What do you think?
Rate this book
The Punisher (2000/2001) (Collected Editions)
The Punisher, Vol. 3: Business as Usual
Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, the madmen who made Preacher a best-selling book, are back for another round. This time, they're taking Frank to South America, where he must rescue a Mafia don from angry guerilla fighters -- but if mercenaries don't kill the Mafioso, the Punisher just might do it himself.
Includes Punisher (2001) #13-18.
Includes Punisher (2001) #13-18.
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 5, 2003
2 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,625 books3,186 followersEnnis 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
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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 18, 2014
Garth Ennis is without question the finest writer The Punisher has ever had. His Punisher MAX series was glorious as were his other non-MAX Punisher volumes like the classic Welcome Back, Frank, The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci, and Born.
So imagine my surprise when I discovered a whole raft of other Punisher volumes – 6 in total – written by Garth Ennis that I’d never read before! Then imagine my crushing disappointment when I realised 5 out of 6 were out of print!! The only copies available were on Amazon and eBay going for extortionate prices. Why, WHY, Marvel, are these out of print?! These are Garth Ennis/Punisher books – perfection itself!! You’re leaving money on the table by not publishing these!
What’s worse is that this book is seriously awesome. It’s Ennis at his funniest, most inventive with art from his regular Punisher artists, the incredible Steve Dillon and Darick Robertson, tag-teaming the issues. It’s like Marvel are taunting fans by dangling this great book in front of us and saying “Liked this one? Well, you can’t have the others! AHAHAHA!” Is this Marvel’s idea of a joke – “punishing” fans by withholding these brilliant Punisher books?
(Red mist descends)
…
Ok… I’m calm now. Was that fist-sized hole always in my wall?
The stories are loosely connected and see Frank save hostages in South America, go on a night on the town with a journalist intent on telling Frank’s story, take on the midget mafia(!) AND Wolverine, and visit Belfast, post-Good Friday agreement. How good do those stories sound? They’re even better!
(Start of A-Team music starts playing)
(Voiceover)These forgotten Punisher books were taken out of print for reasons nobody knows. Two volumes (the other is Welcome Back, Frank) promptly escaped from the out of print prison and made a break for the printing press. Today, still wanted by readers, they survive as comics of fortune.
If you want this lost Punisher series backif no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team then we can only hope that Marvel see sense and republish them in new editions!
Duh duh duuuuuh, duhduhduh!
So imagine my surprise when I discovered a whole raft of other Punisher volumes – 6 in total – written by Garth Ennis that I’d never read before! Then imagine my crushing disappointment when I realised 5 out of 6 were out of print!! The only copies available were on Amazon and eBay going for extortionate prices. Why, WHY, Marvel, are these out of print?! These are Garth Ennis/Punisher books – perfection itself!! You’re leaving money on the table by not publishing these!
What’s worse is that this book is seriously awesome. It’s Ennis at his funniest, most inventive with art from his regular Punisher artists, the incredible Steve Dillon and Darick Robertson, tag-teaming the issues. It’s like Marvel are taunting fans by dangling this great book in front of us and saying “Liked this one? Well, you can’t have the others! AHAHAHA!” Is this Marvel’s idea of a joke – “punishing” fans by withholding these brilliant Punisher books?
(Red mist descends)
…
Ok… I’m calm now. Was that fist-sized hole always in my wall?
The stories are loosely connected and see Frank save hostages in South America, go on a night on the town with a journalist intent on telling Frank’s story, take on the midget mafia(!) AND Wolverine, and visit Belfast, post-Good Friday agreement. How good do those stories sound? They’re even better!
(Start of A-Team music starts playing)
(Voiceover)These forgotten Punisher books were taken out of print for reasons nobody knows. Two volumes (the other is Welcome Back, Frank) promptly escaped from the out of print prison and made a break for the printing press. Today, still wanted by readers, they survive as comics of fortune.
If you want this lost Punisher series back
Duh duh duuuuuh, duhduhduh!
May 30, 2022
The third volume of The Punisher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon still has its fair share of humor, ridiculousness and action. However, they fall flat compared to the standard set by the previous two volumes.
September 30, 2016
This volume contains four stories, one of them featuring Wolverine.
An East Coast mob boss is kidnapped and held hostage for ransom in South America, and it's up to Frank to get him back so that he can calm his agitated subordinates down.
A journalist forces Frank to take him along on one of his nights by threatening to kill Detective Soap. But the journalist's in for a surprise.
