The Punisher: Born

The Punisher (2004) (Collected Editions)

by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson (Illustrator)

The year is 1971. With mounting casualties and a rising anti-war sentiment, America's time in Vietnam is coming to a close. Yet in the isolated Valley Forge Firebase on the Cambodian border, Captain Frank Castle is one of the few soldiers still committed to the fight against the enemy. With dwindling reserves, Castle must stand against an impending Viet Cong attack that threatens to wipe out the entire American platoon. To survive the battle, what grim decision must he make that will forever alter the course of his life? In this acclaimed tale, superstar Garth Ennis reveals the never-before-told story of the horrors Castle was forced to face to come home fromVietnam alive, ending in a shocking twist that will forever change how readers see Marvel Comics' most famous urban vigilante. Collecting BORN #1-4.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, War, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2007

About the author

Ennis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.

Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.

Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.

Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.

While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.

Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.

After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.

In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.

Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.

In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.

In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).

Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis

Reviews

[Sr3yas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Netflix's Punisher is just around the corner and as always, it's one of the rare times when I'm actually useful to my friends as they tend to ask me for comic book recommendations during these festive times. And my answer to them is: Ain't nothing better than Punisher Max!

Have you seen the Vietnam war movie Platoon (1986)? Oh, you know, the one with this iconic scene.



(Which RDJ hilariously recreated for Tropic Thunder!)

Anyways, if you have seen Platoon, you can easily associate the character of Captain Frank Castle to Tom Berenger's Sergeant Robert "Bob" Barnes. Actually, Castle is Barnes with a little bit of sergeant Elias's compassion.



For those who haven't seen the movie, Captain Frank Castle is the guy who is effectively running the show and he is very good at it. His base is a one of the last in Vietnam and hell is coming for them.



I've read only a couple of graphic novels where plot, dialogues, and art are perfectly in sync, and this is one of those graphic novels. Garth Ennis's writing is excellent, and the story holds nothing back as it unleashes violence and blood upon the reader. It reminded me of all the classic Vietnam War movies because of the portrayal of conflicting ideologies, the gray morality, and rawness.



Well, it's no news that Punisher is a violent anti-hero and I've heard complains about how his comics glorifies violence. But I think Ellis did a great job here because he gave most of the narration to a young soldier who despises this war, effectively creating an anti-war story.

Overall, Punisher: Born is an excellent beginning to the Punisher story. I couldn't have asked for more!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 stars. NO ONE...NO ONE does the Punisher like Garth Ennis. The original psychotic vigilante of the Marvel Universe was BORN (pun intended) to be viewed through the brilliant, twisted vision of Garth Ennis. This is one of the best "origin" stories I have ever read and Ennis is at the top of his game.

As we meet Frank Castle at the beginning of this story, he is already a jaded, scarred veteran of the Vietnam War having seen and done things that would haunt him forever. However, he is still Frank Castle; still human, still holding on to the last shreds of his humanity. The Punisher is yet to be "born."

Well, as the story progresses, we see Frank slowly slip away and the "darkness" inside him fight harder and harder to become dominant. But is the darkness trying to corrupt him really an "internal voice" .....or is it an external power? Garth's writing is superb as we watch the "birth" of one of the most iconic figures in the Marvel universe.

I was amazed at the ability of Ennis to take such a well known character and create an origin story that is both completely original and yet totally consistent with the nature of the character. It truly shows the depths of his talent.

FINAL NOTE: Uh...the ending, all I can say is HOLY SHIT!!! I read the last three pages over about five times because I could not believe Ennis actually went there. He did!!! An amazing story. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!!

[Lono · Rating 5 out of 5]

Punisher: Born is Garth Ennis’s prequel to his legendary run on The Punisher Max. Ennis combines his love for Frank Castle, his thirst for demented violence, and his passion for military history into one terrific origin story.



