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Punisher: Year One #1-4
The Punisher: Year One
Punisher War Journal, Page One: We've known for years about the deaths of Frank Castle's wife and children, but now we see Castle himself mere hours later, when his grief and rage were at their freshest. To the police, he's a lead. To a reporter, he's a story. To the mob, he's just one more loose end. In four issues, they'll all learn what he's really become... Collects Punisher: Year One #1-4.
100 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 18, 2020
Published in the 90's but written and drawn like the 70's. A more humanized version of Frank Castle than that presented by other writers.
May 16, 2015
In full disclosure, the only Punisher that I was familiar with before reading this was a couple of issues that were crossovers with Daredevil. This is a good starting point for finding out the origin of the Punisher. However for several issues, it felt like this was more about reporter McTeer and Detective Laviano than it was really about Frank Castle's being driven over the edge into becoming the Punisher. I felt like there needed to be more emotional immediacy, from trauma from serving in the Marines to the shock of experiencing the brutal murder of his family and realizing that the mob was going to get away with it, to becoming deadened with a mission for "justice." In some ways, this also felt like a missed opportunity to explore PTSD, especially with the increasing number of people, including but not limited to servicemen and -women, being treated for it.
May 27, 2021
Espectacular esta miniserie del detonante vital de Frank Castle para convertirse en The Punisher. Brillantemente escrita sitúa esta historia dentro de género policiaco con una gran carga emocional por parte del protagonista. En cuanto al dibujo destacar que mantiene un estilo de la producción de los setenta/ochenta para llevar al espectador al momento en el ocurre la tragedia. De lo mejor que he leído de The Punisher. Recomiendo enfrentarse a él después de haber leído otra miniserie más actual, Born, que sitúa a Castle en los estertores de la guerra de Vietnam.
December 8, 2023
3.5
Some thoughts
Pros
1)The best thing about this is its incredible art work with its gritty noirish tone to great character designs (especially Frank who is given an overwhelming figure emphasising his incredible physical aptitude).
2) Surprisingly, the writing manages to give the side characters almost up to three dimensions instead of 1d noir cliches.
3) Pretty fine pulpy dialogue writing.
4) Great sense of movement in the fight scenes and the plot is paced pretty well.
Cons
1) Frank's transformation into the punisher is hard to buy. Especially, the fact he realises and sets the morals of his persona so quickly.
2) The author amusingly doesn't even try with the villains, so the climax of the story is much less satisfying when he finally punishes/ hunts them down.
Some thoughts
Pros
1)The best thing about this is its incredible art work with its gritty noirish tone to great character designs (especially Frank who is given an overwhelming figure emphasising his incredible physical aptitude).
2) Surprisingly, the writing manages to give the side characters almost up to three dimensions instead of 1d noir cliches.
3) Pretty fine pulpy dialogue writing.
4) Great sense of movement in the fight scenes and the plot is paced pretty well.
Cons
1) Frank's transformation into the punisher is hard to buy. Especially, the fact he realises and sets the morals of his persona so quickly.
2) The author amusingly doesn't even try with the villains, so the climax of the story is much less satisfying when he finally punishes/ hunts them down.
Want to read
February 28, 2016Traduce Year One al castellano.
April 28, 2023
Spannender Auftakt der Reihe mit Film Noir Vibes
September 27, 2023
Frank Castle’s family was gunned down by mobsters in Central Park; he survived and became The Punisher, a vengeance-fuelled killing machine waging a one-man war on organised crime.
If you’re even vaguely familiar with the character then you probably already know his origin story, in which case you don’t need to read The Punisher: Year One. It doesn’t tell you anything new but takes four issues to tell you what I managed in one sentence at the start of this review.
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning throw in a sleazy reporter character who’s trying to make a buck off of Frank’s tragedy but other than that we simply see what most readers can infer when reading a Punisher comic (there’s usually a flashback or reference to his origins told within a panel or two in most of his stories). It’s such a pointless book.
Some Year One books (which, if you’re new to superhero comics, is translated as ‘Character Name: Origin’) add something to the character, a layer of meaning or something thoughtful. This is why Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s The Punisher: Born is so much better of an origin story, because it takes you back further than that day in the park and places The Punisher’s beginning to the Vietnam War. Ennis manages to build on the character and improve his origins to make more sense. Abnett/Lanning do nothing but regurgitate the somewhat silly accepted origin already known by most readers.
