A follow up on Marvel's PUNISHER character

[Pepperbone]

I understand some of the motives behind this, but I also clearly understand where this ultimately leads - which has nothing to do with comic books or fictional characters.

“The Punisher Is No More”: Marvel Officially Gets Rid Of Its Most Controversial Character

Farewell, Punisher.

screenrant.com

 

[Nth]

Marvel and DC have nose-dived the comic industry over the last ten years. It's why manga is destroying them now and fortunately the west has been getting a huge influx of new and old manga, especially the omnibus and deluxe edition reprints. Punisher will be back when management changes. It's actually merciful that they've currently ended his run if you've seen what they've done to the character over the last several years, including refusing to let him use guns and taking away his skull emblem.
There's still old Punisher content getting republished in omnibus format that I still have on pre-order and Punisher MAX is one of the greatest Punisher runs of all time so I should have enough stuff to hold me over long enough to see if reason will eventually prevail.

 

[Cephus]

There's no such thing as death in comics. It's yet another half-assed lie to make money, like saying that Superman is going to die. Nobody is falling for it anymore.

 

[Pepperbone]

Right.

Except in this particular case the character got cancelled due to real-world political leanings.

 

[Cephus]

When it becomes politically valuable to bring him back, he'll be back, assuming Marvel still exists by that time. The entire comics marketplace is in the toilet.

 

[Ron]

Marvel and DC have nose-dived the comic industry over the last ten years. It's why manga is destroying them now and fortunately the west has been getting a huge influx of new and old manga, especially the omnibus and deluxe edition reprints. Punisher will be back when management changes. It's actually merciful that they've currently ended his run if you've seen what they've done to the character over the last several years, including refusing to let him use guns and taking away his skull emblem.
There's still old Punisher content getting republished in omnibus format that I still have on pre-order and Punisher MAX is one of the greatest Punisher runs of all time so I should have enough stuff to hold me over long enough to see if reason will eventually prevail.

Exactly. They did him a favor. If only every beloved comic book character was as "controversial".

It's okay. If it's one more nail in the coffin that results in this era of Marvel (and DC) comics being buried, it's fine by me.

 

[PoopaPapaPalps]

...Punisher MAX is one of the greatest Punisher runs of all time...

Hard agree on this I've always been keen on the premise of Punisher more than the actual comics, but when "Punisher MAX" came out, that was everything that character needed to be from the start. That is the only iteration of the character in my book worth reading/accepting, and nothing has ever come close to as grim, bleak, while being incredibly nuanced at the same time as MAX. That series was everything pompous dorks rave on about Batman being, except MAX actually does it.

I should specify that the Ennis run is the one I'm praising the most. The later stories are okay, but those first 60 odd stories, and "The End," are immaculate. I actually just have "The End" in my book collection because of how much I admire it.

 

[dascoyne]

The reason why so many companies have been marching down this very same path (seemingly against their own corporate interests) can be traced to the necessity of maintaining high ESG scores in order to remain viable. I am guessing Disney likely sold their soul the moment they took out loans to purchase every major franchise in existence. They are now beholden to certain outspoken interests (#stakeholder capitalism). I don't see a way out, even if they wanted out. This is not your dad's Disney anymore.

 

[Strikerkc]

I guess I don't get it. Punisher is as gone as any other comic character that's been recently killed, or not actively getting a series written about them.

It's a fictional character. He comes back as soon as they or a subsidiary wants him back in any form. And I don't even mean "he's been resurrected" storylines; Frank Castle will just be in a comic at some point if they feel like it.

 

[Lord Boron]

Are there any comic book character left that HAVEN’T been killed of at some point?

 

[CT1138]

If I had a quarter for every time a comic book character died (like, for realsies this time, we mean it you guys) and then magically came back again, I'd never have to work again.