The Punisher

The Punisher is, without a shadow of a doubt, my absolute fav superhero, or comic-book hero for those who say he is not a superhero. I been reading Punisher comics since I was kid, along with Spider-Man, they pretty much rule in my humble opinion.

Frank Castle, had his family killed by the mob, after witnessing a mob rub out. He was left for dead, but when he returned he came back as the Punisher! Unlike, other heroes in the Marvel Universe, meeting up with him, means you will more than likely die! Justice is permanent with him.

His first appearance was in Amazing Spider-Man #129. He was set up by the Jackal into thinking Spidey was a bad guy, but he soon saw that that was not the case. The character was an immediate success. Along with Wolverine he helped usher in a new breed of costumed hero, the one that kills his foes.

He would clash with Spider-Man many times , and they formed uneasy alliances. These encounters with heroes would be something Punny would have to endure over his career. Anywho, he eventually got his own mini-series, then his own series. That would, at one point in time, lead to a total of three books being published, the other two being: Punisher War Journel and Punisher War Zone.

Plus, he guest starred in just about every superhero book. Shit he was even in the awesome 90s Spider-Man toon . Unfortunately he and other dark characters, like Morbuis, Ghost Rider, and Blade, had to be dumbed down for toon land. Overexposure eventually hurt the character, and an ill fitted attempt to make him a supernatural hero did even worse. He came back, eventually, thanks to Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's amazing Welcome Back Frank, which led another series, and eventually an adult MAX series.

Marvel would bring him back to normal Marvel Universe in Punisher War Journal, where he killed various useless villains like the Stilt-Man. really fun stuff!

Now he is back on the big screen. This is the third attempt. The first was a crappy low budget film that had Dolph Lundgren. While, violent and Lundgren was OK in the role, it is marred by a bad script, laughable villains, a travesty of his origin, and WORST of all no Punisher skull on his clothing. Lame. But, hey that Japanese chick and her blonde daughter who play the villains are hot... That one scores a *and 1/2 out of **** in my book.

The next version was in 2004. This is one of my fav superhero films, but I just wish that it had been in New York, as opposed to Florida. That said, Thomas Jane remains the best actor to take on the role. I've discussed this film before here, so I will just give you my rating: ****

So, yesterday, I saw the latest version of the Punisher on film: Punisher War Zone . I know some stuff has been said on the net regarding preproduction of this film, but ignore that. This is a great, truly fun film! In fact, the ONLY complaint is that Jane is not in it. That said Ray Stevenson does a good role as Frank Castle.

First and foremost, this is the first time anyone has EVER gotten his origin right in a movie. He is in New York, too! Also, comic-book characters Soap and fucking Microchip are in it! Microchip, bro! But, the best part? Jigsaw is in it! Jigsaw was one of the only returning villains Punny has, mostly cause the rest end up dead. He is done perfectly in the film. And, looks fucking cool, too!

You cannot imagine my joy of seeing one of my fav villains step out of the comics and collectibles and into the big screen. Jigsaw kick ass!

This is also the single most violent American made action since this year's excellent Rambo. Heads and bodies explode, decapitation, impaling, neck breaking, cannibalism, head shots, gory squibs, fist through the head, and other acts of mayhem splatter across the screen. The use of colors and over-the-top violence makes the movie look like a comic-book, which I loved! The action is fast and furious and the film is never boring or overlong, a problem with some comic-book films. The acting is solid from all involved. And, may I add, that Julie (Dexter) Benz looks EVEN hotter as brunette?

Critics, who are lame and pussies, will bitch about the gore, but fuck 'em. They don't know shit about comics or the Punisher. This is one of the year's most outrageous and fun movies. In a year full of excellent comic-book films, this one does not have the depth of The Dark Knight or the wonderment of Iron Man, but it is so enjoyable, that you can help but have a GREAT time with it. Go get your ass to the movies, NOW! Or at least after you leave work or whatever the fuck it is you are doing right now. **** out of ****

I really hope we finally get a Punisher film series. I leave you with some cool Punisher art, to make you all happy and whatnot.

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The 10 Greatest Supervillains Ever

The Dark Knight will see the return to the big screen of one of comicdom's greatest, most insane and most evil villains, ever: the Joker. It got me to think who are the 10 greatest supervillains ever? Here is the list of the most evil, warped, insane, and/ or deadly bunch of comic-book bad guys ever. They range from madmen, to alien dictators, to Nazi war criminals, to Satanic demon lords. Enjoy the evil!

1. Dr. Doom- The greatest villain in the history of comics. Smart, power obsessed, vain, and dangerous. The man is a dictator loved by his people, feared by all others. Determined to rule the world and destroy one of his few equals in intellect, Mr. Fantastic, Doom reigns supreme over his country, Latveria, and comics in general. Plus, he looks fucking cool. And, yet he has a sense of honor to him, that makes all the more complex.

2. Joker- One of the most well known villains ever, the Joker stands psychotic heads and shoulders above one of the greatest, if not THE greatest rogue galleries in the history of comics. The character has grown and matured and gotten more evil and vile with time. From a silly, campy clown criminal to psychotic killer, the Joker changed with the times. The problem was as he became more insane and deadly, he racked up a bigger body count, which in turn hurt Bats, cause he can't kill, one of the most whacked out and evil men in the DC Universe.

3. Darkseid- Ruler of the hellish world of Apokolips, Darkseid is also the only villain, other than Doomsday, who can stand toe-t0-toe with Superman. He is also one of the coolest looking villains ever. With his mighty omega beams and quest for the Anti-Life equation, Darkseid is, who I think, should have been the villain to have "killed" Supes and not Doomsday.

