What's That Saying?

 

So, I wasn't going to write about this whole thing. I wasn't going to join the YouTubers and other bloggers/writers who showed their utter disdain towards the news about The Punisher issue 12. But, this one pissed me off more that I wanted it to.

I had read the original Punisher comics growing up, as well as loads of the graphic novels and one-shots that were released. I remember borrowing a friend's copy of one issue, reading with delight when the Punisher attracts a bunch of criminals to a fair ground, and then mows them down with uzis while riding a roller coaster. I even have a copy of Punisher Warzone issue one, signed by John Romita Jr, something I'm more proud to have, given the recent events. An old friend of mine has all the Punisher comics, across the series before they were cancelled. He did not buy the Marvel Knights run, as he had stopped collecting by then. I offered to buy them off him, but he never got back to me with a price...

I stopped collecting comics a while back, something I'm not too bothered about, given how crap most of them became, but I always found myself watching from a distance. The story appeared back in 2020 of Gerry Conway wanting to reclaim the iconic skull symbol, claiming it had been used as one of oppression by cops and those folks on the right. I dismissed the story, thinking that the Punisher would just be phased out, or cancelled altogether. But, oh boy, was I wrong.

The above image circlated on the internet, accompanied by the story that the Punisher was given a redesign, swords instead of guns, and joined The Hand. The funny part of the article is that it makes out the change had to happen, because the symbol was adopted as one of hate.

Uh huh.

Myself, and many others who read the comics, never believed that. It always stank of politics to me, especially as a lot of folks on the right, like Sean Hannity, were fans. John Bernthal even said in an interview with Conan, "the character resonated deeply with members of law enforcement and the military." He even states he was warned by a fan not to mess it up when playing Frank Castle. For the record, he didn't. He did an amazing job.

So, when the latest series launched, I didn't pay it any attention. That was until issue 12 released, and people found out what happened in it. In particular, the images below, which are part of the scene where Franks resurrected dead wife sees him, after she's shot him.

Yeah. To say it pissed off a lot of the fans was a mild understatement. I looked at that scene and saw not only the deconstruction of Frank and his history, but also an outright character assasination on him. With Maria telling Frank she was going to divorce him before getting killed on that fateful day, it essentially made all of his stories pointless. But, I suppose it goes with everything Marvel are doing now, given the way their comics are being written. However, while I ignored and shrugged off previous changes and storylines that wrecked other characters or their universes, this one hit a nerve.

It was a prime example of how a lot of the mainstream writers out there destroy more than they create. And, as they have shown in comic books alone, it is much easier to do just that. Of course, it spawned plenty of YouTube videos on the subject, which I won't bother linking as there's so many of them. As much as I agreed with their reasons for doing so, they failed to realise they were just giving more attention to the whole thing. And, yes, I see the irony that I am, also, but bare with me.

These occasions show to me that companies such as Marvel don't like sections of their audience. They put stuff out like this to spite them, to tell them what they loved is dead and to move on. The phase 'Get Woke, Go Broke,' is appropriate here, as Marvel isn't the powerhouse it once was in terms of sales. Recently, the writer for the Scarlett Witch series admitted sales were struggling, along side the whole industry, and his book would probably be cancelled. As much as I feel bad for him, I can only shrug my shoulders.

In response to the Punisher news, Chuck Dixon, one man who wrote the series so well, back in the day, announced the Black Warrant series through Vox Day's Arkhaven Comics. Time will tell if that does well, but I hope it does.

In closing, I can't help but fear for the writer of this series, Jason Aaron. For those who don't remember, he famously wrote the relaunched Thor series, where Jane Foster became Thor, a series that did not last very long. Like Dan Slott, who killed Peter Parker and had Doc Oc become Spiderman, and like Tom King, who had Batman go to marry Catwoman, only to call it all off after a massive buildup. Writers like these will mainly be remembered for what they have screwed up, and not what they have created.

For any writer, that is a real shame, and it is a one lessons should be learnt from.