Someone is cutting off the legs of the gang members and Frank is getting framed for it. So he's out to clear his name this time while also searching for the "vigilante".
The Punisher goes to Belfast and finds himself caught in the crossfire between the IRA and the UFF. But we all know that our guy is not one to let such a thing prevent him from completing his mission.
This is undoubtedly one of the best Punisher runs.
One cannot help but feel pity for Detective Soap. The things that Ennis has made him go through...
An East Coast mob boss is kidnapped and held hostage for ransom in South America, and it's up to Frank to get him back so that he can calm his agitated subordinates down.
A journalist forces Frank to take him along on one of his nights by threatening to kill Detective Soap. But the journalist's in for a surprise.
Someone is cutting off the legs of the gang members and Frank is getting framed for it. So he's out to clear his name this time while also searching for the "vigilante".
The Punisher goes to Belfast and finds himself caught in the crossfire between the IRA and the UFF. But we all know that our guy is not one to let such a thing prevent him from completing his mission.
This is undoubtedly one of the best Punisher runs.
One cannot help but feel pity for Detective Soap. The things that Ennis has made him go through...
November 5, 2022
the story with Wolverine is gloriously mean-spirited
sorry, bub
sorry, bub
February 21, 2025
Sniping a dose of an antidote into his target before dropping Sarin gas over his enemies might be one of the more unique Punisher moments in the comics. So beings "Business as Usual", the third collected volume of Garth Ennis' work on the Marvel Knights era Punisher series. Nudged by Det. Soap to rescue crime boss Tommy Casino from the clutches of a Colombian drug cartel, Castle extracts the Casino with the help of his guide Gutierrez. But why rescue a mafioso leader when the Punisher has made it his life's goal to exterminate them all? There's a fun, but fairly predictable twist at the end of this two-issue opening arc.
Following this, a beat reporter for the Bugle has learned the Punisher's identity and presses Punisher and Soap into spending a night out on the town following the vigilante in action. Another predictable ending, but a riveting time nonetheless. A two-issue crossover with Wolverine follows this up, and there's some gnarly stuff here involving Punisher mutilating Wolverine before the pair predictably join up against some common foes. The final issue of this volume takes Punisher to Ireland chasing after a shipment of cocaine.
Art duties are spread equally between Steve Dillon and Darick Robertson here, with Robertson taking three issues in the middle. Robertson's stretch involving the twisted, grim Looney Toons-esque defilement of Wolverine was a lot of fun:
"Business as Usual" contains some dumb stories, but it sure was a lot of fun.
Following this, a beat reporter for the Bugle has learned the Punisher's identity and presses Punisher and Soap into spending a night out on the town following the vigilante in action. Another predictable ending, but a riveting time nonetheless. A two-issue crossover with Wolverine follows this up, and there's some gnarly stuff here involving Punisher mutilating Wolverine before the pair predictably join up against some common foes. The final issue of this volume takes Punisher to Ireland chasing after a shipment of cocaine.
Art duties are spread equally between Steve Dillon and Darick Robertson here, with Robertson taking three issues in the middle. Robertson's stretch involving the twisted, grim Looney Toons-esque defilement of Wolverine was a lot of fun:
"Business as Usual" contains some dumb stories, but it sure was a lot of fun.
September 22, 2019
Ennis kontynuuje swoją magię i pozwala wyszaleć się Castle'wi tak jak to on lubi. Zaczyna się nieco inaczej, gdyż Frank rusza do Ameryki Południowej, aby wyratować z rąk tutejszych terrorystów bossa mafii. Ma oczywiście w tym wszystkim własny, niezbyt skomplikowany plan, ale czyta się to bardzo dobrze. Jak zwykle jest bezkompromisowy i jak zwykle naprawdę pomysłowy. W międzyczasie dobrze znany nam detektyw przeżyje ponownie "nieco" inne przygody powiązane z barem i nadmiarem alkoholu... Jego wątek jest chyba najbardziej kontrowersyjny... Najpierw kazirodztwo, a potem to.
Trzeci zeszyt ma kapitalny pomysł wyjściowy. Detektyw Soap został uprowadzony przez... reportera. Chce on uzyskać materiał, a w zasadzie nawet reportaż, a głównym bohaterem będzie nie kto inny jak Castle. Chcąc nie chcąc, Punisher rusza w miasto z dziennikarzem, by zdobyć potrzebny informację na tytuł wart Pulitzera.