The Punisher: Year One is instantly forgettable, disposable trash - I highly recommend The Punisher: Born as a far better comic and origin story for the character instead.
If you’re even vaguely familiar with the character then you probably already know his origin story, in which case you don’t need to read The Punisher: Year One. It doesn’t tell you anything new but takes four issues to tell you what I managed in one sentence at the start of this review.
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning throw in a sleazy reporter character who’s trying to make a buck off of Frank’s tragedy but other than that we simply see what most readers can infer when reading a Punisher comic (there’s usually a flashback or reference to his origins told within a panel or two in most of his stories). It’s such a pointless book.
Some Year One books (which, if you’re new to superhero comics, is translated as ‘Character Name: Origin’) add something to the character, a layer of meaning or something thoughtful. This is why Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s The Punisher: Born is so much better of an origin story, because it takes you back further than that day in the park and places The Punisher’s beginning to the Vietnam War. Ennis manages to build on the character and improve his origins to make more sense. Abnett/Lanning do nothing but regurgitate the somewhat silly accepted origin already known by most readers.
The Punisher: Year One is instantly forgettable, disposable trash - I highly recommend The Punisher: Born as a far better comic and origin story for the character instead.
July 10, 2018
A pesar de tener un inicio lento, el final (todo último volumen) es brutal. Es una buena historia de origen para un personaje tan polémico, que cuida a los inocentes y no le importa ensuciarse las manos con los villanos. Un personaje que no cuenta con superpoder alguno, solo su conocimiento y habilidad militar. Un personaje que te hará poner en duda lo moralmente correcto. Mi antihéroe favorito de los comics.
July 7, 2017
This is one of the best Marvel comics i have read.
The origin story is not like any other heroes,although the motivation is death of a close one but the aftermath is great,he is not like batman trying to cleanse the city or friendly neighborhood superhero.
He gets down to business,no fuss,no errors.He is as badass as he can get!!
The origin story is not like any other heroes,although the motivation is death of a close one but the aftermath is great,he is not like batman trying to cleanse the city or friendly neighborhood superhero.
He gets down to business,no fuss,no errors.He is as badass as he can get!!
June 30, 2023
I like this because it really gave me some background on Frank's past, what happened to his family, and what got him started as The Punisher. I'm not a huge fan of that kind of art and craved the action...but I know this is dated and there wasn't much action because it was pre-punisher. Either way, I liked it.
April 18, 2021
This story opens with the discovery of Frank castle’s massacred family and shows us what happens in the immediate weeks that follow and the failure of the press & police that lead to the creation of the Punisher. 3.5/5
March 22, 2022
Un po' lento all'inizio, ma ottimo per immergersi nelle origini della storia di the punisher. L'ultimo volume decisamente il più coinvolgente, ho apprezzato tantissimo le tavole in cui Frank abbandona il suo "vecchio sé" per accogliere la sua nuova identità come il Punitore!
August 22, 2020
This is a fun story of The Punisher’s origin. Not a ton of action but still a fun read to see one way he became the vigilante.
March 10, 2023
Roteiro: Dan Abnett
Arte: Andy Lanning e Dale Eaglesham
• Justiceiro: Ano Um 1-4
Nota: 7/10
Arte: Andy Lanning e Dale Eaglesham
• Justiceiro: Ano Um 1-4
Nota: 7/10
January 12, 2023
Takes a hold of you and never let's go.
March 11, 2017
I quite liked it. If you've seen the movie with Thomas Jane, you will find the last issue very familiar. It's a slow build-up, but worth it in my opinion. I've always liked Frank more as the soldier than the vigilante. The phrase "war on crime' has become a joke, but Frank Castle is no joke, and when he is reborn as the Punisher the war finally has a soldier to lead the charge.
February 10, 2014
An origin story for the Punisher from the 90s that, though competently done, never rises above its pulpy roots.
