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by David Scrimgeour & Kevin McCluskey   Frank indulges himself in a little 'Hot Fuzz' moment. Cover date- January 1986 Price- $1.25 Writer: Steven Grant Penciller: Mike Zeck Inker: John Beatty Letterer: Ken Bruzenak Colourist: Mike Zeck Editor: Carl Potts Editor In Chief: James Shooter Publisher: Marvel Comics synopsisWe join our hero just as he is being incarcerated within the walls of the penitentiary on Ryker's Island, which is hardly an ideal situation for someone waging a one-man war on crime. As such, he is outnumbered in his attempts to prevent a premeditated prison break from unleashing the convicts back into the outside world. However, he finds himself on the receiving end of some unlikely aid from even less likely allies in the form of 'The Trust,' a band of wealthy, influential, private citizens who facilitate his escape from prison with the understanding that he returns to his war in conjunction with them. (K) Kev What's your opinion of the cover to issue 1? Dave To be honest, I don’t think it's a particularly good cover. It just doesn't really tie-in with this issue. Kev Really!?!? I like it. It's Zeck & Zimmelman. But you're right, it's a fairly standard Punisher image. It doesn't give you much insight into what is happening in the issue underneath it at all really. Dave Yeah, but covers are there to entice me as a reader, so I can't see why he's showing me this image and not giving me an inkling of what to expect from this, first, issue of The Punisher series. Interestingly though, this was a double sized issue. Kev Yeh. I'd totally forgotten that it was a double sized issue until I was well into it and thought it was taking me ages to read. I mean, admittedly, I am a slow reader, but I thought it was getting ridiculous. I like that Grant gives you a nice, quick run-down of the character and his history to begin with by using the personnel file/debriefing to do so. It’s very efficient. It would be particularly helpful if you were unfamiliar with the character going into this mini series. Dave I love the first three panels, when Frank has just arrived on Rykers. It basically sums up the presence of the Punisher there. Fear. He's also built like a brick shit-house.  'Escape From…..Ryker's.' Kev That's true. That opening panel really sets the mood and the tone. Dave What do you remember most about this issue? Kev The one thing that’s always stuck out to me more than anything else about this issue, is Frank crushing Jigsaw's hand whilst Jigsaw’s holding the neck of the broken bottle. It’s just so sadistic. And Frank looks like he’s enjoying himself doing it too. Dave Yeah, I really liked the build up to him and Jigsaw. There’s plenty of bone-crunching action in this issue. Kev Oh, for sure. What do you remember most about this issue yourself? Dave I’ve got a lot of bits I like. I love the panel where he walks into Cell block D and you see the nine prisoners waiting for him and the subsequent pummeling he gives them. It’s reminiscent of ‘The Warriors,’ with a run-down subway look and feel to it. It also kind-of reminds me of those old arcade games we used to love, like ‘Final Fight.’ It’s funny how the Punishers eyes have always got a black shadow around them, like he's put on the eyeliner for jail.  "…., come out to plaaay!" Kev Ha, ha! I had that in my notes, that the hoods who jump Frank in his cell look very 'Warriors'-like. Good shout on the 'Final Fight' thing. That hadn't occurred to me, but you're totally spot-on. Either that, or its Sega counterpart, 'Streets Of Rage.' I suppose you’ve got to rock the guyliner for extra moody, prison sex appeal. Not prison-sex. I mean sex appeal whilst in prison. Just clarifying. Unlike in 'The Amazing Spider-Man' #129 there's no cartoon weapons in this series. We're in full-on, homemade, prison shiv territory here. Dave Steve Grant has written a terrific little prison story and again, it carries well throughout, with the Punisher joining up temporarily with Don Cervello, the double-cross, the botched escape, all with 'The Trust' keeping a watchful eye. Do we see similarities with 'Dragon's Claws' again with such a nicely layered story? Kev This issue is really well written, yeh. It's paced well, there's enough plot, a sufficient amount of intrigue to keep you invested and it's like a good old-fashioned prison break movie to boot. Dave It’s the old, classic pilot episode to a TV series. I remember this issue well, because it was a well crafted story and, as you said, it keeps you interested. That’s probably why they did it as a double issue, as there was far too much to cover in a normal sized one. Kev It is a lot like a pilot episode, isn't it? And I suppose a lot of pilot episodes are feature length too. It certainly addresses the problem that you felt a lot of the 'Dragon's Claws' issues had, in that they tried to cram too much story into 20-ish pages. Dave Yeah. It’s a pity we did not get to see a proper punch-up with Frank and Gregario, Don Cervellos main henchman though, as the sheer size of these two specimens would have made for a good match-up. Kev That's true. It certainly felt as though we were building to that confrontation. That's perhaps a minor niggle on the writing front. A build-up with no pay-off there. On the visual front, Mike Zeck and John Beatty's artwork is outstanding. That includes Zeck's colours. The use of colour pallet in that first panel on page 11 is so effective.  