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The Punisher: War Zone (1992) #1-6
The Punisher: War Zone, Vol. 1
Abandoned by his aide-de-camp and hunted by a mysterious hired gun with ties to his past, the Punisher goes undercover -- striking an uneasy alliance with the very vermin he's sworn to eradicate.
144 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2002
4 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Dixon
3,429 books1,030 followersCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 16, 2020
I had been itching to read some Punisher. So why not start with some throwbacks. This was dope. Frank has snuck undercover into the Carbone family. His goal is to take out some of the rival families and the brothers Julius and Sal Carbone. Of course it’s only a matter of time before he is found out and left for dead. An old acquaintance of Frank finds him and bails him out. Now they are on the hunt to take down Julius once and for all. Looking forward to the next volume.
October 1, 2020
Plague Review 25: Punisher: War Zone, Vol. 1 by Chuck Dixon, John Romita Jr., and Klaus Janson.
"Delbert was useful to me once. He heard things. He hung with the bottom feeders. He can hang with the devil now."
-Punisher while offing a former informer in Issue #1
Punisher was so popular in the mid to late 80s that Marvel gave the character another series where he can hunt and kill criminals (Comics Code Approved!). Punisher: War Zone was the result; the opening six (6) issues comprise this TPB.
The arc has an unusual premise: Punisher must infiltrate the Carbone mafia posing as "Johnny Tower," a highly-skilled thug/operator. Without his sidekick, Microchip (Chip and Punisher had trust issues), he "teams-up" with a low-level Mafioso named Mickey Fondozzi to take out rival crime families to gain the Carbone capo's trust. But there are questions, too: who is the mysterious regime-ending mercenary named Shotgun, and how is he related to Punisher's violent past? What is sure is everything will end in a massive and action-packed issue filled with guns, explosions, and more violence than the Gulf War.
Chuck Dixon is a hell of a writer; in just six issues, he managed to cram Goodfellas, City on Fire*, A Better Tomorrow 2, Dogs of War, and other rough classics while retaining the stoic and levelheaded attitude to killing of the Punisher. Punisher conducts his war methodically, and Dixon lets us in on his thoughts and techniques all the time. For example, while raiding the opposing family's offices, he makes sure to burn all the records and papers to make the Carbones' takeover harder. This attitude is something I wish I saw more in the Netflix series.
The action is fantastic; Romita Jr. and Janson masterfully depict the gritty combat as well as the over-the-top explosions with aplomb. When the Punisher takes a life, he looks intimidating and scary. Sadly, Romita would leave after a couple of more issues, leading to the "whoever is available" (lazy) editorial solution.
Oh, and the Thomas Jane Punisher movie got the popsicle scene from here.
*Chuck Dixon-even in his later work-would always insert a visual reference to HK movies such as Hard-Boiled etc. It's safe to assume that he is a fan.
"Delbert was useful to me once. He heard things. He hung with the bottom feeders. He can hang with the devil now."
-Punisher while offing a former informer in Issue #1
Punisher was so popular in the mid to late 80s that Marvel gave the character another series where he can hunt and kill criminals (Comics Code Approved!). Punisher: War Zone was the result; the opening six (6) issues comprise this TPB.
The arc has an unusual premise: Punisher must infiltrate the Carbone mafia posing as "Johnny Tower," a highly-skilled thug/operator. Without his sidekick, Microchip (Chip and Punisher had trust issues), he "teams-up" with a low-level Mafioso named Mickey Fondozzi to take out rival crime families to gain the Carbone capo's trust. But there are questions, too: who is the mysterious regime-ending mercenary named Shotgun, and how is he related to Punisher's violent past? What is sure is everything will end in a massive and action-packed issue filled with guns, explosions, and more violence than the Gulf War.
Chuck Dixon is a hell of a writer; in just six issues, he managed to cram Goodfellas, City on Fire*, A Better Tomorrow 2, Dogs of War, and other rough classics while retaining the stoic and levelheaded attitude to killing of the Punisher. Punisher conducts his war methodically, and Dixon lets us in on his thoughts and techniques all the time. For example, while raiding the opposing family's offices, he makes sure to burn all the records and papers to make the Carbones' takeover harder. This attitude is something I wish I saw more in the Netflix series.
The action is fantastic; Romita Jr. and Janson masterfully depict the gritty combat as well as the over-the-top explosions with aplomb. When the Punisher takes a life, he looks intimidating and scary. Sadly, Romita would leave after a couple of more issues, leading to the "whoever is available" (lazy) editorial solution.
Oh, and the Thomas Jane Punisher movie got the popsicle scene from here.
