The Punisher (1986 series)

The Punisher (Limited series)
Cover to The Punisher #1. Note the banner: "#1 in a four issue limited series".
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Limited series
Publication date	January–May 1986
No. of issues	5
Main character(s)	The Punisher
Creative team
Written by	Steven Grant (plot only, 5) Jo Duffy (script, 5)
Penciller(s)	Mike Zeck (1-4) Mike Vosburg (5)
Inker(s)	John Beatty
Letterer(s)	Ken Bruzenak
Colorist(s)	Mike Zeck (1) Bob Sharen (2-5)
Editor(s)	Carl Potts
Collected editions
Circle of Blood (softcover)	ISBN
Circle of Blood (hardcover)	ISBN

The Punisher is a five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1986, starring the fictional vigilante the Punisher. It was written by Steven Grant, and illustrated by Mike Zeck and Mike Vosburg.

In the early 1980s, Grant and Zeck proposed creating a Punisher miniseries. The company was initially uncomfortable with the idea of a protagonist who killed in cold blood. However, as crime increased nationally throughout the decade, Marvel responded by testing the market for such a character and then publishing, though not initially promoting, a miniseries that debuted in January 1986. The initial issue had a banner indicating that the series would be four issues long; however, the series had always been intended to have five issues, and the banner was an error that recurred throughout the entire run except for issue #2, which says "2 of 5".

In keeping with its hard-boiled premise, The Punisher included several events rare in Marvel Comics publishing in the mid-1980s: a suicide, the death of an innocent child, and the main character having sexual intercourse. In issue #4, the warden of Rykers Prison (who assisted in the Punisher's prison break) committed suicide when faced with the options of battling the Punisher or going to prison himself. In issue #3, Marcus Coriander, a small-time numbers runner used as a proxy crime boss by the Kingpin, accidentally kills an innocent girl while exchanging gunfire with the Punisher. In issue #2, the Punisher is nursed back to health by Angela, a plant by Punisher's enemies "The Trust". In one panel, Angela states that "everything I have is yours". In the next panel, the Punisher is shown walking away from a bed containing a nude Angela, indicating that they had sex.

Issues #1, #3, and #4 had banners promoting a four-issue limited series; and issues #2 and #5 promote a five-issue series due to a production error (the first and last issues were due to be double-sized, but the last one was split). Mike Zeck was the artist on the first four issues and Mike Vosburg was the penciller of #5. The splash page of issue #5 has a caption stating, "Special thanks to true pros Mike Vosburg (pencils), Jo Duffy (script), and Big John Beatty (inks)." The covers were paintings by Mike Zeck and Phil Zimelman.

The Punisher is sprung from Rykers prison by the Trust, a citizens organization whose purpose is to make America great by brainwashing criminals and making them part of their "Punishment Squad". This group wears uniforms similar to the Punisher's and kills criminals. A man named Alarec is in charge of this operation.