Born takes us back to the final days of the Viet Nam war. After surviving several previous tours in country, Captain Frank Castle finally lands in the last Cambodian firebase in existence, Valley Forge. It’s here that Frank finds himself leading an ugly mix of a few good marines and a few drug addicted war junkies. Castle is starting to realize that soon he will be a marine without a war. I love the interactions between Frank, his men, and his commanding officers. Garth sheds a little more light on Frank’s prior military service through the eyes of his men as well. Ennis writes the BEST Castle. Reticent, hard as nails, and one of the most lethal men on the planet. I’ve always preferred the strong, silent protagonist to the blowhard hero. Frank lets his actions speak and never are they louder than when he is hammering away at the Viet Cong with the M-60.



Some of my favorite moments included a visit from a General, Castle’s reaction to rape of a North Vietnamese woman by a marine, and the climactic fire fight at the end. While the murder of Frank’s family was the tipping point that pushed Castle over the edge, The Punisher was truly born at Firebase Valley Forge.




Darick Robertson is a frequent collaborator with Ennis and does a great job here. His talent brings shape to Ennis’s vision in this story. Darick isn’t holding back here and, as with all the Max titles, the violence is very “in your face”. I prefer it that way in stories like this. Real war isn’t PG-13. Most of Ennis’s work is not for the faint-hearted though, and this one is no exception.



Punisher: Born is a perfect starting point for anyone unfamiliar with Frank Castle or Ennis’s Max run. Many would probably disagree, but for me, Garth’s work on The Punisher Max is the best stuff he’s ever done. Those that enjoy off the wall violence and grim tales about one man’s crusade to exterminate evil will certainly enjoy this story.

Get this review and more at:

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really good!

We get to see the origins of Frank in Vietnam war and how he became what he is, and I love the use of another person narration here like in this case Stevie Goodwin, Frank's junior and seeing how he survived because of Frank and like how dangerous he is and it just gives you chills reading that and then there are moments with the enemy and in the end how he alone survived and that panel of him all bloody and all still gives me chills and its just one of the most lethal panels ever! Seriously well written over there! The art was perfect, its bloody, brutal and easy on the eyes for sure but captures the feeling of war really well! Must recommend!

[Sam Quixote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vietnam, 1972. Captain Frank Castle commands his platoon in the most dangerous US outpost in the country, Valley Forge. But as the days pass, a massive attack is brewing and Castle finds his command utterly without regard to helping him and his men while his men are utterly without regard to staying sober. Here is the Punisher born, on the bloody fields of death in Vietnam, but to what cost? And what is that persistent but strange voice calling out to Frank as the Vietcong ready a final assault?

Garth Ennis combines his own successful and enthralling run on The Punisher Max with his other work writing War Stories into a brilliant book on how the Punisher came to be. He and artist Darick Robertson manage to get the tone and visuals just right for a very convincing and fascinating book taking in all of the horrors of the Vietnam war perfectly.

The only thing I would say was a bit strange was the disembodied voice that goads Frank into becoming The Punisher - who is that voice, is it Frank's sub-conciousness or Death's? It added a supernatural element to the Punisher story that I found a bit stupid, and I absolutely loved Garth Ennis' reinvention of the character. Besides this one aspect, I really enjoyed the book and can confidently recommend it to any and all fans of the Punisher as a classy book that will also appeal to fans of war comics.

[The Lion's Share · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must be the only person that doesn't like Garth Ennis on his Punisher run.

2 dimensional storylines that involve Frank killing lots and lots of people.

The only good thing about this was that it shows a bit more of Frank's personality and how he becomes so twisted, and also shows that he is a psychopath. In that respect it was good, but one thing the Ennis run has in common is he has really shit supporting characters.

The end.

[Ill D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Within the host of comics I’ve imbibed over the past few years, it is those of writer maestro Garth Ennis and his masterful work on Marvel’s, Punisher that have earned a special place in my heart. Randomly enough, in spite of my affection for this character and Ennis’ artistic rejuvenation of such, I was unable to finish this an attempted read a while ago. Equally random, it landed on the docket again, so a second chance was granted.

