Spider-Man: Marked For Death!

 

Twenty years to the month from the first appearance of the vigilante criminal nemesis named the Punisher comes a tale which at first glance has history repeating itself. Except with one important difference:

This time, the Punisher would hit his mark.

In this 1994 What If story, writer Chuck Dixon provides a rather gruesome outcome for Peter Parker by the hand of the Punisher, cutting short the hero's life and accomplishing what a host of villains (and the Punisher himself, in our reality) failed to achieve--his attack instigated at the behest of the Jackal, a character who has his own agenda against the wall-crawler. Here, there will be no meeting of the minds between Spider-Man and Frank Castle as we witnessed in their original encounter--only a cold, and fatal, encounter with an assassin.

The Price Is... Death!

 

A little over a year following his debut in Amazing Spider-Man, the Punisher makes his way over to a high-profile appearance in the fourth issue of Giant-Size Spider-Man, fighting beside the wall-crawler in a 36-page story (which, excluding ads, works out to 27 pages--still a nice 9 extra pages for your extra 25¢ than what the monthly Spidey series offered). Coming along for the ride is the regular book's creative team of Gerry Conway and Ross Andru (with Mike Esposito stepping in on inks) in a story of greed vs. human lives, an equation which rarely works out in favor of the latter.

We're introduced to at least one of those lives when Spider-Man foils an attempted kidnapping of a young woman, and receives some unexpected assistance from a nearby sniper.

(I don't know about you, but there have been enough instances of Spider-Man's spider-sense being "set aside" when the story calls for someone to take him unawares that I've conditioned myself to sigh and let it slide. That said, two such instances in one scene may tax my resolve.)

As for Spider-Man's resolve to be more understanding of first responders, that lasts for all of sixty seconds, tops (in a very odd scene on Conway's part).

Let's hear from our judges on this about-face, folks:
Police: 9.8. Suddenly can't-be-bothered jerk in the costume: 1.5. (Five-tenths added only because he saved the girl.)

So what's this plot that Spider-Man has stumbled into all about? Why was this girl targeted for kidnapping? What's the extent of the Punisher's involvement (aside from having some interest in the kidnappers that may extend beyond simply picking them off)? Thanks to his journal entry, we can make a fair guess by now that the Punisher is conducting some sort of investigation--but judging by the issue's shocking (if symbolic) cover, the "enemy" that the Punisher speaks of is going to mete out some punishing of his own.

Woe To The Unpunished!

 

Of all the scenes the Punisher has to his credit over the years, one that often comes to mind for me comes courtesy of the character's creators, Gerry Conway and Ross Andru, during his second appearance in the early '70s:

The context of the panel consists of his reaction to his foe, the Tarantula, making a fool of him and giving him the slip (and, perhaps most frustrating of all, escaping punishment). The Punisher, after all, is conducting a one-man war against criminals--and while his motivation at this point in time is unclear, what does seem evident is that his obsession with that mission is driven by a mixture of rage and vengeance. Simply put, he cannot tolerate this low-life remaining free--or alive.

But there are more curious circumstances occurring in the Punisher's first appearance, taking place in Amazing Spider-Man in 1974, where we find him in an alliance with the bizarre interloper known as the Jackal, who has his own obsessive agenda in regard to the wall-crawler--a twisted mindset that the Punisher is apparently unaware of, or the Jackal might also find himself in his partner's crosshairs. Here, the Jackal takes advantage of his knowledge of Spider-Man's role in the death of Norman Osborn in combination with our hero's history of evasion of law enforcement, to make sure the Punisher's sights are now turned on a target that both men are convinced is deserving of death.

And so Frank Castle breaks into the comics world as...

A Fearsome Forgathering of Frivolous, Far Out Frenzy!

 

Aside from mental institutions and Congressional debates (which may sound redundant), you and I are generally not exposed to much if any sort of frenzy in our lives. Yet on planet Earth as seen through the eyes of comic book creators, incidences of large-scale mania, madness, insanity, or sheer frenzy can be found across the globe--any year, every year, whether due to invasions, or the plans of a super-villain brought to fruition, or world-ending disasters brought on by a malevolent power, or attack-induced panic, or any of a dozen other threats which the human race has proven ill-equipped to deal with. The word can also be applied to the unpredictable and seemingly unstoppable circumstances occurring within a particular story, as the characters involved struggle to deal with the situation.

