The Punisher is about to collide with some of Marvel’s toughest heroes. Marvel Comics has announced Punisher Showdowns, a new series of oversized one-shots beginning this October that pairs Frank Castle with Black Widow, Wolverine, and Winter Soldier in previously untold missions.
Writer Tom Waltz (Marvel Zombies: War Zone) joins artist Greg Land for the opening chapter, Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow #1, with additional one-shots arriving in November and December.
Waltz said the project gave him the chance to revisit one of his favorite Marvel characters.
“Landing the Punisher Showdowns gig right on the heels of my work on Marvel Zombies: War Zone is far from a punishment, let me tell you! The Punisher has always been one of my favorite comic-book characters, all the way back to the first time I witnessed him doing battle with Daredevil in Daredevil #183. Now I get to showcase untold Punisher missions featuring three fascinating heroes with dark histories: Black Widow, Wolverine, and Winter Soldier. Rest assured, widows will sting, claws will slash, and bullets will fly. I couldn’t be more ecstatic to join my amazing art teams for this bombastic ride!”
The series begins in Las Vegas, where Frank Castle and Natasha Romanoff find themselves pursuing the same terrorist threat. Black Widow’s intelligence on a Wolf Spider operative quickly sends the pair on a violent collision course, leaving readers to wonder whether the two assassins can work together before the bullets start flying.
November’s Punisher Showdowns: Wolverine #1 shifts the action to New York City, where Wolverine investigates the Yakuza after a dangerous new drug spreads through the criminal underworld. Frank is already hunting those responsible, putting the two relentless fighters on opposite sides of the same mission.
The trilogy concludes in December with Punisher Showdowns: Winter Soldier #1. After Frank targets a politically connected criminal, Soviet Russia deploys the Winter Soldier to stop him, setting up a brutal clash between two of Marvel’s most lethal operatives.
Marvel also revealed Greg Land’s main cover for Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow #1 alongside variant covers by Mark Bagley and Joe Jusko. Check them out below.
PUNISHER SHOWDOWNS: BLACK WIDOW #1
Written by TOM WALTZ
Art & Cover by GREG LAND
Variant Cover by MARK BAGLEY
Variant Cover by JOE JUSKO
On Sale 10/21
PUNISHER SHOWDOWNS: WOLVERINE #1
Written by TOM WALTZ
Art by BRUNO BÜLL
Cover by WHILCE PORTACIO
Variant Cover by JOE JUSKO
On Sale 11/4
PUNISHER SHOWDOWNS: WINTER SOLDIER #1
Written by TOM WALTZ
Art by EDGAR SALAZAR
Cover by IAN CHURCHILL
Variant Cover by JOE JUSKO
On Sale 12/2
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