Vigilantes invaded American cinema in a big way during the
1970’s. The world of superhero comics
responded in kind. Mere months before
Michael Winner crafted arguably the definitive vigilante film of the period
with Death Wish, Marvel comics
offered up a costumed anti-hero who had an eerily similar modus operandi. He was conceived as an antagonist to none
other than Spider-Man. By the mid to
late 80’s, American superhero comics were entering the “Grim and Gritty”
period, which offered up exceedingly dark takes on classic heroes such as
Batman. The tone fit the punisher
perfectly. Seeing as how the character had never been the
subject of his very own series, writer Steven Grant and artist Mike Zeck felt the
time was right to finally unleash the character on an unsuspecting Marvel
Universe. They did so in a mini-series
fittingly titled “Circle of Blood.”
In the beginning of "Circle of Blood," The Punisher’s one man
war on crime was been brought to an abrupt halt. He has finally been apprehended and is being
held in Ryker’s Island, surrounded by any number of inmates who have a vendetta
against him. After being double crossed
during a failed prison break, the Punisher is offered tempting proposition by
the warden. He will be allowed to
escape, so long as he agrees to head up a squad of vigilantes funded by a
private organization known only as The Trust.
Now back on the streets, The Punisher orchestrates a turf war among the
New York’s various criminal factions. He
hopes this will cause New York’s underworld to cannibalize itself and implode,
but it simply results in unnecessary bloodshed.
While trying to bring the warring parties to a peaceful resolution, The
Punisher realizes that the Trust’s intentions do not line up with his own.
Spurred on by such phenomena as the crack epidemic and the
war on drugs, national crime rates skyrocketed throughout the 1980’s. Right wing pundits proposed a “get tough on
crime” strategy to galvanize voters.
This sentiment was reflected in the popular entertainment of the
day. The public was indeed ready for a
character like the Punisher to receive his own monthly title. Yet, Marvel was initially skittish about doing
so for its lone executioner. “Circle of
Blood” was very much in the vein of contemporary action films. The story begins in the bowels of Ryker’s
Island and gets more violent as it progresses.
Its protagonist did not do battle with flamboyantly costumed
villains. He performed hits on Mafia
dons and the like. Not to mention that
the Punisher himself was a rather sullen and distant character. He had no pretensions toward heroism. Like many of the cinematic anti-hero’s of the
period, he was a Vietnam veteran, compelled to rid the city of scum after his
own family was slaughtered during a gangland dispute in central Park.
The artwork of Mike Zeck made Frank Castle come alive as
never before. He outfitted the character
with a bodybuilder’s physique that wouldn’t at all have been functional in the
real world, yet that’s exactly what it was on the comic page. The Punishers broad, skull clad frame truly
inhabited each panel from a spatial standpoint.
Zeck also infused him with mood and presence. His furrowed brow and curled lip channeled Dirty
Harry Callahan, Paul Kersey, and John Rambo all at once. Supporting it all was Steven Grant’s writing,
which set up The Punisher as the proverbial man of few words.
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