So, fair warning:  If you're easily affected by such heightened states of hysteria, reach for that mouse or touchpad and click over to a less alarming site! (Like the news.  Ha! Kidding!) Because the PPC is about to do a frenzied roundup of those incidences, and try to figure out just why they're in such a state of:

Come on, shriek it with me...

AAAAAH! Stop it! Can't... STAND IT!

Paws Up, Troll--You're Under Arrest!

It isn't often when the mortal characters in comics can hold their own, or even manage to survive, when facing the super-villains who couldn't care less about causing collateral damage (human or otherwise) when battling the hero(es) they face. If the bystander is lucky, they're able to escape the carnage--or perhaps the hero on the scene is able to save them from meeting an untimely death. But there are others who aren't content to be bystanders, and instead take a more active role in a conflict where lives are in danger--such as Wyatt Wingfoot, or Eric Masterson, or Rick Jones, or certainly those on the police force whose duty and dedication puts them in harm's way.

One officer who excels in both duty and dedication is Lt. Marc Stone, who went on to propose and lead the Code: Blue special ops unit of the force but whose commitment to collaring criminals had already made him a respected police detective, whose job always came first. But a year before he would form the group that would pit himself and those he led against the some of the fiercest super-villains in New York, Stone was reordering his priorities in order to appease his wife's wish that he leave his dangerous job. Is Lt. Stone the type of man to walk away from the force? For a man who values commitment in doing what's right and what's necessary--a man who also made that commitment to his family--it would seem so.

Yet the true turning point for Stone comes when Ulik, the fierce rock troll who has challenged Thor on many occasions, is loose on the streets after a battle with the Thunder God that forced him to withdraw, leaving the police on the scene to try to contain him. It's no surprise that Ulik is too much for any mortal force to deal with--but one mortal is determined to try, and, more than that, determined to succeed.

It was the first improbable contest between Stone and Ulik--a heroic feather in Stone's cap, though clearly Stone's thoughts are focused on what his wife's reaction will be to his resignation forms being hurled to the wind. Yet apparently the clash between these two struck such a chord with writer Tom DeFalco that he followed up with the pair three years later, when Stone led Code: Blue to Asgard itself in response to a member of his team being injured during Ulik's escape from custody.

When the team locates Ulik and the assault begins, Stone is separated from the rest of the unit--but to no one's surprise (and certainly not the reader's), he presses on by himself.

By this point, there is enough history between Ulik and Stone that Ulik now feels enmity for his mortal pursuer, though it contrasts with Stone's single-minded goal of recapturing this "criminal" and not allowing him to get away scot-free in light of the callous injuries he's inflicted. The only thing they share in common as a result is their intent to prevail--which, along with the overwhelming advantage one of these combatants has over the other, makes this struggle a riveting one. In the end, it's hard to tell which of these two exhibits the most tenacity.

Stone would have no choice here but to resolve himself to the fact that his "suspect" got away--though no one could argue that he didn't acquit himself with distinction.

---

And speaking of mortals who take on Ulik...

Thanks to alert reader M.P., who had pointed out Ulik's clash with another mortal gunning for him, let's take a quick look at a Marvel Knights story from 2000, where we find Daredevil and the Punisher dealing with a group of trolls (led by Ulik) who are trying to recover an Asgardian artifact by bringing down the New York building where it's being held. Apparently the suits upstairs aren't keen on parting with it, even with their building crumbling all about them--and so Daredevil heads off to convince them, while the Punisher assesses the threat of his targets, as only he can.

It stands to reason that the Punisher has similar experience to Stone's when it comes to weaponry and tactics, and he's probably packing a good deal of heat and ammo to spare, though the Punisher of course has no interest in 'cuffing Ulik and taking him in--quite the opposite. But can the Punisher's methods of "punishment" inflict the damage on Ulik that the hammer of Thor is capable of? Probably not, but it isn't for lack of trying.

It's safe to say that the writing is on the wall as far as the Punisher's chances of pulling this one out. He's running out of options, out of ammo, and out of time.  But you know Frank Castle--if he's going down, he's going to take the Punisher with him. Again, probably not. Fortunately, Daredevil's time has been productive, and the Punisher will live to fight another day, though with Ulik's gloating words ringing in his ears.  But that's better than a detonation at point-blank range.

BONUS!

Lt. Stone's clash with Ulik offers an opportunity to size up two full-page KA-POWs between artists John Buscema and Ron Frenz--the latter artist appearing to swipe pay homage to the former's style, though in his Thor work Frenz clearly made the rounds with other artists in that respect. Whose chin had the sorest bruise here--Thor, or Ulik?