Przy okazji czwartego i piątego zeszytu przyjdzie nam skrzyżować lufy z samym Wolverine'm. Komiks w tym miejscu staje się zauważanie brutalniejszy, bo i przy postaci Rosomaka pokuszono się o znacznie większą makabrę, niż przy innych postaciach do tej pory. Scena z walcem długo pozostanie mi w pamięci.
W porównaniu do reszty końcówka jest wybitnie słaba. Frank ląduje w Belfaście, aby przetrzebić trochę szeregi IRA. Dużo gadanego, trochę akcji, ale zdecydowanie nic wartego uwagi. Komiks ponownie rysował Dillon i podobnie jak wcześniej, jego nieco toporna krecha sprawdza się tutaj dobrze, choć z drugiej strony zaczyna też mnie nieco odstręczać... Już lepiej spisał się tutaj Robertson.
Trzeci zeszyt ma kapitalny pomysł wyjściowy. Detektyw Soap został uprowadzony przez... reportera. Chce on uzyskać materiał, a w zasadzie nawet reportaż, a głównym bohaterem będzie nie kto inny jak Castle. Chcąc nie chcąc, Punisher rusza w miasto z dziennikarzem, by zdobyć potrzebny informację na tytuł wart Pulitzera.
Przy okazji czwartego i piątego zeszytu przyjdzie nam skrzyżować lufy z samym Wolverine'm. Komiks w tym miejscu staje się zauważanie brutalniejszy, bo i przy postaci Rosomaka pokuszono się o znacznie większą makabrę, niż przy innych postaciach do tej pory. Scena z walcem długo pozostanie mi w pamięci.
W porównaniu do reszty końcówka jest wybitnie słaba. Frank ląduje w Belfaście, aby przetrzebić trochę szeregi IRA. Dużo gadanego, trochę akcji, ale zdecydowanie nic wartego uwagi. Komiks ponownie rysował Dillon i podobnie jak wcześniej, jego nieco toporna krecha sprawdza się tutaj dobrze, choć z drugiej strony zaczyna też mnie nieco odstręczać... Już lepiej spisał się tutaj Robertson.
April 15, 2025
The Punisher: Business as Usual is exactly as the name implies. A return to forum for the character following the bold direction that Garth Ennis took with the character in his volume the Punisher: Army of One. With the exception of a trip to South America and Northern Ireland, this volume mostly takes place in New York and focuses on Frank Castle going after the mafia. It's a collection of standard Punisher stories, but you don't need a complex plot to keep readers intrigued with the Punisher when Garth Ennis is writing.
July 24, 2025
Just more of the same of the last volumes.
Some stories are good and even funny, like the one with wolverine.
But some others are just meh, like Punisher rescuing the mob member.
I just don't see the excitement that this series generates or why is this so popular. It's just fine, but clearly not my favourite.
I just hope the MAX imprint series is a little bit better.
Some stories are good and even funny, like the one with wolverine.
But some others are just meh, like Punisher rescuing the mob member.
I just don't see the excitement that this series generates or why is this so popular. It's just fine, but clearly not my favourite.
I just hope the MAX imprint series is a little bit better.
April 3, 2021
Moins d'humour que dans le début de la série avec Ma Gucci.
Un bon épisode avec Wolverine... Amha, ce qui est arrivé de mieux à beaucoup de super-héros américains au cours des trente dernières années, c'est d'avoir été confiés à des scénaristes britanniques.
Un bon épisode avec Wolverine... Amha, ce qui est arrivé de mieux à beaucoup de super-héros américains au cours des trente dernières années, c'est d'avoir été confiés à des scénaristes britanniques.
June 22, 2021
Not that good as the first two, stories were too short and not that funny
2.8 stars
2.8 stars
July 6, 2021
Plenty of fun, but nothing incredible
March 28, 2013
Some words to describe it:
Dark. Gritty. Unhindered. No holds barred. Break the rules. Change the rules. No limitations. Revenge. Underworld game. Noir.
Garth Ennis' run on Marvel's The Punisher is now legendary, and is probably the definitive word on this character who seems to be feared, misunderstood, and probably too dark for teens and children. When in bookstores, I find it fascinating that Punisher books are not in the store--it always makes me wonder if this character might be too much for some readers to handle. The Punisher that is detailed in this story arc is definitely not toned down--it reads like a Quentin Tarantino script, where violence is the solution. Violence may be a solution in certain situations, but the complexity of The Punisher/Frank Castiglione is that this violence is exacted on his conception of what good is.
