The punisher retrospective- 'Circle of blood' #2

by David Scrimgeour & Kevin McCluskey

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Cover Date- February 1986
Price- 75c
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​Writer: Steven Grant
Penciller: Mike Zeck
Inker: John Beatty
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Colourist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Carl Potts
Editor In Chief: James Shooter
Publisher: Marvel Comics

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synopsis

Following his escape/release from Ryker's Island Prison, Frank returns to his mission of waging war upon the criminal underworld.  However, a botched attempt at eliminating Wilson Fisk results in him being drawn further and further into The Trust's web, where, at its centre, Alaric awaits.  (K)

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Dave
What’s your impression of the cover of issue 2?  I like it.  It’s a real urban 80’s picture, again reminiscent of the ‘Death Wish’ films and our 80’s beat-em-up games.


Kev
I like it, yeh.  It features a very muscular, intimidating looking Frank, it's beautifully painted and the composition is great.


Dave
I think it really suits issue 2, as this is more about him being back on the street again rather than in jail.  Issue 1’s cover should have been something more representative of its story.  The street gang he's away to take on look quite funky, and is it just me, or does Mike Zeck's Punisher in this issue looks a lot less square jawed too?


Kev
The gang do look "funky,"yeh.  Like Sly & The Family Stone or something.  I suppose this must've just been what gangs looked like in America in the 80s.  Frank is drawn a little less square of jaw in this issue actually, yeh.


Dave
It still reminds me of the arcade game 'Final Fight.'


Kev
They do look like the gangs in 'Final Fight,' yeh.  Or its Sega counterpart 'Streets of Rage.'  I'm loving the Frank narration that opens this issue.  It's very flat.   Very matter of fact.  Very business-like.  Superb artwork by Zeck and Beatty on the opening page.  And Bob Sharen's colours set a great mood.

"Even with all this accumulated knowledge, when will these dummies learn to use a door knob?"

Dave
It’s one of the things I always enjoyed about reading The Punisher, his own narrative throughout the story.  It’s something none of the live action TV/film incarnations have ever used as effectively.  I think it gives us a more human Frank.  We see the motives behind his behaviour, his fears, his guilt at not the winning the war the way he wants to.  I think his own narrative is essential in getting a grasp of this character.  It makes for a lot less dialogue cluttering up the panels, plus it helps speed along the action as well.  It’s certainly less verbal than the opening to issue 1.


Kev
That's true.  Certainly as the star in his own series, it's essential here for getting the reader into the head of the character.


Dave
I like the next 3 pages where he is thrown from the building in the explosion.


Kev
It's a great set piece, isn't it?  That splash page of him being thrown from the building is fantastic.  Although, Frank'd be dead if he took that fall in a post-Giuliani New York, seeing as Giuliani cleared all the trash from the street.  There'd be nothing to break his fall.


Dave
I like how we go immediately into the car turning up, the exotic woman, then waking up in a bedroom.  Straight out of a Bond movie.  It's terrific.  It  creates a real sense of drama in a short timeframe.  l love how the set-up of the this story can quickly jump into a new scene with ease and quickness. The story is naturally flowing, nothing feels contrived about it.


Kev
Ha, ha!  That is very much a page out of the James Bond playbook, isn't it?  Actually, looking at it again, the draughtsmanship by Zeck on Franks fall really is outstanding.  Yep.  Totally agree.  Grant and Zeck are making this seem effortless.  Which is, course, what the greats do.  We also get to see a little glimpse of Frank's PTSD with the Seim Pang flashback dream.


Dave
Frank looks like a maniac during his flashback dream.


Kev
He looks a bit like Jigsaw actually.


Dave
Yeah, just noticed that.  You're right.

Frank's sleep paralysis is getting a bit out of hand.

​Kev
Frank is shown to have a keen sense of smell in this issue.  First with the stench of "dust and rot," which alerted him to the Kingpin's trap and later with the scent of Angela's perfume.  Very Bruce Wayne, or Sherlock Holmes even.


Dave
Frank’s a smart tactician.  He's very much on his own, having to weigh-up all the angles and is a studier of human behaviour.  He makes many references to this throughout the issue.


Kev
That's true.  He is constantly analysing people and their behaviour.  Speaking of behaviour, it is interesting that Angela leaps right into the sack with Frank immediately.


Dave
He knows how to play people off each other.


Kev
Yes, he is incredibly proficient at manipulating people.


Dave
I like how he calls her a romantic.  He can see through the charade she is putting on but he's still focused on his "mission" though and he doesn't seem to get too sidetracked by her.


Kev
Definitely not.  He uses her as much as she uses him.  Frank's is feeling his age a bit though.  He says he's tired.  And are his reflexes dulling?  "A split-second slow and it nearly killed me."  This is a pivotal page.  The internal monologue gives us such an insight into the character and the themes of the story.  It even references the title of the story "circle of blood."


Dave
It’s another great frame with him leaning forward, looking out the window whilst reflecting.  Our new word for the Punisher, "reflecting.’  Another great visual frame packed with plenty to look at.  In contrast, I also like the next frame of him picking up the phone to make a call with just a pure white background.

Frank's lounge-wear doesn't look the comfiest.

"Good evening, Mr. Bond."

Kev
Definitely.  Reflecting on the world outside.  His war with it.  His role in it.  Cracking stuff.


Dave
What an apartment!  I'd love to live in a place like that.


Kev
Yeh, man.  That panel is very nice.  That one room looks bigger than my entire flat.


Dave
The panel where he speaks to Alaric from ‘The Trust,’ again has a slight Bond-villain's lair look.  Very 80's, with the dodgy moustache and the shirt button opened with the porno star hairy chest.  Plus the cheesy grin on his face.


Kev
Ha, ha!  Alaric's lair is very much like a Bond villain's, isn't it?  He does look like a 70's or an 80's pornstar, doesn't he?  What a douchebag.  I love the disdain Frank has for 'The Trust.'  He even refers to them as "amateurs."


Dave
Yeah, he's a pro.  They sure are not.


Kev
Alaric certainly isn't.  I can't for the life of me work out why they didn't just adapt this series for a 'Punisher' movie.


Dave
Yeah, it would have been an ideal choice for a movie.  I like the reference to the Daily Bugle when Georgie Porgey gets offed.  It’s straight out of a gangster movie, all the top men getting waxed in quick succession.


Kev
Yeh.  You've got to love a bit of The Bugle.  It really is like something out of a gangster movie, isn't it?  Or something like ‘The Sopranos' even.

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​Dave
Steve Grant is having a bit of fun here, mixing it up with all the gangster names too.  Georgie Porgy, Morgan, B. Barrigan, Injun Joe and Killer Croesus.


Kev
Those names are fantastic, aren't they?


Dave
It reminds me of ‘Goodfellas’ or ‘Casino,’ but "Circle Of Blood" was out first.


Kev
Yeh, good point.  Those names are probably a reference to stuff that goes as far back to the James Cagney gangster flicks of the 1930s.  I also love the all too brief glimpse of the "battle van."  It just needed was a Microchip.  Not to get blown-up in it like, but you know what I mean.


Dave
Yeah, the "battle van" was great.  It’s a fair size inside.  It’s his version of The T.A.R.D.I.S.

DJ Frank Castle cuing up the next "banger" for his forthcoming exclusive mix, 'Kittens & Rainbows.'

Kev
Yeh.  That's a good point.  That van is bigger than my entire flat as well.


Dave
I wonder if it has an ensuite bathroom in it as well?  It’s big enough for it.  "Vermin Slayer Pest Control.”  Who says Frank don't have a sense of humour?


Kev
Ha, ha!  Right enough.  That never even registered with me.  Good catch.​


Dave
He's a crafty guy, old Frank.  He's good at predicting people's reactions too, which allows him to plan ahead.


Kev
Yeh, I like that we're shown Frank being smart enough to do his reconnaissance work here.  Plus, he's suspicious enough of Angela to do some investigating of her too.  Not suspicious enough to not have sex with her as soon as he meets her, but hey.  He's suspicious, but he also has needs, I suppose.  He's certainly no angel is our Frank.

If THAT's his best material, maybe Frank should stick to the vigilanteism & forget the career as a stand-up comic.

​Dave
I could see those two pages of the mobsters getting killed with a musical montage of some kind.


Kev
Yeh, definitely.  To some 90's boom bap, east coast rap.  Actually no, something from '86 itself, like Run DMC 'Raising Hell.'  Again, the narration gives us a great insight into the inner working of the character's mind.  "Charlie Siciliano might have the clout to make peace.  I wouldn't like that."  He needs them divided, so he can conquer them.

Dave
Frank must be getting older, 'cause he never noticed Tony nearby, who couldn't bring himself to kill him, even though he had a slight chance to.


Kev
That's true.  Tony is just too much of a punk to pull the trigger.  Frank treats him with utter contempt as well.


Dave
This issue also boasts some great locations for set pieces, like Grand Central Station.

Frank's P.O.V. and he's seeing red.

​Kev
Classic.  Was that scene in 'The Untouchables' with the pram and the staircase set there?  


Dave
Yeah, it was released after ‘Circle of Blood.’  ‘The Untochables’ was ’87.


Kev
I love the gangster, tough guy dialogue in this scene.  "You got something to say, Sicilian, spill it!  I got dinner waitin' on me!"  That's superb.  Also, "Smash the structure and you smash the mobs.  It's the structure I want dead."  That's a great line for encapsulating this series.


Dave
I like how he keeps a track of his competitors.  When he's chasing down Nolo Contendre he describes him as having a "perfect record."


Kev
Yes.  Again, it shows that Frank does his homework on guys like Contendre.  


Dave
Contendre proves too be a good adversary for Frank too.  But again, Franks ability to psychologically manipulate him gives him the edge.


Kev
Yep.  It's a great chase scene through the subway and into the cart.  The claustrophobia of the close quarters combat really adds to the dramatic tension of the encounter.  And the inevitable risk to innocent bystanders as a result.

Here, let me get that door for you, Frank.

​Dave
Yeah, it’s a good action set piece, with two evenly matched pros battling it out.


Kev
It's interesting that Frank is still respectful of certain "rules" and Contendre "shooting into civilians" breaks the cardinal rule of his profession.  "It's not done" even.  Frank is appalled by this.  Once again, showing Frank's rather skewed moral compass.


Dave
When Contendres head was clearly severed, Frank clutched his neck in a disgusted flinch.  That’s interesting also.


Kev
I love that little flinch.  It's really amused me.


Dave
He seems saddened by what’s transpired.  Like his plan of attack on the war with mobsters can cause him more pain, with the loss of innocents.


Kev
Yeh, he's beginning to realise that his plan is slipping out of his control.  "They're afraid of me.  I can see it in their eyes.  I should say something.  I should make them understand."  "What have I done?"  He's aware his extreme measures have only served to make things worse.  "I've made a tactical error."


Dave
I like the 80’s subway battle.  It was something that was always featured in films and TV.  New York subways were a dangerous place to go to.


Kev
I think they genuinely were in the 70s and 80s.  Who were the Angel guys?  With the white t-shirts and red berets?  The Guardian Angels.


Dave
Yeah, the Guardian Angels of the New York subway.  I remember that being a huge thing in the 80‘s.  The “battle van” getting blown up here is clearly work of ‘The Trust,’ especially that slimey cheeseball, Alaric.  That final frame makes me laugh.  Total wannabe porno star and the dog is looking at us readers goin,’ "YEP HE'S A TOSSER I KNOW!"

Alaric's dog looking straight down the lens, breaking the fourth wall, Deadpool style.

Kev
Ha, ha!  I was just going to say something about the dog too.  He looks so smug.  Alaric looks like he's borrowed Angela's sexy nighty from earlier on in the issue.  Also, we have the reveal that Angela is two-timing Frank with Alaric.  Yeh, Frank is clearly being manipulated into reaching-out to them.


Dave
Haha.  I think he’s shaved his legs beforehand and missed a little bit.


Kev
Ha, ha!  Looks like it.  Maybe he was half-cut when he was doing his legs in the bath or the shower.


Dave
That frame of Frank going to the phonebox (‘cause it is New York) with the vehicle burning in the background reminds me of the scene in ‘Speed.’  “There’s a bomb on the bus.”


Kev
Yeh, or ‘Speed III’ in ‘Father Ted.’  Back in the days when you could find a pay phone on every street corner.


Dave
I think Frank gets a bit blindsided by his vendetta and doesn’t always see the manipulations happening to him, but he’s an invaluable asset to them and ‘The Trust’ really do need him to do their dirty work.


Kev
Definitely.  With that last panel we see that, as good as Frank is at manipulating people, he is being manipulated himself by Alaric and Angela.  But they need him more than he needs them at this point, I would say.  Despite all their manipulating of him.


Dave
Yeah, this is still standing up as a great series.  You remember how much we loved this as kids?


Kev
I sure do.  I remember taking a lot of these issues into school, or even buying them from the newsagent across the road on my dinner break on a Friday and reading them under the table in my music class.  It is a pretty thrilling story right enough though.  For someone who had only recently started to move away from 'Transformers' comics, this seemed so grown-up at the time, with it's sex and violence.  I loved it.  I’m still loving it even now.
 
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Dave
Yeah, it’s one of my favourite 80’s stories.  With programmes like ‘The Equalizer’ on as well, this fed my craving for this type of genre even more.


Kev
Good point.  I hadn't really thought about 'The Equalizer' in relation to this.  I suppose it was kind-of 'Death Wish' watered down and then serialised for TV, wasn't it?


Dave
I recently picked up season 1 of ‘The Equalizer’ and watched it all.  I really liked it.  It was a watered down version, but it featured a crafty self sufficient character who, like Frank, didn't entirely work alone, had plenty of resources to turn to and again would get hindered by his former employer from time to time.  Plus, it was set in New York and it didn’t glamourise it in any way.


Kev
I need to re-watch it then.  Did you see the remake with Denzel Washington?


Dave
Yeah.  That was good as well.  A darker, brutal version of the story, with a good soundtrack and directed by ‘Training Day'’s Antoine Fuqua.


Kev
I'll need to watch that as well then.  It's on Netflix just now, actually.


Dave
The other good thing about the 80’s ‘Equalizer’ was the number of well known guest stars it had before they made it big, such as Steve Buscemi, and even lesser stars, but actors that you know, James Russo, Will Patton, Burt Young, Meatloaf, Adam Ant, Esai Morales,  Is the TV series on Netflix?  It’s got that great theme tune.


Kev
I don't think the TV show is on Netflix, no.  Stewart Copeland from 'The Police' did the theme tune.


Dave
As I said earlier though, this issue is a great showcase for New York, with the various locations equally matched by some great set pieces.


Kev
It does have a proper 80's, gritty, New York vibe to it, doesn't it?


Dave
Hard to believe that was over 31 years ago we collected this.  When was it that ‘The Punisher’ UK series come out?  I remember collecting it as well.


Kev
August 1989 until March 1990.  It ran for 30 issues.  I reckon I've still got them all somewhere.  I'd love to get my hands on them again.

​(D) & (K)

​Next: 'Slaughterday.'