The Punisher #1

After his successful mini-series, drawn by Mike Zeck, Marvel Comics gave The Punisher his own monthly title.

The monthly series allowed the writer and artist to delve deeply into the personality, motivation and methods of The Punisher.

Frank Castle makes a crack junkie think he killed him so he can follow him to a drug house.  Once there Frank takes care of business.

Not long afterward an old buddy from Vietnam talks to Frank about one of their squad’s members (believed dead) who is alive and transporting drugs.  The man wanted Frank’s friend to help him, he refused.  He turns up dead later.

Frank uses the information his dead friend provided him and infiltrated the crime organization in disguise under a false name.

Things go haywire and Frank once again takes care of business.  Still in disguise he managed to contact the ‘big man’ of the organization only to discover it is another of his former war buddies.  End of issue #1.

Writer Mike Baron and artist Klaus Janson delved into the world of Frank Castle (the Punisher) and firmly established the character.

The story was gritty, somewhat disturbing and excellently paced.

This is The Punisher that years later will appear in movies and his own TV series: grim, tough, without mercy and a professional killer hell-bent on revenge and bloody justice.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world." — 1 John 2:15-16