4. Ras Al Ghoul- Batman's mental and physical equivalent, Ghoul actually wants to makes this a better world; it's just methods that are questionable. The Lazarus Pit is a cool thing, and he has a hottie daughter. Ghoul is my absolute fav Batman villain, and one that can beat almost any hero in the DC Universe.

5. Mephisto- While, he is not Satan, he has pretended to be him on many occasions. Perhaps, the most powerful demon lord in the Marvel Universe, Mephisto is there to tempt and corrupt the souls of the Marvel heroes. A ruler of his own hell world, Mephisto is evil incarnate.

6. Red Skull- Unlike guys like Doom or Magneto who have some degree of morality, the Red Skull is a Nazi scumbag. Considered one of the greatest threats to humanity, by SHIELD, the Skull is purely evil, and a bad guy you want to see never succeed. Plus, thanx to his orders the original Captain America is dead.

7. Thanos- You know, he could have been a Darkseid rip-off, but Thanos formed his own legacy in the Marvel Universe. This happened when he defeated the combined Marvel heroes and killed the ENTIRE universe. And, he did it all out of his love for death! And, no I don't mean the classic death metal band!

8. Lex Luthor- Perhaps the single most famous villain in comicdom, he is Supes' eternal foe. While, his only powers are his brain, technology, and his vast amount of wealth, Luthor will always be a thorn in Superman's side. He was president of the US, for chrissakes! Oh, yeah his warsuit is fucking awesome. Why can't they ever have him wear that in the movies?!

9. Green Goblin- While, he might not be my favorite Spidey villain, he is the most persistent, and holds edges over anyone else in that rogues gallery. He is one of the few to know Spidey is Parker, he knew Parker (as did his son, who also donned the Goblin mask) on a personal level, and killed Spidey's old flame, Gwen Stacy. Insane, smart, and armed with his deadly high-tech weapons, the Goblin is not a guy you wanna fuck with.

10. Kingpin- He rules the streets of New York and is the number one for of Daredevil, as well as being a problem for the other major Marvel street heroes, Spider-Man and Punisher. And, you can thank him for sending Bullseye to kill Elektra. And, it ain't all fat. The motherfucker is all muscle and can prob beat your ass with his bare hands.

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My 10 Favorite Comic Book Characters

Being that the 2nd part of Wizard's 200th issue celebration featured their (kind of disappointing) list of 200 greatest comic book characters, i thought I would try something similar. Here is the difference, though. Mine are NOT the 200 greatest, but my 10 FAVS. IE, this not THE definitive list for anyone other than myself. These are my favs. You don't have to agree, or anything as your 10 favs are bound to be different from mine. I would love to here your pics, btw.

Regardless, here go mine:

1. The Punisher- ever since I was a kid The Punisher (Frank Castle) has been my fav superhero. Why? Because, if something was done to my family, I could see myself doing what he does. Unlike other heroes Castle permanently disposes of the criminal scum he meets. His brand of Justice is permanent. Crossing a line few superheroes ever would he has met and dealt punishment to drug dealers, mobsters, killers, and has even stood his ground against super-villains like Dr. Octopus, Dr. Doom, the Kingpin, etc, and even taken out low grade Marvel villains like the Jack-O-Lantern and Stilt-Man. He has had his ups and downs with other heroes in the Marvel Universe, but my fav times have always been when he and my 2nd fav hero (Spider-Man) crossed paths.

2. Spider-Man- Much like Punisher, I have always liked Spidey. his humorous one-liners were always great. He is easy for anyone whoever got picked on to connect with. Plus, he has, what is, arguably, the best rogues gallery in all of comics.

3. Batman- With no super powers, Batman is a hero that uses his mind and physical ability to beat his foes. While, he will never take a life, he will never give up his fight against crime. He lives in a world of crime and darkness. He, in fact, is a character that strikes fear into the hearts of villains. And, he has one of the greatest rogues galleries, ever!

4. Dr. Doom- the greatest villain in all of comics, is smart, dangerous, evil, vain, yet, to some weird degree, has a sense of (twisted) honor. Whatever the case maybe, he even looks cool, and he rules his own country!

5. Ghost Rider- While, there may have been two GRs, i will go for like a combo vote here. His second series went to the shitter after issue 50. But, the more recent series has redeemed the character. Either way he is my fav horror hero (and I am a horror fan, first and foremost).

6. Darksied- He is the one villain who can go toe to toe with Superman. An all powerful, unstoppable, power hungry tyrant, he rules his hell-like planet, Apocalypse, with an iron fist and is one of the world's greatest threats. All hail Darksied!

7. Wolverine- My fav mutant is a hero that plays by his own rule. One of the earliest heroes to kill, Wolvie, once he goes into berserker, you better watch your ass! He smokes, drinks, kills, fucks all the hot chicks, has a healing factor, adamantium steel-lace bones, how can you not wanna be him?

8. The Thing- One of the most tragic heroes around, he still has a great sense of humor, is immensely powerful, and belongs to my fav superhero team, ever!

9. Emma (the White Queen) Frost- Perhaps, the sexiest comic book creation ever, she is a bad girl gone good (but still bad). Is there any better kind? Too bad her action figure sucked more dick than a chick in a gang-bang flick and looked more like a crack-whore than the White Queen, herself.

10 Black Canery- She is hot, blonde, and wears stockings. Plus, she kicks ass and stars in one of my fav comics/ teams, ever: the Birds of Prey.

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