In the last decade, the Punisher has cycled through a vast and breathtaking range of storytelling, from the hard boiled, black comic work of Garth Ennis and Jason Aaron to the completely over-the-top insane supernatural take by Rick Remender. The result has been the most interesting and creatively fervent period in the character's history. In his commercial peak in the nineties, though, the Punisher was firmly true to his 70s roots as a figure out of men's adventure novels, played deadly straight. In this origin tale, writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, along with illustrators Dale Eaglesham and Scott Koblish, draw together all the threads that had been laid down throughout the years into one coherent narrative. It begins with the moment a drunk finds the gruesome aftermath of the massacre which took Frank Castle's family from him. They then closely follow Castle's melodramatic journey from devastated husband to highly armed warrior against crime.
Abnett and Lanning actually do very little rewriting of the old story. It's a very simple tale, and they remain very faithful to its 70s origins, with Eaglesham giving the supporting characters outfits and hairstyles straight from the Watergate era (at one point Love Story is seen playing at a background movie theater). It doesn't exactly fit Marvel's elastic timeline, which would place this story somewhere around 1990 when it was published, but it matches the mood of the story well.
A decent read that, for better or worse, remains true to its B-movie tone.
In the last decade, the Punisher has cycled through a vast and breathtaking range of storytelling, from the hard boiled, black comic work of Garth Ennis and Jason Aaron to the completely over-the-top insane supernatural take by Rick Remender. The result has been the most interesting and creatively fervent period in the character's history. In his commercial peak in the nineties, though, the Punisher was firmly true to his 70s roots as a figure out of men's adventure novels, played deadly straight. In this origin tale, writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, along with illustrators Dale Eaglesham and Scott Koblish, draw together all the threads that had been laid down throughout the years into one coherent narrative. It begins with the moment a drunk finds the gruesome aftermath of the massacre which took Frank Castle's family from him. They then closely follow Castle's melodramatic journey from devastated husband to highly armed warrior against crime.
Abnett and Lanning actually do very little rewriting of the old story. It's a very simple tale, and they remain very faithful to its 70s origins, with Eaglesham giving the supporting characters outfits and hairstyles straight from the Watergate era (at one point Love Story is seen playing at a background movie theater). It doesn't exactly fit Marvel's elastic timeline, which would place this story somewhere around 1990 when it was published, but it matches the mood of the story well.
A decent read that, for better or worse, remains true to its B-movie tone.
February 23, 2014
The Punisher: Year One is a bit different from the other Year One comics I have read, particularly in that it covers such a short period of time. The year seems to be more a metaphor than the full span of the year.
The story begins with Frank Castle dead, lying in the park, in the rain, surrounded by his beloved family. Except that although Frank appears dead, he has actually survived. Thus begins his journey to find retribution for the loss of his wife and children. Training Special Forces himself, Castle was a machine, has won multiple medals, and now was home with his family, who he lost when they ran afoul of the mob in their local park. Kite flying proved to be a hazardous end to the rest of the Castle’s.
Castle tries the police, he tries interrogating and frightening people, and ultimately he determines that the only way to set things right is through his own violent means. So begins the Punisher, in his own garage, with homemade tools and homegrown rage.
Perhaps because I am not so familiar with Punisher, but this volume did not grip me and did not make me feel as if I am missing out on anything by not yet being fully acquainted with the character.
The story begins with Frank Castle dead, lying in the park, in the rain, surrounded by his beloved family. Except that although Frank appears dead, he has actually survived. Thus begins his journey to find retribution for the loss of his wife and children. Training Special Forces himself, Castle was a machine, has won multiple medals, and now was home with his family, who he lost when they ran afoul of the mob in their local park. Kite flying proved to be a hazardous end to the rest of the Castle’s.
Castle tries the police, he tries interrogating and frightening people, and ultimately he determines that the only way to set things right is through his own violent means. So begins the Punisher, in his own garage, with homemade tools and homegrown rage.
Perhaps because I am not so familiar with Punisher, but this volume did not grip me and did not make me feel as if I am missing out on anything by not yet being fully acquainted with the character.
June 3, 2012
This was a good punisher story, but certainly not great...
The good:
- The art was great. Dale Eaglesham had a solid style, and is one of my favourite comic book artists. It was interersting to see what his style was like at this time (about 15 years ago, I believe).
