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The Punisher MAX: The Complete Collection
The Punisher MAX: The Complete Collection, Vol. 5
Collects Punisher MAX Annual 2007, Punisher: Force of Nature, Punisher: Little Black Book, Punisher (2004) #61-65, Punisher: Frank Castle MAX #66-75.
Tales of death, depravity and destruction — Punisher-style! Frank Castle's relentless war on crime leads him to Mexico, Philadelphia and Louisiana. But when he's left with six hours to live, that only means he has time to kill! The Punisher will face unspeakable horrors, and ride shotgun with a lady whose little black book is filled with dark secrets. He'll cut through New York's seedy underbelly in search of the one gang member that got away. And he'll be a force of nature on the high seas. But he'll never escape his past, as five stories take an unflinching look at what really happened the day Frank Castle's family died…and the Punisher was born!
Tales of death, depravity and destruction — Punisher-style! Frank Castle's relentless war on crime leads him to Mexico, Philadelphia and Louisiana. But when he's left with six hours to live, that only means he has time to kill! The Punisher will face unspeakable horrors, and ride shotgun with a lady whose little black book is filled with dark secrets. He'll cut through New York's seedy underbelly in search of the one gang member that got away. And he'll be a force of nature on the high seas. But he'll never escape his past, as five stories take an unflinching look at what really happened the day Frank Castle's family died…and the Punisher was born!
497 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 7, 2017
34 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Mike Benson
159 books12 followersMike Benson is an American television writer and show runner, who has also been writing comics for Marvel Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 27, 2021
The post Ennis' Punisher MAX best arcs are Duane Swierczynski's top drawer 'The Punisher MAX, Vol. 12: Six Hours to Kill' and the superb Punisher meets Deliverance 'The Punisher MAX, Vol. 13: Welcome to the Bayou'. 9 out of 12.
Still a great MAX series overall, if not the best MAX series of the lot! I read the comic books Punisher MAX #61-75, two Xmas specials (2006 & 2009), Forces of Nature, Annual #1, Little Black Book and Naked Kill. 8 out of 12 overall.
Still a great MAX series overall, if not the best MAX series of the lot! I read the comic books Punisher MAX #61-75, two Xmas specials (2006 & 2009), Forces of Nature, Annual #1, Little Black Book and Naked Kill. 8 out of 12 overall.
April 24, 2020
Punisher Max: The Complete Collection Vol. 5, collects Punisher MAX Annual 2007, Punisher: Force of Nature, Punisher: Little Black Book, Punisher (2004) #61-65, Punisher: Frank Castle MAX #66-75.
The MAX series is quintissential Punisher- dark, grim and hyper violent. Punisher as Punisher ought to be. A great collection of stories from Mexico to Philadelphia and Lousiana, the Punisher wreaks havoc on the guilty. It has some memorable one liners. A must have for any Punisher fan. If there is one small quibble, it is the art. Some of it is not that great, but the stories make up for the lack of artistic talent.
The volume ends with 5 short stories about the "birth" of the Punisher during his ill-fated family picnic. A great addition to my collection.
The MAX series is quintissential Punisher- dark, grim and hyper violent. Punisher as Punisher ought to be. A great collection of stories from Mexico to Philadelphia and Lousiana, the Punisher wreaks havoc on the guilty. It has some memorable one liners. A must have for any Punisher fan. If there is one small quibble, it is the art. Some of it is not that great, but the stories make up for the lack of artistic talent.
The volume ends with 5 short stories about the "birth" of the Punisher during his ill-fated family picnic. A great addition to my collection.
July 31, 2021
Punisher continues to be a character I enjoy reading even if I think people overrated him a bit too much.
This time Ennis steps down from writing and we have, what I assume, is multiple different writers doing stories. Duane gets main credit here but it looks to be least 3-4 other writers too on here. We have a few different stories ranging from a loser crime-lord on the run from Punisher (One of the better stories) Punisher dealing with being poisoned and having to kill a bunch of people before he dies. Another story of him going to a hills have eyes meet Texas chainsaw area and having to kill a bunch of backwoods' bastards.
This was far more comical than the Ennis stuff. While Ennis had a dark sense of humor, these are even more random and crazy, more laughing at what's happening instead of what a character is saying. I feel like the stories drag on a bit though and there's only so much killing, snapping necks, and ripping people's eyes out before you kind of get bored a bit. While there's some interesting ideas (Killing backwoods sick fucks was fun) it never goes beyond "good" to me with the exception of the one story Dolls, which hit the emotional beat I want to see Punisher cover more.
Overall, solid collection if like Punisher but don't expect greatness. A 3 out of 5.
This time Ennis steps down from writing and we have, what I assume, is multiple different writers doing stories. Duane gets main credit here but it looks to be least 3-4 other writers too on here. We have a few different stories ranging from a loser crime-lord on the run from Punisher (One of the better stories) Punisher dealing with being poisoned and having to kill a bunch of people before he dies. Another story of him going to a hills have eyes meet Texas chainsaw area and having to kill a bunch of backwoods' bastards.
This was far more comical than the Ennis stuff. While Ennis had a dark sense of humor, these are even more random and crazy, more laughing at what's happening instead of what a character is saying. I feel like the stories drag on a bit though and there's only so much killing, snapping necks, and ripping people's eyes out before you kind of get bored a bit. While there's some interesting ideas (Killing backwoods sick fucks was fun) it never goes beyond "good" to me with the exception of the one story Dolls, which hit the emotional beat I want to see Punisher cover more.
Overall, solid collection if like Punisher but don't expect greatness. A 3 out of 5.
January 31, 2026
There’s some good stuff in here but that arc set in the Louisiana Bayou was ass. 🐊
March 16, 2023
The Punisher: The Complete Collection Vol. 5 includes Punisher 66-75, Punisher Annual 2007, Punisher: Forces of Nature, and Punisher: Little Black Book. The issues are written by Mike Benson, Duane Swierczynski, Victor Gischler, Greeg Hurwitz, Tom Piccirilli, Peter Milligan, and Charlie Huston with art by Laurence Campbell, Michael Lacombe, Jefté Palo, Goran Parlov, Das Pastoras, Tomm Coker, and Ken Lashley.
There are many arc and stand alone Punisher books contained in this collection. First we get some small time criminals trying to make it big until they make it on to The Punisher’s radar. Next is a story of a sex worker who picks the wrong person as a client. Back to main series, a string of kidnapping in a small Mexican town leads to the town looking for any kind of help, including The Punisher’s. The next volume sees Frank Castle injected with a chemical that will kill him in 6 hours. The Punisher decides to make the best of this time and take out as many criminals as possible. In the last arc we get Punisher meets Deliverance in which Frank stumbles across a group of teenagers who are being tortured by swamp folk.
You can definitely tell that Garth Ennis is no longer writing the book. While not necessarily bad, it’s a different tone than what we got for the previous 60 issues. My favorite story was the arc involving Frank battling Louisiana swamp people. It’s nothing Garth Ennis would have ever wrote, but it is entertaining. The one-shots were highly forgettable. I had to look them up as I wrote this review to even remember what they were about and I read them not even a week ago. Overall, The Punisher MAX series is still good even if it missing the critique to western crime and government that Ennis brought to the series.
There are many arc and stand alone Punisher books contained in this collection. First we get some small time criminals trying to make it big until they make it on to The Punisher’s radar. Next is a story of a sex worker who picks the wrong person as a client. Back to main series, a string of kidnapping in a small Mexican town leads to the town looking for any kind of help, including The Punisher’s. The next volume sees Frank Castle injected with a chemical that will kill him in 6 hours. The Punisher decides to make the best of this time and take out as many criminals as possible. In the last arc we get Punisher meets Deliverance in which Frank stumbles across a group of teenagers who are being tortured by swamp folk.
