After the exhilarating and deeply violent Punisher: Red Band, Benjamin Percy’s story continues this week in new-ongoing Punisher #1. Frank Castle is back, but not without war wounds from the previous series. With Tombstone and Kingpin now out of the way, Punisher aims to give Frank a new purpose as Jigsaw looms to take him out.
Punisher #1 is a compelling kick start to a new chapter in Frank Castle’s life as a vigilante. At its core, this is a book about a man, some might say middle-aged, who has lost his purpose. That’s partly due to cutting a controlling device out of his brain, but one can see the metaphor for a midlife crisis. Percy hits at how Frank still takes out criminals in New York, but he’s not doing it out of joy or even a mission. It’s an instinct.
Whether or not this series is about Frank finding purpose remains to be seen, but he does actively seek help for his damaged brain. That gives the story ample purpose as Frank tries to heal himself, when typically he’s killing himself simply to keep on killing killers. It also ensures that nothing here glorifies the Punisher’s violence. This is a man who is barely himself, acting more like a force of nature on autopilot than a violent figure to look up to.
That’s gotta be the heaviest jacket ever.
Credit: Marvel
A second plot involves Jigsaw, who sees his opportunity to be a big-time crime boss once and for all. José Luis Soares Pinto draws a hell of a Jigsaw, introduced by having him rip a fleshy mask from his face. The dude is seriously messed up, and Pinto makes you feel that craziness. He’s yet to actually get power by the end of the issue, but he’s certainly ready to take big steps, and chunks out of Punisher.
Pinto’s art is highly detailed, with some jaw-dropping images of the city streets early in the issue. In one scene, Frank simply opens his jacket, revealing droves of weapons, and Pinto puts incredible detail into each one. There’s also effective montages, like in one scene Frank is cleaning a gun and we see snippets of mayhem as he tries to remember his past. On another six-panel page, on the left side, we see Frank driving his van to each crime, and on the right, cast in red are folks getting blown away and stabbed by Punisher. It’s an effective way to show how busy Frank is, albeit by acting like a robot in his pursuit of justice.
Other characters, such as a newswoman and a prisoner Frank holds, add a human element. That’s necessary, as Jigsaw and Punisher are giving horror and unflinching pain.
Punisher #1 launches a new era with grit, control, and a surprising amount of psychological depth. Percy leans into the aftermath of Red Band, presenting a Frank Castle who is no longer fueled by ideology or rage but by reflex. That shift gives the book a haunting quality. Frank feels less like a crusader and more like a machine running on dying batteries. A thoughtful take on Punisher that’s amplified by José Luis Soares Pinto’s razor-sharp line work and intense visual storytelling. The result is a first issue that feels purposeful, bleak, and confident in its direction.
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