*Chuck Dixon-even in his later work-would always insert a visual reference to HK movies such as Hard-Boiled etc. It's safe to assume that he is a fan.
June 16, 2023
Classic 90s Punisher, but with a detective mystery addition to the Frank Castle character. Writing is pretty solid and the artwork is too.
July 7, 2022
Essa é uma compilação em capa dura de 6 quadrinhos lançados em 1992. Essa edição do Justiceiro - Zona de Guerra - foi realizada por Chuck Dixon e John Romita Jr. Gostei mas não fui impactada. Talvez o sucesso se deva à artilharia de guerra, explosões, e violência, não comuns nos quadrinhos dos anos 90(?).
April 13, 2017
This is all the best 80s and 90s action movie cliches wrapped up in a sweaty comicbook. You can't go wrong with this initial outing as The Punisher takes care of business like only he can.
March 22, 2018
Chuck Dixon nos regala otra demencial sesión de ultraviolencia
September 7, 2022
I didn’t really know what to expect from this one and I really only checked it out for the John Romita JR artwork, but I was very surprised by the whole thing.
Chuck Dixon, John Romita JR, and Klaus Janson all team up in order to give you the Punisher title of the 90s! In this first volume it collects a 6 issue arc where we see Punisher take on the Carbone mob family and try to do it from within. After he takes out a couple of Carbone’s men in a drug ambush, he keeps one alive in order to get his way into the family. Mickey Findozzi is the low level mob hood who tells everyone that Punisher is his cousin, Johnny Tower. The two become high muscle for Julius Carbone, the big boss of the family. After gaining his trust, and helping take out rival gangs and thugs, Punisher is also taking out Carbone’s men, using the excuse that they were killed in battle. They even set up Carbone’s brother, Sal and get Julius to call a hit on him. Sal survives however and becomes vital as a sort of side story in the overall arc. Along with that, we also get another trigger happy hero involved, Jr Walker aka Shotgun, who works for a government organization so secret he doesn't even know the name for it. He’s sent in on the Carbone family, and after bumping into the Punisher it’s revealed that they know each other from Vietnam.
This was my first time reading a Chuck Dixon project and I really think he comes up with a super fun read. The flow of the book was great, making me want more and more after each issue was done. I loved seeing Punisher in a more detective kind of mindset. Sure it’s still him running and gunning, but the whole undercover story, and him having to cover his steps, sets up a lot of suspense. It’s brilliant writing and plotting that feels satisfying for the small arc, but also leaves you wanting more. Unfortunately I don’t think a volume 2 was ever made, and after this first arc the Marvel app skips about 13 issues, and after that it's a whole different team. Dixon does his thing in these first 6 issues though!
John Romita JR and Klaus Janson are the art duo for this arc, and I love the fit for the character and story. Romita JR’s work feels big which makes the action he sets up great and adds to the good pacing. The designs for Punisher pays respect for the classic look but he adds his own flair to it, and of course makes it more 90s. It’s nothing over the top, just looks really cool. He also comes up with the design for the new character, Shotgun. It looks really good and I loved the plain but butch looks he gives him. Klaus’s inks are of course a huge helping factor to Romita JR’s pencils. There are some really cool finished line work in splash pages that you can tell are improved due to the inks. Also some cool panels playing with shadows which is a Klaus Janson signature.
Overall; this was a really fun book and I’d recommend it if you're looking for a cool quick read. It reads good, it looks good, it's just..GOOD! I read it on the Marvel app, cause this paperback is 20 years old, and way expensive now. So check it out that way, or find the singles for a good price. GOOD STUFF!
Chuck Dixon, John Romita JR, and Klaus Janson all team up in order to give you the Punisher title of the 90s! In this first volume it collects a 6 issue arc where we see Punisher take on the Carbone mob family and try to do it from within. After he takes out a couple of Carbone’s men in a drug ambush, he keeps one alive in order to get his way into the family. Mickey Findozzi is the low level mob hood who tells everyone that Punisher is his cousin, Johnny Tower. The two become high muscle for Julius Carbone, the big boss of the family. After gaining his trust, and helping take out rival gangs and thugs, Punisher is also taking out Carbone’s men, using the excuse that they were killed in battle. They even set up Carbone’s brother, Sal and get Julius to call a hit on him. Sal survives however and becomes vital as a sort of side story in the overall arc. Along with that, we also get another trigger happy hero involved, Jr Walker aka Shotgun, who works for a government organization so secret he doesn't even know the name for it. He’s sent in on the Carbone family, and after bumping into the Punisher it’s revealed that they know each other from Vietnam.
