As the cover suggests, Punisher: Red Band #5 is the finale that leads to a direct confrontation between Kingpin, Tombstone, and Punisher. Mind-controlled and used, Punisher is out for revenge from two of the most heartless gangsters in Marvel Comics. Like the T-1000, nothing will stop Frank, and the only question is how he’ll take down these scum.
After four issues of barely holding on, Punisher is figuratively and literally behind the driver’s seat at the start of this issue. Barreling down the street in a dump truck, cops race after him, and his captions are steady and calm. This is a man who isn’t filled with rage, but just cold, bloody focus. Once without control of his own body, this issue shows that when Punisher has his mind back, he manipulates his foes like a puppet master.
The intensity is very high in this issue, with a brisk pace and fast deaths. The art employs speed lines here and there, and colors by Yen Nitro heat things up with a fire in the latter half, or cool-looking lights on cars in the big chase that builds towards the final confrontation.
As with the previous issues, this series lives up to the Red Band label here, with bursts of blood when people take head shots, or necks twisted like plaid when Kinpin gets his mitts on Tombstone’s men. In one scene, a man is run over by Punisher, and over three panels, we see some of the most gruesome gore ever put to page. Julius Ohta might actually make you squirm with the flow of blood and the tearing of body parts in this sequence of panels.
Time to party.
Credit: Marvel
By the end of the issue, Punisher feels more in charge than ever, and writer Benjamin Percy has set up something special for the upcoming ongoing launch next month. Between where Punisher leaves his enemies, and how he’s set up for more gun-toting justice, there’s nothing stopping this title from getting bigger and better.
I do have some gripes, particularly how easy it seemed for Punisher to get Tombstone and Kingpin at each other’s throats. Tombstone even admits he’s walking into a trap, but that’s still a bit too easy to wrap all this up in the last issue. The cop that interacts with Frank in the final pages also feels a bit out of nowhere, and likely a character popping up next month. There’s a fine line between delivering an impactful finale and spending crucial page time to set up key pillars for what’s to come.
Punisher: Red Band #5 closes the series with brutal efficiency, showcasing Frank Castle at his most calculating and unstoppable. No longer robbed of his agency, Punisher becomes a master manipulator, steering his enemies toward destruction with chilling precision. While the finale occasionally sacrifices nuance for momentum, the sheer intensity, graphic violence, and confident character work make it a satisfying end and a strong launchpad for what comes next.
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