- The tone was dark, but Castle is not yet a full-on antihero in this series. It acts as a good bridge between the early appearances and the dark and gritty Garth Ennis take on the charcter.
- The birth of Jigsaw!
The bad:
- In this rendition, Frank came back from the war fairly well-adjusted... I think Ennis' take on the story was a much better fit. For me, it works a lot better if the Punisher is "born" in Vietnam, and unleashed by the tradgedy at home.
All in all a solid book, and good addition to the Punisher mythos. I loved the reporter character too :)
The good:
- The art was great. Dale Eaglesham had a solid style, and is one of my favourite comic book artists. It was interersting to see what his style was like at this time (about 15 years ago, I believe).
- The tone was dark, but Castle is not yet a full-on antihero in this series. It acts as a good bridge between the early appearances and the dark and gritty Garth Ennis take on the charcter.
- The birth of Jigsaw!
The bad:
- In this rendition, Frank came back from the war fairly well-adjusted... I think Ennis' take on the story was a much better fit. For me, it works a lot better if the Punisher is "born" in Vietnam, and unleashed by the tradgedy at home.
All in all a solid book, and good addition to the Punisher mythos. I loved the reporter character too :)
May 3, 2010
This writing and art team can really do no wrong in my eyes, so I am completely biased. This is a great origin story that blends two versions (Ennis' MAX and 616 white boots) of the Punisher nicely by including the violent and emotional themes of the former with the Peter Parker of the latter. Eaglesham's art is a purposeful nod to the character's 1974 first appearance and is a nice touch without being distracting. The most appealing aspect to the story is that by the end, you can see this character going on to both disembowel European sex slavers AND get hired by a fuzzy green guy to kill Spider-Man.
November 15, 2019
Dark, gritty, realistic and tragic, Punisher: Year One is a near perfect origin story of the Punisher. The book explores the emotional torture that Frank Castle had to go through when his entire family was gunned down by mobsters, and how he came to the breaking point and became The Punisher.
The supporting characters are done very well. The book isn't long but whatever time the characters get, they shine on them. Officer Lavanio and Michael Mcteer show enough emotions and motivations in the short time that they really outshine many other supporting characters in comic books.
Year One is an amazing comic book and is a must read for any Punisher fans.
The supporting characters are done very well. The book isn't long but whatever time the characters get, they shine on them. Officer Lavanio and Michael Mcteer show enough emotions and motivations in the short time that they really outshine many other supporting characters in comic books.
Year One is an amazing comic book and is a must read for any Punisher fans.
August 5, 2016
2* - ne proto, že by to bylo špatné. Má to sice poměrně hnusnou kresbu a příběh sám o sobě nic moc, ale o zrodu Punishera jsem se dočetl. Takže příběh spíše lepší podprůměr. Sice jsem chtěl původně hodnotit třemi hvězdičkami, ale hrozně mi vadí ten otevřený konec.
Nic, co by mě nadchlo nebo urazilo.
Nic, co by mě nadchlo nebo urazilo.
Want to read
August 16, 2010Supongo que to-readeé esto porque en su momento lo poco que había leído de Abnett y Lanning me había gustado bastante. Y no es que Punisher me vuelva particularmente loco, pero supongo que lo dejaré ahí hasta nuevo aviso.
June 5, 2014
Olipas tämä hyvä. Oikein yllätyin. Ja tämä sentään oli jo toinen kerta kun tämän luin. Niin sitä pieni ihminen unohtaa asioita.
Taide oli paikotellen jotenkin kummallista ja jäykkää. En voi antaa täysiä tähtiä sen takia. Ihan vain kiusallani.
Taide oli paikotellen jotenkin kummallista ja jäykkää. En voi antaa täysiä tähtiä sen takia. Ihan vain kiusallani.
March 31, 2013
A fair early offering by DnA that gives nice detail and characterization to Frank Castle's early days as the Punisher.
November 29, 2013
Lacks the pathos that I think is necessary for an origins story. One doesn't empathise with the protagonist in any substantial manner.
July 8, 2016
Its nice to know the origin of the Punisher character but i didnt really like the art much.
August 12, 2017
I haven't read much of the Punisher, but this is the perfect entry point comic for anyone trying to learn more about him. Truly fantastic!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews