Garth Ennis has done so many issues, short stories, and one-shots of Punisher; it’s making me think that this is all he’s done.  Now I know that is not the case, but he’s done Punisher for over eight years now, and he’s help redefine the character into a more relevent figure into the Marvel U. Some of his best stories come from one-shots though, and not just from his two runs in the MAX imprint.

This TPB collects three one shots that go from the early beginnings of Punisher, to the very grim end. The Tyger follows Castle as a young boy, learning how cruel the world is in his own neighborhood. This was a good story, not the best ever, but the art is pretty good with John Severin though. The next is The Cell where Punisher targets 5 mob members in Riker’s island. The pay off to this story is really great, I mean I didnt see why Castle went after these guys; but when we figure out why he went to all this trouble: The pay off is great. Plus Lewis Larosa’s got a nice and gritty look to this art as well. The final story is one of Marvel’s ‘The End’ stories with Punisher involved. The world is in a nuclear fallout, no one is alive but Frank Castle, a prision inmate, and some corporate business men. Now the story here is pretty simple and nothing too deep….but Richard Corben is on art and we all know how much I love him. Great detail in the faces, the background are amazing…his two spread shot of a destroied NYC is simply amazing. The art definitely makes up for the story here.

Overall this is a soild read for anyone getting into Punisher or likes the character in general. It’s written by Ennis, but it doesnt have the same feel as his recent MAX run did. But if you want to know why Ennis loves the Punisher, and why he wrote the man for so long…This is a good start to read on anything with Frank Castle and Garth Ennis on a cover.