I'd love to stink of money. Even if it were someone else's. (K) Dave It’s certainly full of action but, with the expanded issue, it doesn't feel like they've overdone it with the fight scenes. That's what you come to expect from The Punisher though, brutal, bone-crunching fights. I love that panel of Frank on the staircase, with the dumbbell in his hands. Again, quite a captivating image.  "Pumpin' iron & eatin', man. Ain't nuttin' else to do in the muthafuckin' pen." Kev Ha, ha! I had the same things in my notes. I love that panel too. The layout of the prison yard is amazing. Jigsaw seems to have Frank pegged. ".....he ain't stupid, just crazy. Oh, he looks sane all right. Bottles everything else up. We uncorked it a little. But bottles like his don't break!” Dave Jigsaw looks like a raving lunatic they way he's drawn. Kev Definitely. He looks positively demented in that panel where he's imploring his "raggles" to "Hit him!" Dave Yet he turns into a wreck when the Punisher crushes the glass bottle in his hand. Kev He turns into a blithering idiot, doesn't he? Dave Even in that panel where Gregario has him by the scruff of his collar he looks like a snivelling little rat. Kev Yeh. He really does, doesn't he? Dave The Punisher not only has all his military training and skills, but he also has quite a good understanding of human psychology himself as well. Kev Yeh, I like that Frank is shown to be no dummy here. He's a very smart man. The 'Captivity, Day" entries remind me of the Captain's Log in 'Star Trek.' Dave This is certainly an issue with plenty of dialogue in it and also plenty of the Punisher’s thoughts as he navigates his way through the prison escape to the tower. Kev Definitely. Grant certainly uses the narration in the caption boxes to get right into Frank's head, his thoughts and his philosophies. He shows us that Frank is actually very methodical. Cold and calculating, even. "But who would be safe from them for the time it would take me to hunt them all down? Time they'd use to rob and kill.” This series seems to find Frank having to think outside the box, so to speak. To consider methods and tactics that he was unwilling to put into action or even consider using before now in his “war.” Dave I love that line "Funny how animals panic, They always beg for mercy. They don't even know what the word means." Kev Yeh. That's a pretty badass line. I could definitely hear that in Jon Bernthal's voice. Dave True. Also he's limited in his use of weaponry whilst he’s in jail here, but his training allows him to adapt and survive. Kev That panel where he smashes the guys face with the pipe looks brutal. He's certainly adept at using his surroundings to his advantage. Improvising the mattress as a makeshift bulletproof vest, for example.  Frank's dental surgery techniques are questionable at best. Dave I also like the old standoff at the end, when he tosses his weapon on the floor, but we can clearly see a back-up in his belt-line, stashed away and he makes the gun backfire on Jigsaw, leaving him with even more wounds. In terms of injuries sustained, Jigsaw is rapidly becoming this series‘ equivalent of Deller in ‘Dragon’s Claws. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh. Frank don't play by no rules. He don't play nice. Or fair. Dave Another great line is, "What do I care? He dies, you die. There's symmetry in that," with a good, old fashioned close up of the 80's eyeliner on the go. Kev That line certainly speaks to Frank’s more nihilistic tendencies, that's for sure. It occurred to me whilst rereading this that the scene with Frank crashing through the window of the prison tower was very John McLaine-like. 'Die Hard' before 'Die Hard.' Dave Or even the standoff at the end, where he has him convinced he has no weapon on him, that’s got a slight hint of 'Die Hard' about it as well. Kev I had that stand-off being similar to the one at the end of 'Die Hard' between John McLaine and Hans Gruber in my notes too. We're on the same page with this one, Sir. This would've been out a couple of years before 'Die Hard' though, right? Dave Yeah. Two years. That panel where the armed cops are pointing their weapons at Frank and we see him from his back, he looks fucking huge there.  "I'm huge, Jerry. Huge!" Kev Yep. A huge, shirtless, hairy-chested mean motherfucker. The prison guard in the tower whose life Frank saves is aware that Frank is the lesser of the evils in this situation and just lets him go. Dave Yeah, he’s definitely in the same shape, physique-wise as Commando or Rambo. That’s the influence of Schwarzenegger and Stallone here. Kev I would hazard a guess those two were most probably the templates for what Zeck based the look of his Frank Castle on, yeh. Dave Yeah, the 70’s Punisher was less physical looking, but the 80s was all about sheer size. Kev It certainly reflected the difference in the body types of your 70’s versus your 80’s action movie hero. Dave Did you not get slightly suspicious of the pitch from ‘The Trust’ for recruiting The Punisher? You can't blame him for being suspicious of their honourable intentions. Something seems amiss here. Kev Totally. I don't trust ‘The Trust.' I wouldn't trust ‘The Trust' as far as I could throw ‘The Trust.' Going back to that line you cited earlier, Don Cervello is typical of a criminal, in that they can't quite wrap their heads around Frank. He's unlike anything they've ever encountered before. "Are you serious! You'd let him die? What kind of beast are you?" A vicious crimelord calls Frank "a beast." That's telling. Different moral compasses, I suppose. Dave Yeah, that’s quite a controversial line that, calling him “a beast.” It shows though that The Punisher is not a guy whose bluff you can call, because he will go through with his actions without hesitation. Kev Frank certainly doesn't lack commitment, that's for sure. Dave The prison warden and Tommy are wearing some pretty dodgy fashion, as was often the case back then. Especially the checked yellow waistcoat. Kev Well, it has been said that the 80s were the decade that fashion forgot. Dave I like the full page panel where he has just put his Punisher gear back on. It’s similar to the first issue of 'Dragons Claws' we reviewed, where Dragon, the central character of that story, also finishes the issue back in his old gear. Plus, we get a prologue to the next issue.  The gloves are…..on!?!? Kev Jeez. That's true. That hadn't occurred to me, but we do get the suiting up at the end of the first issue, just like we did in 'Dragon's Claws.' Good spot, Sir. We also get the line, "Frank Castle died with his family. I'm The Punisher." That's the crux of the character right there, I reckon. He refers to himself in the third person, past tense. That tells you everything you need to know about him right there, that does. Dave What did you make the last two pages of the issue? Kev I like them. They're a nice little epilogue to this issue and prologue to the next issue. They set up the events of issue 2 (and beyond) very nicely, I feel. Dave Yeah, me too It’s going back to a stories of the old crime families that we know the Punisher likes to take vengeance on. Kev Yep. In a lot of ways, those are my favourite Punisher stories. Dave The Punisher always was so suited to the urban vigilante stories. Kev Definitely. The character works so much better in those more grounded situations, in my opinion. Dave Yeah. This still stands up as a really good issue and makes a stark contrast to the first appearance of the character back in 'The Amazing Spider-Man' #129. The version of Frank Castle, The Punisher, that we’re presented with here is a far more adult character, rather than just some vigilante with a large water rifle like he was back then. The 70’s Punisher was certainly a lot more cartoonish than the one we are familiar with now. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, this is cracking stuff. Grittier, more realistic, great writing, fantastic artwork, an all round good comic book read. It’s not aged badly at all. I could just be saying this because, if I remember correctly, this story was MY introduction to the character, but I think this is the perfect introduction to Frank Castle. Dave It’s a great opener to the series. It gives you a sense of the brutality to expect in this story. It's what we have come to the know The Punisher for, but shows he's also a smart cookie as well. Kev Yes. This is a smarter, more tactically sound take on the character, I feel. The Frank Castle in 'The Amazing Spider-Man' #129 came across as a bit dumb in places. Dave He sounded like a bit of a ranting lunatic as well. Always repeating the same line. But he was written just as a guest villain, so that would kinda fit the content of that story. Kev That's very true. I have to keep reminding myself to judge that issue in the context of its time and not in a 2017 context. (D) & (K) Next: 'Back To The War.' 
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