Imbued with the foresight and fortitude of a Roman Empire Era Centurion, our blood-lusted Frank Castle has yet to become his future alter-ego: The Punisher. Acting as a fade into his world of such, Ennis has done a stellar job to realistically and faithfully replicate the internecine conflict known monomously as: “Vietnam.” Falling short of the Max brand, an era of maximum instability across all bands and fibers in Americans in ‘nam should have been depicted with a far higher level of disbelief and revolutionary exchange befitting of the era. Favoring an uneven application of artistic merit and themerey, Castle’s most recent origin story is more enjoyable at the unseen level.

As much as I became cognizant of this during the final (4th issue) I found myself reading quickly and browsing the above-average sized panels in an even faster fashion. In fact the more I thought about it, the vast majority is just flip-book violence with an extra heaping helping of blood (not to much guts here). If the violence is excised, a waxingly nostalgic hymn to The Republic at the beginning and a seemingly Faustian deal with an unknown at the end – shine as properly the best aspects of the comic.

Where as the action just reestablishes what we know already, and most of the dialogue is more forgettable than anything, the intro and outro remain only really interesting aspects here. Respectfully and eruditely, Ennis was able to write a fully believable yet fully fictious hymn of an equally fictious soldier in Vietnam. Lionizing his culture and enshrining his country’s hubris, this well done arrangement well segues the historical developments that definitely did work on that daisy-eyed perspective.

The other side has nothing to do with rosy glasses but something more Faustain, perhaps more Greek tragedy than anything. In order to sate his undying blood-lust, Frank Castle makes an invisible pact with an unseen unknown (like a muse) to continue his Martian ways. The Oedipus-like plot twist tied in makes for a memorable ending.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Score: 3.75 out of 5
Grade: 75% (B) | Good

We get our first brutal look at Frank Castle in his natural habitat. A man who has fallen in love with war, and goodness, it’s a bloody good time! Although a little short with some minor pacing issues, there’s a lot of brutal ultra-violence to satisfy any Punisher fan…as long as you’re old enough!! Here is my review of The Punisher MAX: Born:




The Good:

I was really impressed with how many themes this short story was able to pack in without it completely dragging the story down. This story was more philosophical than I thought it would be. Ennis also captures the essence of war.

We have some men there trying to live long enough to see loved ones again. We have other men there who have nothing to look forward to and live every day like their last. But then there’s Frank, a man who has fallen in love with war.



It was interesting to see Frank from the perspective of the platoon. Most of them are scared of Frank, but they all know that if they want to make it through this war, he’s their only chance. We also see the early signs of Frank justifying his immoral actions to serve the greater good.



And oh baby, this is NOT for children at all!! Even as a fully grown adult (with child-like tendencies), I felt uneasy at times. But I gotta say, I loved it! It’s nice to read some mature content that doesn’t hold back.




The Bad:

Some of the art was kind of wonky. There’s a part where Frank screams “ILLUMINATION” and his jaw just looks ridiculously long (although it’s kind of funny). It was also hard at times to figure out who was who. Sometimes, I cheated to the upcoming panels for hints as to who was talking. And as far as the platoon goes, I really didn’t care whether they lived or died. Maybe that makes me evil or something, but hey, that’s war baby!



As a whole, this story does a solid job at tackling many complex themes while keeping the art fun and brutal. But I feel like this story would have been more complete with one or two extra issues to flesh out these themes. Even for the action sequences, some of them felt too short and sometimes choppy. If it was a little bit longer and had taken the time to really hit home on some of these ideas, I think I would have enjoyed it more.


Conclusion:

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this and I’m looking forward to seeing what else is in store for Frank. There were a lot of good ideas here that felt like they were slowed down by the short length of the story. But regardless, I’m looking forward to more blood, swearing and most of all, ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence.

[paper0r0ss0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il bene e il male non esistono. Esiste solo un'unica, inestricabile, tragica jungla di vita nella quale si e' costretti a lottare tutti i giorni per portare a casa la pelle. E questa jungla puo' essere benissimo quella vietnamita, dove si aggira uno stonato e micidiale Frank Castle, capitano di fanteria, alle prese con quei demoni che partoriranno lo psico-killer Punitore. Un albo clamorosamente bello!!!