NEXT:

The debut of Code: Blue!

Will they make a difference? Will they spin off to their own comic?

(Yes and no.)

Vigilante In Vegas!

Given the flak that the Punisher took in the company of Captain America, his first meeting with the incredible Hulk almost seemed like a budding bromance by comparison. At the time of this story's publication in mid-1992, the Hulk's transformation had stabilized to where he was now an amalgam of both Bruce Banner and his brutish alter-ego--going a step further than simply having the Hulk controlled by Banner's mind, the Hulk became the perfect vehicle for writer Peter David's less tragic approach to the character, with Banner perfectly comfortable and confident as the Hulk and even throwing his weight around to an extent in terms of being cocky when confronting an opponent. As a result, the Hulk that the Punisher would cross paths with exhibited none of the shock or judgment of the Punisher's modus operandi in dealing with criminals that Bruce Banner might have shown--and since the story involves the gangster presence in Las Vegas where the Hulk's gray incarnation, "Joe Fixit," acted as an enforcer, the Punisher fit right in with the Hulk's business in the city.

As to the details of that business, the Hulk returns to investigate the murder of his friend and former employer, Michael Berengetti, who ran one of the casinos and had accepted the Hulk into the fold. Berengetti's wife, Suze, believes that a rival businessman, Sam Striker, had Berengetti murdered; and when Striker attempts to strong-arm her into cooperating with his attempts to absorb Berengetti's assets, the Hulk appears and makes it clear that Striker is to back off. Yet the encounter is a stalemate, since Striker is protected by Frost, an imposing freelance hitman who appears to be in the Hulk's class of strength; all the same, Striker departs without pressing the issue, though neither the Hulk nor Striker are aware that the Punisher is in town and gunning for Frost, and will take down both Striker and "Mr. Fixit" if they get in his way.

Within his "ice cream truck" that camouflages a well-equipped surveillance setup, the Punisher continues to keep tabs on the situation while the Hulk's investigation proceeds. Accompanying the Hulk are Ulysses, Paris, and Hector--his associates from the Pantheon, an altruistic organization based in Nevada that's devoted to helping to end war, famine, and pestilence. It's Paris who alerts the group to the presence of the Punisher, though not by name; all they know at present is that the person is a potential hostile, and a dangerous one--an assessment that's more than validated when they take the initiative in flushing him out.

As is evident, the Hulk doesn't give a second thought to the Punisher's methods or that he works outside the law (nor, curiously, do the other Pantheon members raise any concerns), issues which David side-steps completely except for a reference to the man's rap sheet which is added at the story's end almost as an afterthought. As far as the story is concerned at this stage, the Punisher is relegated from this point on to guest-star status, welcomed aboard the Hulk's plans for dealing with Striker and, by extension, Frost.  In the end, the heavy lifting will fall to the Hulk, though David's trademark witticisms will give most of this cast dealt in to one extent or another.

Once the group has touched base with the police, the Hulk is ready to put his plan in motion--one that involves Paris leaking to Striker that Fixit is making a drug deal that evening at a local warehouse. Once Fixit takes delivery, Striker makes his entrance and makes a smooth attempt at blackmail--only instead of putting one over on Fixit, both Striker and Frost find that the tables have been turned on them.

As you might imagine, Striker and Frost aren't the types to go quietly--and a fierce gunfight erupts. The Pantheon focuses on Striker's men, while Striker himself is wounded by gunfire. The Punisher goes after his prime target, Frost; but when Frost successfully holds him off, the Hulk takes over, only to find that Frost more than lives up to his name.

The Hulk and the Punisher would find themselves in the same story once more in three years--though this time, their paths only cross in passing, with the Punisher more obsessed with taking out the one he blames for the death of his family (Nick Fury) while the Hulk, having his own problems with Fury, all but rolls out the red carpet for Castle.

While you can't label the Hulk and the Punisher as enemies, given what we've seen here, it's not really accurate to call them friends, either--more like two men who have found themselves on the same page and teamed up for their mutual benefit, parting company once their business was concluded. The Hulk would likely have rated a favorable footnote in the Punisher's war journal--something of a dubious honor, to be sure.

Incredible Hulk #s 395-396 Script: Peter David Pencils: Dale Keown Inks: Mark Farmer Letterer: Joe Rosen