This was my first time reading a Chuck Dixon project and I really think he comes up with a super fun read. The flow of the book was great, making me want more and more after each issue was done. I loved seeing Punisher in a more detective kind of mindset. Sure it’s still him running and gunning, but the whole undercover story, and him having to cover his steps, sets up a lot of suspense. It’s brilliant writing and plotting that feels satisfying for the small arc, but also leaves you wanting more. Unfortunately I don’t think a volume 2 was ever made, and after this first arc the Marvel app skips about 13 issues, and after that it's a whole different team. Dixon does his thing in these first 6 issues though!
John Romita JR and Klaus Janson are the art duo for this arc, and I love the fit for the character and story. Romita JR’s work feels big which makes the action he sets up great and adds to the good pacing. The designs for Punisher pays respect for the classic look but he adds his own flair to it, and of course makes it more 90s. It’s nothing over the top, just looks really cool. He also comes up with the design for the new character, Shotgun. It looks really good and I loved the plain but butch looks he gives him. Klaus’s inks are of course a huge helping factor to Romita JR’s pencils. There are some really cool finished line work in splash pages that you can tell are improved due to the inks. Also some cool panels playing with shadows which is a Klaus Janson signature.
Overall; this was a really fun book and I’d recommend it if you're looking for a cool quick read. It reads good, it looks good, it's just..GOOD! I read it on the Marvel app, cause this paperback is 20 years old, and way expensive now. So check it out that way, or find the singles for a good price. GOOD STUFF!
Read
January 3, 2022Very good comic, I am a fan of the Punisher and think this is one of the best written comic out of the ones ive read.
May 31, 2024
Der Handlungsbogen hat eine ungewöhnliche Prämisse: Der Punisher will die Carbone-Mafiafamilie infiltrieren, indem er sich als hochqualifizierten Schläger ausgibt und verbündet sich mit einem rangniederen Mafioso, um rivalisierende Verbrecherfamilien auszuschalten und das Vertrauen des Carbone-Capos zu gewinnen. Ein mysteriöser Söldner namens Shotgun, der für die US-Regierung arbeitet, wird ebenfalls auf die Mafiosi angesetzt, und damit auch auf den Punisher.
Das alles gipfelt in einer gewaltigen und actiongeladenen Orgie, die nur so vor Waffen und Explosionen strotzt.
Die besten Actionfilm-Klischees der 80er und 90er Jahre, verpackt in einem schweißtreibenden Comic, geschrieben von Chuck Dixon und gezeichnet von John Romita jr. kann man mit diesem Band nichts falsch machen, wenn man auf testosterongeladene Action steht, denn der Punisher ist nichts für schwache Nerven, sondern schon fast fanatisch gnadenlos.
Allerdings findet sich hier nicht der komplette Run dieser Serie, sondern lediglich die ersten sechs Kapitel, die den anfänglichen Handlungsbogen beinhalten, in dem Frank Castle es sich zur Aufgabe macht, die italo-amerikanische Mafia von innen heraus zu bekämpfen.
Sehr auffällig dabei ist auch die machomäßige Überzeichnung der Figuren und auch Waffen.
Im Anhang gibt es die üblichen Must-Have Zusatzkapitel, darunter auch ein kurzer Überblick über Punishers Sidekick Microchip, der hier einen kurzen Auftritt hat.
Das alles gipfelt in einer gewaltigen und actiongeladenen Orgie, die nur so vor Waffen und Explosionen strotzt.
Die besten Actionfilm-Klischees der 80er und 90er Jahre, verpackt in einem schweißtreibenden Comic, geschrieben von Chuck Dixon und gezeichnet von John Romita jr. kann man mit diesem Band nichts falsch machen, wenn man auf testosterongeladene Action steht, denn der Punisher ist nichts für schwache Nerven, sondern schon fast fanatisch gnadenlos.
Allerdings findet sich hier nicht der komplette Run dieser Serie, sondern lediglich die ersten sechs Kapitel, die den anfänglichen Handlungsbogen beinhalten, in dem Frank Castle es sich zur Aufgabe macht, die italo-amerikanische Mafia von innen heraus zu bekämpfen.
Sehr auffällig dabei ist auch die machomäßige Überzeichnung der Figuren und auch Waffen.
Im Anhang gibt es die üblichen Must-Have Zusatzkapitel, darunter auch ein kurzer Überblick über Punishers Sidekick Microchip, der hier einen kurzen Auftritt hat.
February 23, 2022
Chuck Dixon is a fantastic writer of hard boiled action. Combined with John Romita, Jr.'s eyepopping art and storytelling skill, Dixon writes one of the best Punisher stories in this volume. I highly recommend this to fans of gritty action. The Punisher is not for the faint of heart, but for me this type of story is cathartic.