[Davide Saladino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il Punisher della linea editoriale MAX è un personaggio molto diverso dal precedente della linea MARVEL KNIGHTS.
Queste storie sono ambientate in un mondo simile al nostro. Un mondo senza supereroi, governato dagli intrighi dei potenti, dove nessun personaggio con un costumino si sarebbe messo tra Frank e le sue vittime.
In questa versione, Frank Castle è un vigilante avanti negli anni logorato da decenni di guerra al crimine.
Il volume BORN fa da spartiacque tra la precedente e la nuova linea editoriale.
Ennis sposta nel passato l'origine della follia dell'uomo che diverrà THE PUNISHER.
Qui non è l'omicidio della famiglia da parte della malavita nei pressi di Central Park a trasformarlo da veterano di guerra a vigilante.
Le origini di Castle hanno radici NELLA guerra. Un battesimo nel fuoco, una rinascita nelle fiamme del Vietnam.
Questa è LA STORIA di Frank Castle.
Questo è un capolavoro.
Questo è il Punitore di Garth Ennis.



Leggetelo.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Punisher: Born is a "pre-origin story" of Frank Castle, taking place when he served during the Vietnam War.

The story displays his prowess and abilities, but also his morality, and his flawed character.

This story isn't about the darkness that made him The Punisher, but about the crack that let the darkness in.

[Garry Joss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this as a starting point for anyone as an introduction to The Punisher. Most people who have heard of him without reading the Garth Ennis/Max series will think of the sort of character that Sly Stallone could play. But Garth Ennis manages to do what a lot of people thought impossible. He added depth and character to someone who had been relegated to one episode/issue appearances in spider-man and daredevil for the most part.

Born acts as an introduction to the man Frank Castle, not the Punisher. We see the horrors of viet nam bare for all to see. The drugs, the psychosis, the apathy and the wanton rape of degradation of the enemy when the chance was there. I amongst all this is Frank Castle, who is there for the war. It would have been so easy to present Castle as being psychotic and enjoying war, but Ennis paints him as a type of person that a lot of people can relate to. A man who is, while not happy, comfortable at war. He is there to defeat the enemy and protect the men under his command. He has to work around the horrible reality of the war, even down to a scene I never thought we'd see in a comic/graphic novel, showing the sheer cold that runs through this man. If you are not in awe and terror of Frank Castle by the end of this book, you've probably skipped a few pages of it.

[Omaira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una historia que me ha dejado bastante fría. Es verdad que, previamente, no conocía al personaje de Punisher, pero tampoco creo que esta novela gráfica haga una buena presentación sobre sus orígenes.

La trama no da mucho de sí. Vemos a un grupo de combatientes estadounidenses en Vietnam en el año 1971 intentando mantenerse con vida y, al mismo tiempo, intentando conservar la cordura. Al mando está el soldado Frank Castle, al que todos respetan y temen a partes iguales. Y ya está, a eso se reduce todo. La lectura es monótona y ni siquiera profundizamos en Castle o en cualquier otro personaje. Se vislumbra brevemente el lado más oscuro de la guerra y se deja caer que algo superior está tentando a Castle para convertirlo en un guerrero imbatible, pero todo se trata de forma superficial.

No llega a las 100 páginas y eso hace que al menos sea fácil de terminar. Las ilustraciones tampoco me entusiasmaron, más que nada porque predominan los tonos oscuros y eso impide detectar bien algunos detalles. Además, los rasgos faciales de la mayoría de personajes eran muy similares y costaba distinguir a cada uno.

Más o menos pasable para distraerse un rato, pero no me ha dejado con ganas de saber más cosas sobre Punisher. Aunque admito que quisiera saber el precio exacto del trato que tuvo lugar al final...

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, every adult-rated Punisher book written by Garth Ennis is a four or five star book, but this is the only one on here and it'd get pretty boring if I added every single one anyway. (Just get the ones labelled "Punisher MAX" and you'll be fine.) So, yes, here Ennis takes a character too often written as a simplistic gun-toting tough guy and turns him into a sad case study of the effect of years of massive violence on a human being. But don't worry, there is also plenty of horrific yet cathartic bloodshed. Highly recommended, all of it.

[Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An edited review of this book will come sooner or later, this last one was pretty bad.

[Václav · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3,4 of 5 for decent but not really interesting Punisher's pre-origin)
I like Punisher for his grim dedication to be some kind of Judge Dredd and create hell to make the Earth less like one. On his own terms, of course. This is some kind of pre-origin, the times which led to his "known" origin. I like the Vietnam conflict. It's a very interesting war/politic/technologic history topic. This "Punisher before Punisher" in Valley Forge has some of it nicely included. Of course, it's Ennis, but luckily Vietnam conflict is still in his range of decent content, even if as usual crating his story "justifies" meddling with the content a bit. I can't be more careful with him, some of his stuff is fine (Sara) and some of it is just shit (from recent reads, for example, Thor: Vikings). Born is somewhere in the middle. It's a decent story from Vietnam with no added value.
The art is OK, I guess Ennis like Dillon style types and Darick Robertson fits that nicely, with decent art and similar-looking faces.
Born is yes for fans of Punisher, other than that - proceed with caution.

[OmniBen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 4.5/5
War stories aren't necessarily my jam, but this goes so hard and dark into the paint you would swear its pages were laced with paint stripper, cause it more than certainly leaves a mark.
Read as the opening story to the Punisher Max omnibus, this already feels so much more punishing than anything that slightly too off kilter and comedic offering coughed up. But then again, you always run that risk with anything that Ennis writes. It's almost always really good, but he sometimes needs to reign it in a little.
Darrick Robertson's artwork is stellar here, with the colours and inks perfectly complimenting the art. I only wish he featured in more issues in this collection, but I think its this story and out.
As far as a retelling (of sorts) of the origin of Frank Castle goes, this hits as hard as a falling elephant playing a grand piano. Either get on board or get the hell out of the way. 4.5/5


OmniBen.

[Caron · Rating 3 out of 5]

||Actual Rating: 3.5 stars||

[Steven Montano · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is the Punisher's origin.

While the death of Frank's family may be the trigger that led him to start a war on crime that would never end, the seed for that war had been planted long before, and Ennis provides an interesting picture of what Frank has always been: a man at war.

BORN is a brutal war story, a 4-issue foray into the madness and desolation of the final days of the Vietnam War. While at times the story and art seem to go over-the-top in their presentation of war-time behavior and madness, much of what transpires in BORN has the ring of truth to it.

Told through the eyes of short-timer Steve Goodwin, BORN chronicles the oft-mentioned but never explored last few days of Frank's third and final tour in Vietnam, where he's one of the few Marines exiled at Valley Forge, a forgotten base at the edge of Cambodia. Goodwin gets a glimpse of the Frank Castle the world would later come to know as The Punisher, and Frank, not for the first time, peers into the eyes of hell and sees what he was always meant to be, and what he will become.

This is gory, brutal, and visceral storytelling, and all the more compelling because of it. The mood and tone are established right from the start, and even if Ennis can be accused of going a bit too far the end result is a haunting experience. The last couple of pages, in particular, when Frank returns home, are gut-wrenching, because by this point we the readers know what he is bound to lose.

(As a side note, I highly recommend first-time readers experience BORN after reading THE LONG COLD DARK but before they read VALLEY FORGE, VALLEY FORGE, as the tragedy of the last couple of pages are highlighted by having read the former, while the events of BORN should be fresh in the mind to fullly appreciate what Ennis' final tale in this series has to offer...)

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very chilling origin story for the Punisher, filled with gruesome imagery and gore that do the Vietnam War justice. But that's where most of the praise ends. Before reading this, I was under the impression that I'd get to read about Frank's descent into madness as a gradual process; a methodical torment of our protagonist until he finally snaps and irreversibly becomes the cold, merciless vigilante we know him to be today. Instead, I was introduced to a man who already embraced the violence and bloodshed that he would go on to produce as the Punisher. Although an attempt was made to show his decline in sanity and morality as the story progressed, it didn't feel like a monumental development in his character since very little change actually took place. If I were presented with a damaged Frank Castle who was slowly broken into a warmongering beast thanks to the Vietnam War, then perhaps I'd have appreciated the story more for pinpointing the earliest moments of the Punisher's existence – when Frank Castle began to slowly wither into the background.