The quintessential antihero is here in one of his most thrilling of tales, where he rescues a mob don (something you think he would never do, but there is a reason why he does) and then proceeds to wipe out/exterminate the whole East Coast mafia underworld. Also includes a story that touches upon the troubles of Northern Ireland, the IRA, and the centuries of British rule there. Bravo, Mr. Ennis! Amazing, amazing story here! Pure thrill, loved every page and love the whole book.
Dark. Gritty. Unhindered. No holds barred. Break the rules. Change the rules. No limitations. Revenge. Underworld game. Noir.
Garth Ennis' run on Marvel's The Punisher is now legendary, and is probably the definitive word on this character who seems to be feared, misunderstood, and probably too dark for teens and children. When in bookstores, I find it fascinating that Punisher books are not in the store--it always makes me wonder if this character might be too much for some readers to handle. The Punisher that is detailed in this story arc is definitely not toned down--it reads like a Quentin Tarantino script, where violence is the solution. Violence may be a solution in certain situations, but the complexity of The Punisher/Frank Castiglione is that this violence is exacted on his conception of what good is.
The quintessential antihero is here in one of his most thrilling of tales, where he rescues a mob don (something you think he would never do, but there is a reason why he does) and then proceeds to wipe out/exterminate the whole East Coast mafia underworld. Also includes a story that touches upon the troubles of Northern Ireland, the IRA, and the centuries of British rule there. Bravo, Mr. Ennis! Amazing, amazing story here! Pure thrill, loved every page and love the whole book.
Read
June 21, 2019Ennis has such a great handle on Frank Castle. I wouldn’t think that internal monologue should suit the Punisher, a cold, brutal force who generally lets his guns do the talking. However, Ennis' narration adds to Frank’s ruthless personality. I can't quite put my finger on why. It just works really well.
This volume continues strong. Of the four stories collected here, my favorite is the one where a journalist blackmails Frank into accompanying him on one of his takedowns to get an exclusive story. It's a great conceit, and plays out about as well as you'd expect for the journalist. The Wolverine two-parter is over-the-top fun. I don't always love Ennis' humor, but this one got a few chuckles out of me. The other two stories bring Frank out of New York into South America and Belfast, respectively. The latter is a platform for Ennis to speak his piece about Irish politics, and it surprisingly suits the Punisher.
Steve Dillon and Darrick Robertson take on two stories each. They kill it as usual.
This volume continues strong. Of the four stories collected here, my favorite is the one where a journalist blackmails Frank into accompanying him on one of his takedowns to get an exclusive story. It's a great conceit, and plays out about as well as you'd expect for the journalist. The Wolverine two-parter is over-the-top fun. I don't always love Ennis' humor, but this one got a few chuckles out of me. The other two stories bring Frank out of New York into South America and Belfast, respectively. The latter is a platform for Ennis to speak his piece about Irish politics, and it surprisingly suits the Punisher.
Steve Dillon and Darrick Robertson take on two stories each. They kill it as usual.
December 12, 2012
Two of the heaviest/deadliest hitters in Marvel-dom, The Punisher and Wolverine, what's not to love? There's also evil gangster midgets. Other than Wolverine, literally, getting his face (and later his groin, haha) blown off in the beginning and continuing the story with a skull face, the story underwhelmed me. I enjoyed Garth Ennis' other Punisher stories but I guess I expected a more epic confrontation. The art (other than the cover) seemed too comic-booky and less realistic than I would have wanted in a Punisher book.
August 8, 2015
I really liked "The Exclusive" and "Downtown", but Wolverine had some of the worst dialogue ever. It like they made Wolverine stupid and lame just so the Punisher could look cooler in comparison. I kinda liked the midget gangster concept, but the mistreatment of Wolverine just drags that whole arc down.
October 11, 2011
Mediocre collection of short Punisher stories with funny twists. At least Wolverine got what he deserves.
July 30, 2012
Love the Wolverine cameo.
October 4, 2012
Garth Ennis + Steve Dillon + Darick Robertson = AWESOME :o)
March 23, 2016
Straight up comedy.
September 27, 2018
The one where he steamrollers Wolverine, I think.
January 21, 2018
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3/5 stars}
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
August 31, 2025
Just …..read …..it please
November 12, 2013
You know what's better than a Punisher story by Ennis and Dillon? Not a mother fuckin' thing!
February 25, 2016
Punisher + Wolverine VS an army of midgets = shocking entertainment
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews