• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

  • DC Guides
    • DC Events
    • DC New 52
    • DC Rebirth
    • Batman Guide
    • The Sandman Universe
  • Marvel Guides
    • Marvel Events
    • Captain America Guide
    • Iron Man Guide
    • Spider-Man Guide (1963-2018)
    • Spider-Man Guide (2018-Present)
    • Thor Guide
    • X-Men Reading Order
  • Indie & Licensed Comics
    • Spawn
    • Star Wars Guide
      • Expanded Universe Comics (2015 – present)
      • Legends Comics (1977 – 2014)
    • Valiant Guides
  • Drag
    • Canada’s Drag Race
    • Drag Race Belgique
    • Drag Race Down Under
    • Drag Race Sverige (Sweden)
    • Drag Race France
    • Drag Race Philippines
    • Dragula
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
  • Contact!
You are here: Home / consume / comic books / The Punisher by Rucka & Checchetto – The #42 Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus of 2017

The Punisher by Rucka & Checchetto – The #42 Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus of 2017

May 22, 2017 by krisis

It makes perfect sense that Greg Rucka would be the author to turn in the most-memorable in-continuity Punisher story in recent memory and the one with the best-developed female characters. After all, he’s not only known for stellar super-hero runs on titles like Wonder Woman, but also beat-cops drama on DC’s Gotham Central.

However, if Rucka’s success in this story makes perfect sense, the big surprise is the superstar turn from artist Marco Checchetto on his first lengthy run.

The Punisher by Rucka & Checchetto is the #42 Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus of 2017 on Tigereyes’s Secret Ballot. Visit the Marvel Masterworks Message Board to view the original posting of results by Tigereyes. And, check out Guide to Punisher for details on how to collect this and every other Punisher run, ever.

Past Ranking: A 2017 debut!

Probable Contents: Punisher (2011) #1-16 & Punisher: War Zone #1-5, a crossover with Daredevil #11 and Avenging Spider-Man #6, and material from Spider-Island: I Love New York City (maybe adding the non-Rucka Punisher: The Trial Of The Punisher (2013) #1-2)

Creators: Written by Greg Rucka.

Line art on The Punisher (2011) by Marco Checchetto (with Matthew Southworth, Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano, Mirko Colak, and Mico Suayan). Line art on Punisher: War Zone (2012) by Carmine Di Giandomenico. Color art on both series by Matt Hollingsworth.

Can you read it right now? Yes, but the four paperbacks collecting the 23 core issues of this run have become exorbitantly expensive to track down, which is part of the reason this omnibus is such an attractive prospect. Find the details in the Guide to Punisher.

Marvel Unlimited includes both The Punisher (2011) and Punisher War Zone (2012) in full.

The Details:

It’s hard to separate the quality of Rucka’s run from fans’ sense relief and delight that Punisher was back to basics and back to the streets of New York City after less-than-beloved runs from Matt Fraction and Rick Remender. This 2011 iteration of Punisher finds Frank Castle back in New York with little explanation. It’s simply where he ought to be.

(For the record, Remender’s is good but fucking weird.)
https://www.crushingkrisis.com/assets/Punisher_2011_0008.jpgRucka juxtaposes Punisher’s back-to-basics vigilantism against an act of violence incredibly similar to his own origin – a shoot-out at a wedding that leaves just about everyone dead, save for the bride – Afghanistan veteran and police Sergeant Rachel Cole.

Actually, she’d rather you call her Rachel Alves. She took her husband’s name.

At this point I think it’s safe to say that Greg Rucka is probably the best writer working who is still willing to dally with Marvel and DC between his own projects. At the point that you can write killer runs on Punisher, Wonder Woman, Star Wars, and even the typically boring Cyclops in a five year period you’ve proven yourself to be the undefeated champion of Big Two Comic Writing, Eisner Awards be damned.

It’s not just Rucka that makes this a must-read run. Marco Checchetto has secretly been one of Marvel’s best in-house pencillers for years, and while he’s just now getting his due with runs on Star Wars titles, The Punisher was his real proving ground. He’s been a favorite of mine every since.

Prior to this run, Checchetto’s notable prior work was being part of the pencilling rotation on Amazing Spider-Man, where it was hard to stand out against other tremendous artists each on such short arcs. On Punisher, we saw Checchetto settle in for a run for the first time and he goes from strength to strength – accentuated by Matt Hollingsworth’s increasingly grounded, unglossy take on colors.

(At first, Hollingsworth seems beholden to match the sickly quality of the colors on the guest covers by Bryan Hitch colored by Paul Mounts.)

This volume is the increasingly entwined story of Castle and Cole-Alves, whose twin missions of revenge eventually intersect and intertwine as they assist and subtly thwart each other. Punisher_War_Zone_2012_0001While Cole-Alves tragic arc is filled with palpable grief, Rucka wisely uses her plot to give Castle an arc both in plot and emotion.

Even when the run takes a last-minute swerve to find the Punisher facing off against The Avengers in Punisher: War Zone (with Carmine Di Giandomenico ably replacing Checchetto), the moral arc of the twinned Castle and Cole-Alves drives the plot.

Will we see this omnibus in 2018? I think yes.

Punisher is heating up thanks to his Netflix series, and I was seriously shocked that this slim-but-satisfying volume wasn’t amongst the omnibuses announced for this fall to complement his show.

However, it makes more sense when you think that almost this entire story could be adapted perfectly to the Marvel onscreen Universe.

Whether or not this story is headed for a Punisher Season 2, I do think the omnibus is headed to accompany that season.

Would I recommend buying it? Yes.

This run of Punisher perfectly splits the difference between heroics and noir, and the whole thing looks damned great. I’d go so far as to say it should be one of the first Punisher runs in your collection.

The 2017 Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Secret Ballot Results

  • #60 – What If? Classic Omnibus, Vol. 1
  • #59 – House of M Omnibus
  • #58 – Captain Marvel by Peter David, Vol. 1
  • #57 –  X-Force by Kyle & Yost
  • #56 – Namor, The Sub-Mariner, Vol. 1
  • #55 – X-Force, Vol. 3 AKA Cable & X-Force, Vol. 1
  • #54 – Conan The Barbarian, Vol. 1
  • #53 – Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron
  • #52 – Incredible Hercules by Pak & Van Lente
  • #51 – Amazing Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Vol. 1
  • #50 – Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch, Vol. 1
  • #49 – Captain America (Silver Age), Vol. 3
  • #48 – Doctor Strange by Roger Stern
  • #47 – Marvel Horror of the 1970s
  • #46 – Killraven
  • #45 – Captain America by Mark Gruenwald, Vol. 1
  • #44 – Runways by Brian K. Vaughan
  • #43 – Superior Spider-Man
  • #42 – The Punisher by Rucka & Checchetto
  • #41 – Black Panther by Christopher Priest, Vol. 1

Filed Under: comic books Tagged With: Carmine Di Giandomenico, Greg Rucka, Marco Checchetto, Matt Hollingsworth, Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus, Punisher

Previous Post: « Superior Spider-Man – The #43 Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus of 2017
Next Post: Black Panther by Christopher Priest, Vol. 1 – The #41 Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus of 2017 »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Frédéric Clément says

    June 4, 2017 at 8:28 am

    Thanks for writing about it, I might put it on next year’s ballot!

Primary Sidebar


Support Crushing Krisis on Patreon
Support CK
on Patreon


Follow me on BlueSky Follow me on Twitter Contact me Watch me on Youtube Subscribe to the CK RSS Feed

About CK

About Crushing Krisis
About My Music
About Your Author
Blog Archive
Comics Blogs Only
Contact Krisis
Terms & Conditions

Crushing Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Events Guide

Spider-Man Guide

DC Comics

  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - DC Universe Events Omnibus Mapping 2025Every Missing DC Universe Event Omnibus, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Every missing DC Universe Event omnibus mapping from DC Comics to prepare for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - DC Villains Joker Omnibus MappingEvery Missing DC Villains Omnibus – Joker, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, & More, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Missing DC Villains omnibus mapping - Joker, Doomsday, Lex Luthor, & more! - for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - DC Solo Heroes Q to Z The Spectre Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Question, Zatanna, Spectre Omnibus & More, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Missing DC Hero Q-Z omnibus mapping - Question, Spectre, Zatana, & more - for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - DC Solo Heroes F to P Martian Manhunter Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Firestorm, Jonah Hex, Martian Manhunter Omnibus & More, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Missing DC Hero F-P omnibus mapping - Firestorm, Jonah Hex, Martian Manhunter, & more - for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - DC Solo Heroes A to E Doctor Fate Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Blue Beetle, Doctor Fate, Deathstroke Omnibus & More, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Missing DC Hero A-E omnibus mapping - Blue Beetle, Doctor Fate, Deathstroke, & more - for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - Superman Family Supergirl Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Superman Family Omnibus, Mapped – Superboy, Supergirl, & More! | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Every missing Superman Family omnibus mapping - including Supergirl & Superboy - from DC Comics for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - Superman Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Superman Omnibus, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Every missing Superman omnibus mapping from DC Comics to prepare for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Every Missing Suicide Squad Omnibus, Mapped – plus, other DC Teams! | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Every missing Suicide Squad omnibus - plus other DC teams - mapping from DC Comics for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - Teen Titans Omnibus Mapping 2025Every Missing Teen Titans Omnibus, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Every missing Teen Titans omnibus mapping (plus Young Justice) from DC Comics to prepare for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - Shazam Omnibus Mapping 2025Every Missing Shazam Omnibus, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Every missing Shazam omnibus mapping from DC Comics to prepare for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - Legion of Super-Heroes Omnibus Mapping 2025Every Missing Legion of Super-Heroes Omnibus, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Every missing Legion of Super-Heroes omnibus mapping from DC Comics to prepare for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - Green Lantern Omnibus Mapping 2025Every Missing Green Lantern Omnibus, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Every missing Green Lantern omnibus mapping from DC Comics to prepare for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - Justice Society Omnibus Mapping 2025Every Missing Justice Society Omnibus, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Every missing Justice Society omnibus mapping from DC Comics to prepare for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]
  • Most Wanted DC Omnibus - Justice League Omnibus Mapping 2025Every Missing Justice League Omnibus, Mapped | 2025 Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Poll
    Every missing Justice League omnibus mapping from DC Comics - plus Trinity team-ups! - for the 2025 Tigereyes Most-Wanted DC Omnibus Poll. […]

Content Copyright ©2000-2023 Krisis Productions

Crushing Krisis participates in affiliate programs including (but not limited to): Amazon Services LLC Associates Program (in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), eBay Partner Network, and iTunes Affiliate Program. If you make a qualifying purchase through an affiliate link I may receive a commission.