With that said, I still think this is a great Punisher story full of blood, violence, profanities, disturbing images, and a desolate atmosphere that perfectly embodies the Punisher. I just wish it was longer and delved more deeply into Frank Castle's psyche. I wanted this to blow me away, but ultimately all I got from this was a response along the lines of "that was pretty good, but nothing ground-breaking." Despite my mediocre rating, I am still excited to read some other Punisher graphic novels thanks to Ennis' bleak and dark writing of the character. People were not lying when they said that Ennis wrote the quintessential Punisher in comic books.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pues un origen de punisher, y pues no me llamaba mucho la atención, pero esta escrito por Garth Ennis, un tipo que cuando esta en nivel alto es imparable y cuando esta a medio gas es muy Scott Lobdell, peor aca cumple y cumple bien, con un Frank en medio de la guerra, en una misión imposible ,sucia, humeda y sin descanso, con una critica velada a la America que nos viene dada en las películas, mientras que la realidad es mas dura,el cumple con sus 4 numeros y lo hace bien, aunque debio trabajar mas la SORPRESA FINAL, la cuál uno ya veia venir, mientras Robertson cumple en su arte, aunque el entintado de Palmer no es que le ayude mucho, aunque le destaco que tiene la mejor PAGINA DOBLE de su carrera, el que lo ha leído,ya sabe cual es, y el que lo vaya a leer,sabrá de que hablo.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of the Punisher before he was the Punisher; it is the story of Frank Castle, the guy who would later become the Punisher but in this story he is a young Marine Captain during the closing years of the Vietnam War.
Stationed in a dangerous and isolated firebase known as Valley Forge Captain Castle has a legendary reputation of leading his Marines to combat. Captain Castle’s combat skillset is contrasted against the backdrop of some of the negative stereotypes of the Vietnam war: Marines who suffered low morale, many of them constantly high and not willing to fight, commanders who did not want to lead and care about the troops. Castle himself is also a stereotype: He is one of those Marines who enjoyed combat a little too much and cannot get it out of their system. In so many ways this story is like a Vietnam war movie but through comic book panels instead. While I do think that some stereotypes have some grain of truth I did think the story’s descriptions of Colonel uninterested in the mission and search and destroy mission were unrealistic; Colonel are career officers and would have also been veterans of other previous wars and the fact they stayed in the military means they have an interests in what Captain Castle was doing.
In the story Castle tries to get higher-ups to care about the mission and also for his men but to no avail. Along the way we see a third person narrative about Castle from one of the Marines that he is leading; but we also see as the story goes on an inner dialogue within Castle and a “voice” telling him to surrender in order to even kill at the next level. I don’t want to give the whole story away but this is important for the climatic ending of the book which leads Frank Castle to later become the Punisher.
Despite my criticism above I do think the work was artistically done and the attention to details to some of the gear and uniform was realistic.

[Art the Turtle of Amazing Girth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Book #99 on the top 100 graphic novels of all time reading list.
I actually bought this on my kindle/comixology and read it on that. But, reviewed on paperback is fine.
Read this in about 25 minutes or so, it flows very easily and is incredibly engaging. It draws the reader in immediately with narration from a soldier in Frank Castle's platoon in Vietnam near the border of Cambodia.
Be prepared for gore, bloody death, body parts, sexual tones, and heartbreak.

How this is not higher on the list is beyond me, although perhaps the magazine writer brought down the marks based on the forced ending sequence.

All in all, Castle is a very easy character to relate too, even with his penchant for killing, he is just addicted to war. Period.

Goodwin is the heart of the story, and it his quest to come home that drives the undercurrents of the tale.

Basically, this is a war story, telling the dirty bits of politics behind war, and the useless leaders of the Vietnam conflict.
I give it a 9.5 out of 10, or on here, a 5 of 5.

Keep in mind, this is a total prequel, there are barely only hints of the actual Punisher, this is Castle's early story, so go into it with that thought.

[Jeff Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was loaned a copy of “The Punisher: Born” along with dozens of other comics. I didn’t look closely at the cover before reading it. I saw “Born” but didn’t see “The Punisher.” Therefore, I was surprised when I came across the name Frank Castle in a Vietnam story! Then I felt really dumb . . .

“The Punisher: Born” was just average, at best. It attempts to show Castle’s origin story. Why is he a psychopathic killer? Well, because of his time in Vietnam. The story doesn’t really get more complex than that. It’s mostly just Frank slaughtering a lot of Vietcong for four issues.

I’m also not a fan of the art style. It seems somewhat realistic but the facial expressions all look a bit cartoony. All of the characters also look a bit too short and stout.

Maybe this series would be exciting for a Punisher fanboy, but not me.

[مصطفي سليمان · Rating 2 out of 5]

يعني هو فين القصة؟
اربع أعداد عشان نفهم أنه في الاخر عمل صفقة ما؟
يعني اجواء الحرب والضغط النفسي اللي كان موجود ف اجزاء بسيطة للغاية ليه متلعبش عليه أكتر؟
ليه دايما لما بيحاولوا يعملوا بعد انساني يمسخوه ب مشاهد عنف اه حلوة وجميلة بس وبعدين يعني؟
الاحداث بتدور خلال حرب فيتنام وبنتعرف علي قصة الجندي اللي شايف ايه فايدة الحرب وانه لازم يرجع ومش راضي اللي بيعمله زملاته وبيعاقبهم احيانا ولكن دايما زي اصوات او افكار او كيان ما عمال يعرض عليه صفقة أو شئ غير محدد ودا افضل اجزاء في القصة الصراحة يعني
لغاية ف النهاية بيوافق وبينجوا من مذبحة حصلت للكتيبة بتاعته كلها
ولكن بنعرف مع النهاية ان التمن مش هيبقي رخيص ابدا

دا ملخص اربع اعداد بها الكثير و الكثير من القتل دون الاهم الالتفتات للابعاد الشخصيات
سواء الاجتماعي او النفسي
حاجات ثانوية باين ولا ايه
ربنا يهدي

[Adam]

How do you even rate this. It’s the definition of pain, sorrow, revenge and hopelessness with a sense of Justice all wrapped into one agnostic bundle of emptyness.
The punisher is so controversial because he is the most grounded. The most relatable. A man killing evil men in the name of justice, every persons fantasy in some point in their life but somehow grinds on the soul, the conscience ness of the reader.
That’s why punisher is awesome because it always tears its ugly head into conversation of moral. Why do you think this dude can’t colab with other marvel characters?

This is the heaviest of convos for the punisher.

[Arcane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuatro cómics que reúnen el pasado de Frank Castle antes del evento detonante que le hace convertirse en The Punisher. Todo ocurre en la guerra de Vietman. No tiene nada que ver con la serie "The Punisher" de Netflix - que hizo interesarme por los personajes y la historia, de eso a que ahora esté aquí leyendo y comentando los cómics.

Historia e imágenes duras, que a veces impresionan, pero en cada portada ya advierten de la dureza de estas.

Recomendado para los que se quieran introducir en el mundo de esté... ¿héroe?

[Emmett Spain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pitch dark and moving, Garth Ennis proves that he understands Frank Castle better than any other writer out there. This is heavy, grim stuff, but it always feels like a meaningful war story with real, interesting characters. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for those who can bear it, it may well be the best Punisher story ever told.

[awesomatik.de · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wer denkt, dass der Punisher nicht genug Substanz für eine gute Story liefert, think again! Born ist eine extrem düstere Geschichte über Frank Castles Zeit im Vietnam-Krieg als er noch nicht der Punisher war. Richtig starkes Ende, das den Punisher nochmal in ein ganz anderes Licht rückt...

[Maurício Dantas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quem diz que a Marvel não tem clássicos é porque só gosta de historinha com heroizinho capinha colorida.