December 17, 2017
Yeah, man. Some great artwork surrounding a decent plot.
July 16, 2018
I have little experience with The Punisher so this was a great story for me to get more into the character. Lots of great action and crime politics.
December 19, 2021
My favorite Punisher! I remember picking this up at the local Chinese mom & pops convenience store when it was first released. The comics are drawn well and expresses a lot more mature humour.
January 8, 2024
action anni 80, sempre efficace.
Romita quasi al suo meglio, colori assurdi
Romita quasi al suo meglio, colori assurdi
December 27, 2015
Never been much of a Punisher fan, a bit of a one-sided character for my taste, but I do remember enjoying reading the individual comics of this compilation, so I bought this (a bit overpriced) graphic novel.
Yup, still enjoyed it... but this time it was clear why I enjoyed it.
Back in the early 90s (or late 80s?) the very first Punisher movie was released. Generally panned (hated?) by most everyone, I LOVED it! Loved it so much, it's one of the very few DVDs that I now own!
Now, reading this story as a complete graphic novel, I realized one thing: Dixon essentially rewrote that movie for the first story arc!!! all the elements are there, as well as the near-exact beats. Oh, sure, he changed it enough so as to not be so evident but yeah... it's the same story!
The art is good... not a fan of JRJR but one thing is for sure: he knows how to draw a bad ass Punisher! (Also, Janson's inks normally brings out the best parts of JRJR's pencils).
I'm not complaining... it is actually very well written. No superpowers, no deux ex machina resolution, just plain, fun violence with lot'sa goombahs being killed by everyone's favorite Marvel psychopath. (yup, they use the term "goombah" in this comic... pre hardcore PC, y'all!)
Oh yeah, there is also a big, black guy with big effing' guns... this is the mid 90s, after all.
Very much recommend this book, as long as you don't expect a masterpiece, just plain ol'gangster fun.
Yup, still enjoyed it... but this time it was clear why I enjoyed it.
Back in the early 90s (or late 80s?) the very first Punisher movie was released. Generally panned (hated?) by most everyone, I LOVED it! Loved it so much, it's one of the very few DVDs that I now own!
Now, reading this story as a complete graphic novel, I realized one thing: Dixon essentially rewrote that movie for the first story arc!!! all the elements are there, as well as the near-exact beats. Oh, sure, he changed it enough so as to not be so evident but yeah... it's the same story!
The art is good... not a fan of JRJR but one thing is for sure: he knows how to draw a bad ass Punisher! (Also, Janson's inks normally brings out the best parts of JRJR's pencils).
I'm not complaining... it is actually very well written. No superpowers, no deux ex machina resolution, just plain, fun violence with lot'sa goombahs being killed by everyone's favorite Marvel psychopath. (yup, they use the term "goombah" in this comic... pre hardcore PC, y'all!)
Oh yeah, there is also a big, black guy with big effing' guns... this is the mid 90s, after all.
Very much recommend this book, as long as you don't expect a masterpiece, just plain ol'gangster fun.
March 4, 2015
Il volume raccoglie il primo ciclo della testata, quello splendidamente disegnato da Romitino e Janson, e ottimamente scritto da Chuck Dixon. Rispetto alle altre storie del Punitore di quel periodo (aveva 3 testate mensili e qualche miniserie) che erano per lo più anonime, queste spiccano non tanto per la violenza o la brutalità, quanto per la lucida determinazione del protagonista.
February 7, 2011
This is the first comics book I ever read. It got me hooked.
August 19, 2011
possibly my favourite Punisher comics... the first volume is the one to read!!!
September 24, 2012
A nice solid testosterone filled action story that gets extra points for the inclusion of the mercanairy 'Shotgun', a blaxplotation style badass with a insanely over-sized gun.
Fun, but forgetable.
Fun, but forgetable.
March 10, 2023
Roteiro: Chuck Dixon
Arte: John Romita Jr
• Justiceiro: Zona de Guerra 1-6
Nota: 7,5/10
Arte: John Romita Jr
• Justiceiro: Zona de Guerra 1-6
Nota: 7,5/10
March 21, 2013
Great late 80s, early 90s stuff ... Ham fisted testosterone driven hardassedness.
April 24, 2017
Ich liebe die Bilder von Romita Jr.. Diese machomäßige Überzeichnung der Figuren. Die Geschichte von Dixon ist auch sehr solide. Schade nur, dass kurz vor dem Finale der Serie ein neuer Zeichner mit deutlich weniger Talent übernommen hat.
3,5 Sterne
3,5 Sterne
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews