 75th in North America[50]
#20 Jigsaw, Part 3 of 6 August 2008 7.4 by two professional critics.[51] 27,277, ranked 80th in North America[52]
#21 Jigsaw, Part 4 of 6 September 2008 6.4 by three professional critics.[53] 26,293, ranked 97th in North America[54]
#22 Jigsaw, Part 5 of 6 October 2008 7.3 by two professional critics.[55] 25,542, ranked 99th in North America[56]
#23 Jigsaw, Part 6 of 6 November 2008 7.7 by one professional critic.[57] 27,376, ranked 87th in North America[58]
#24 Secret Invasion: Part 1 of 2 December 2008 6.3 by four professional critics.[59] 31,781, ranked 79th in North America[60]
#25 Secret Invasion: Part 2 of 2 January 2009 6.6 by three professional critics.[61] 29,976, ranked 63rd in North America[62]
#26 February 2009 8.2 by two professional critics.[63] 22,420, ranked 121st in North America[64]

Annuals

Title Between Pages Cover date Release date Comic Book Roundup rating Estimated sales (first month) Rated
"If I Die Before I Wake" Issue 25 and 26 48 January 2009 November 2008 7.4, by three professional critics.[65] 20,713, ranked 103rd in North America[66] T+[67]

Collected editions

Title Format Material collected Pages Publication date ISBN
UPC		 Rated
Punisher War Journal: Civil War Hardcover Punisher War Journal (2007) #1-4 144[68] April 25, 2007[69] 0785123156
978-0785123156 		T+[a]
Punisher War Journal: Goin' Out West HC Punisher War Journal (2007) #5-9 168 December 5, 2007[70] 978-0-7851-2852-6 T+
Punisher War Journal: Hunter/Hunted HC Punisher War Journal (2007) #12-17 161 April 16, 2008[71] UPC 5960613021-00111 T+
Punisher War Journal: Jigsaw HC Punisher War Journal (2007) #18-23 144 December 17, 2008[72] 978-0-7851-3022-2
UPC 5960613022-00111 		PAL[b]
Punisher War Journal: Secret Invasion HC Punisher War Journal (2007) #24-26 and annual #1 (2007) 120 February 18, 2009[73] 978-0-7851-3148-9
UPC 5960613148-00111 		PAL
Punisher War Journal: Civil War Trade Paperback Punisher War Journal (2007) #1-4 144[74] September 6, 2007[75] 0785123156
978-0785123156 		T+
Punisher War Journal: Goin' Out West TPB Punisher War Journal (2007) #5-9 168[76] March 19, 2008[77] 0785126368
978-0785126362 		T+
Punisher War Journal: Hunter/Hunted TPB Punisher War Journal (2007) #12-17 161 July 16, 2008[78] 978-0-7851-2664-5
UPC 5960612664-00111 		PAL
Punisher War Journal: Jigsaw TPB Punisher War Journal (2007) #18-23 144[79] March 18, 2009[80] 0785129642
978-0785129646 		PAL
Punisher War Journal: Secret Invasion TPB Punisher War Journal (2007) #24-26 and annual #1 (2007) 120 May 20, 2009[81] 978-0-7851-3408-4
UPC 5960613408-00111 		PAL

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Teen and up
  2. ^ Parental Advisory

References

  1. ^ "Punisher: War Journal Vol. 2". IGN. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  2. ^ CBR Staff (January 29, 2007). "CIVIL WAR FUNERAL IN "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL" #4". CBR.com. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  3. ^ The Beat staff (March 27, 2007). "Oh no! New Captain America already!". ComicsBeat. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  4. ^ Johnston, Rich (July 19, 2016). "Behind The Scenes Of Marvel's First Civil War Crossovers". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  5. ^ Dooley, Chris (August 18, 2007). "WHO WILL BE THE NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA?". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  6. ^ Dedman, Stephen (2016). May the Armed Forces Be with You: The Relationship Between Science Fiction and the United States Military. McFarland & Company. p. 180. ISBN 978-0786497423.
  7. ^ Scott, Kevin Michael (2015). Marvel Comics' Civil War and the Age of Terror: Critical Essays on the Comic Saga. McFarland & Company. p. 113. ISBN 978-0786496891.
  8. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL (2006)". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  9. ^ IGN staff (April 17, 2007). "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #7 PREVIEW; Frank Castle becomes the new Captain America...?". IGN. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  10. ^ Callahan, Timothy (July 2, 2008). "Punisher War Journal #21". CBR.com. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  11. ^ The Beat staff (December 21, 2007). "Anecdotes #2". ComicsBeat. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  12. ^ The Beat staff (November 29, 2007). "Comic Book Club celebrates one year anniversary". ComicsBeat. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  13. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #1". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
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  39. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #14". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
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  41. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #15". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
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  43. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #16". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  44. ^ "February 2008 Comic Book Sales Figures". comichron.com. The Comics Chronicles. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  45. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #17". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
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  47. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #18". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
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  49. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #19". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
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  51. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #20". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
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  53. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #21". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
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  59. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #24". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
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  61. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #25". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
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  63. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #26". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  64. ^ "December 2008 Comic Book Sales Figures". comichron.com. The Comics Chronicles. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  65. ^ "PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL ANNUAL #1". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
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  67. ^ "Punisher War Journal Annual (2008) #1 | Comic Issues | Marvel".
  68. ^ Punisher War Journal - Volume 1: Civil War. 19 September 2007. ISBN 978-0785123156.
  69. ^ "Punisher War Journal Vol. 1: Civil War Premiere (Hardcover)".
  70. ^ "Punisher War Journal Vol. 2: Goin' Out West Premiere (Hardcover)".
  71. ^ "Punisher War Journal Vol. 3: Hunter Hunted (Hardcover)".
  72. ^ "Punisher War Journal Vol. 4: Jigsaw! Premiere (Hardcover)".
  73. ^ "Punisher War Journal Vol. 5: Secret Invasion Premiere (Hardcover)".
  74. ^ Punisher War Journal - Volume 1: Civil War. 19 September 2007. ISBN 978-0785123156.
  75. ^ "Punisher War Journal Vol. 1: Civil War (Trade Paperback)".
  76. ^ Punisher War Journal - Volume 2: Goin' Out West. Marvel. April 2, 2008. ISBN 978-0785126362.
  77. ^ "Punisher War Journal Vol. 2: Goin' Out West (Trade Paperback)".
  78. ^ "Punisher War Journal Vol. 3: Hunter Hunted (Trade Paperback)".
  79. ^ Punisher War Journal - Volume 4: Jigsaw. April 2009. ISBN 978-0785129646.
  80. ^ "Punisher War Journal Vol. 4: Jigsaw (Trade Paperback)".
  81. ^ "Punisher War Journal Vol. 5: Secret Invasion (Trade Paperback) | Comic Issues | the Punisher | Comic Books | Marvel". Archived from the original on 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2017-07-02.

External links

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