Punisher (Vol. 3) #11
Writer: John Ostrander
Penciler: Tom Lyle
Inker: Robert Jones
Lettering: Richard Starkings and
Comicraft
Colorist: John Kalisz
Digital Separations: American Color
Editor: Jaye Gardner
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras
Released: July 17, 1996
Jon Bernthal is my Punisher, and I'm thrilled to see him back in the role on “Daredevil: Born Again.” I'm not sure how many appearances he'll make or in what direction the one-off story Bernthal is writing for Disney+ will go, but I'm pretty sure it won't be adapting this issue.
I'm filing this under Missing Links, but not because finally finding it at a local comic shop filled a void in my Punisher collection. I'm no fan of the character, although I do sometimes find it interesting when he interacts with other characters, like Daredevil, Spider-Man or Batman.
No, this issue brings me one step closer to the complete Onslaught epic, which was actually the topic of my very first post on *51. It was repurposed from content for the Source Material podcast episodes where we discussed the entire Onslaught story, or as much of it as I could track down. I originally got most of the core issues and a bunch of tie-ins... but strangely none of the Spider-Man issues. I don't know if I never saw the Punisher on or just didn't want to drop $1.50 on it. But listening to the other guys talk about it, and knowing I could probably get it today for less than vintage cover price, made me want to seek it out.
The story opens with the Punisher joining a lot of other non-super-powered New Yorkers, including that blond dude who I incorrectly thought was a supporting character, in gawking at Sentinels who have just arrived in Manhattan to secure the city for Onslaught. Punisher doesn't know who Onslaught is or what he's doing, but he recognizes trouble when he sees it.
This time, trouble takes the form of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier being shot down by said Sentinels. Despite Frank not being on good terms with the superspy agency – something about him killing Nick Fury in a drug-induced frenzy – he decides to swim out to help them.
Punisher figures scavengers will be coming for the S.H.I.E.L.D. weapons aboard, and he's right. A gang called the Junkyard Dogs is watching from the New Jersey shore. Their leader, Rashid Hammer Jones, figures this is the perfect opportunity for them to get out of doing enforcement jobs for the mob. So, they hop on their custom jet skis and head for the Helicarrier.
Inside the Helicarrier, Contessa Valentina Allegra d'Elaine Benes informs S.H.I.E.L.D. head honcho G.W. Bridge* that no one died in the crash, thanks to the floating fortress' “in-house buffers,” but only about half a dozen are capable of walking on their own. Dum Dum Dugan warns them scavengers are headed their way before collapsing, so Bridge tells Contessa to see to the evacuation and hit the carrier's auto destruct.
Trying to find cover, Frank slides down the side of the 'carrier, falling into a huge opening created by the crash. Bridge snags him before he can land on something hard. These two have a history, but they decide to put it aside to provide cover for the evacuation...
...which is completed by the end of the next page. Bridge tells Castle to jump, then shouts a warning to the Dogs as he rockets away on a jet pack. They heed his advice and swim to shore, since the escaping S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel commandeered their boats and personal watercraft. S.H.I.E.L.D. takes over the Junkyard Dogs' digs in Jersey, and Bridge tells Frank he needs a favor – taking out a mutant terrorist cell. Punisher figures he owes him 'cause of killing Fury and all.
And that's the end of the Punisher's involvement in Onslaught. I can't remember if he had multiple ongoings at this point, but if so, I don't think they tied in. This seemed to be a pretty effective way to work Frank Castle into the story, I mean except for the fact that it seems like Bridge and company mostly had the situation handled without him. Frank sometimes punches above his weight class, but neither bullets nor bazookas were going to make a difference against Onslaught.
Clearly I'm not up on my Punisher lore, but I remember hearing about the conflict with Fury and Bridge, so this seems to be connecting to Onslaught and advancing the Punisher's own storyline. Bridge knows Frank killed Fury but Contessa doesn't seem to, and she and Fury were an item at one point. So that probably gets followed up on.
That is not the case with the Junkyard Dogs. According to Fandom, this is their only appearance. I don't think Punisher killed any of them, so hopefully they all got treated fairly by the legal system and emerged as rehabilitated, contributing members of society.
Bridge debuted as a former friend and thorn in the side of Cable. So with him, the Sentinels and the assignment to go after a mutant terrorist group, it feels like maybe Marvel was trying to get Frank into the X-spotlight. I mean, the Onslaught story did shuffle the Avengers and Fantastic Four off to a pocket universe to try to reignite interest in them while the X-Men were the biggest thing in comics, so it's not out of the question back then – even if these days the Punisher is getting a live-action Disney+ special before any of the mutants.
* - The initials stand for George
Washington. He's the most successful of his siblings,
including his
sister, Brooklyn, and brother, Golden Gate.**
** - What, you thought I was joking?***
*** - OK, this time I was, but only about the siblings. Dude's name really is George Washington Bridge.
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