The Punisher’s not exactly a “plays well with others” kind of guy, and that’ll come into play in a series of one-shots arriving later this year.
Marvel has announced Punisher Showdowns by writer Tom Waltz and several different artists, which will pit Frank Castle against Black Widow, Wolverine and the Winter Soldier beginning this October.
Marvel describes the stories as “previously untold conflicts” from Frank Castle’s long war on crime, exploring how his uncompromising methods have repeatedly brought him into conflict with other heroes across the Marvel Universe.
The series kicks off with Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow #1 on Oct. 21, featuring art by Greg Land, followed by Punisher Showdowns: Wolverine #1 on Nov. 4 with art by Bruno Büll and Punisher Showdowns: Winter Soldier #1 on Dec. 2 with art by Edgar Salazar.
“Landing the Punisher Showdowns gig right on the heels of my work on Marvel Zombies: War Zone is far from a punishment, let me tell you,” Waltz said. “The Punisher has always been one of my favorite comic-book characters, all the way back to the first time I witnessed him doing battle with Daredevil in Daredevil #183. Now I get to showcase untold Punisher missions featuring three fascinating heroes with dark histories: Black Widow, Wolverine and Winter Soldier. Rest assured, widows will sting, claws will slash, and bullets will fly. I couldn’t be more ecstatic to join my amazing art teams for this bombastic ride!”
Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow #1 sends Frank Castle to Las Vegas after a terrorist threat, where his mission collides with Natasha Romanoff’s investigation into a Wolf Spider operative. Whether the two can work together remains to be seen.
The action then shifts to New York City in Punisher Showdowns: Wolverine #1, where Wolverine is investigating a Yakuza-distributed drug that triggers violent behavior, only to find the Punisher already targeting the criminal organization.
Punisher Showdowns: Winter Soldier #1 flashes back to Soviet Russia, where the Winter Soldier is dispatched to stop Frank from assassinating a politically connected criminal.
Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow #1 features a main cover by Greg Land, with variant covers by Mark Bagley and Joe Jusko — the latter of whom will do variants for all three one-shots. They follow other comics about the Punisher not getting along with others, including the current Punisher vs. Spider-Man and the upcoming “Big Guns” crossover between Wade Wilson: Deadpool and the ongoing Punisher series.