You can definitely tell that Garth Ennis is no longer writing the book. While not necessarily bad, it’s a different tone than what we got for the previous 60 issues. My favorite story was the arc involving Frank battling Louisiana swamp people. It’s nothing Garth Ennis would have ever wrote, but it is entertaining. The one-shots were highly forgettable. I had to look them up as I wrote this review to even remember what they were about and I read them not even a week ago. Overall, The Punisher MAX series is still good even if it missing the critique to western crime and government that Ennis brought to the series.
March 5, 2019
3.5* even though the authors changed quite a bit and the artwork was all over the place, it was still enjoyable. Although Ennis is still the king of Frank so far from what I've read.
December 31, 2017
The majority of these stories just didn’t do it for me. The artwork is mostly compelling, but the stories are all one-offs and none of them really captivated me.
January 21, 2018
Great collection - I'd read and loved most of these already, but - I was happy to see the last chapter, a collection of short vignettes. Absolutely incredible.
May 10, 2022
It was overall enjoyable but forgettable.
3.25 stars
3.25 stars
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August 21, 2019Following Garth Ennis is no easy task, and these stories come up very short. The three one-shots that open the book set the tone - cringey dialogue, predictable plotting, instantly unmemorable stories. The three longer arcs are okay plotwise, but they’re brought down by gore for gore's sake. Only Victor Gischler’s story of Frank in the Louisiana bayou stands out, for just how crazy it gets. Still, his story amounts to little more than a so-so Ennis impression.
At least the artists do a decent job throughout; Michael Lacombe and Goran Parlov rise to the top (the latter should come as no surprise, given his work on Ennis' run). Still, this collection is rather vapid. You can easily skip it and go straight to Jason Aaron’s run.
At least the artists do a decent job throughout; Michael Lacombe and Goran Parlov rise to the top (the latter should come as no surprise, given his work on Ennis' run). Still, this collection is rather vapid. You can easily skip it and go straight to Jason Aaron’s run.
December 8, 2018
4.5 stars.
I flitted back and forth between a 4 and a 5 because while this is an easy 5 by normal comic book standards, it’s noticeably not quite as perfect as Garth Ennis’ first 4 volumes.
Don’t get me wrong... it’s great. I burned through it in one sitting. I was glued to these pages. Each story was gripping, fun, sometimes emotional, and 100% badfuckingass.
Let’s run through it:
It starts off with a fun tale of a scumbag crook running from The Punisher and ultimately perishing. Ya know, the kinda shit we specifically read Punisher books for.
Force of Nature is an enjoyable and well drawn (if not slightly uninspired) tale of The Punisher tormenting some scumbags to death. An innocent whale dies, which I didn’t love... but it was a decent little story.
I liked the “Little Black Book” story. It was fun. Again, not exceptionally great by Punisher MAX standards, but by any other comic book standards, it was a fun tale of a vigilante murdering his way to justice.
The Mexico story is where it gets great. This one rocked. The bad guys were truly the scum of the earth, and it was a blast watching Frank Castle help them realize how badly they’d fucked up. I love it when he saves people. To me, that’s an important component. Sure, the revenge murder is cool... but it’s great to see him also defending the innocent. For the Punisher fans, there’s also an old villain who makes a surprise appearance!
Next story; Frank Castle has 6 hours left to live and HE DOESN’T GIVE A FUCK!!! He’s not scrambling to live, he’s scrambling to kill as many bad guys as possible. This story was pure fun. Was it a bit of a stretch? Yes. Did I have to suspend my disbelief? Sure. Was the evil plan kind of dumb? Well yeah... but fuck it. I enjoyed every goddam page, and you will too.
The Bayou story is my favorite one. It’s fucking great. It kind of reminds me of the Barracuda stories in the earlier volumes. This one has it all. It’s basically Frank Castle meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He stumbles upon some gnarly, psychotic cannibal rednecks in the swamps of louisiana. Carnage ensues. This one made me laugh the most.
The rest are some very, very short stories. They are pretty solemn and emotional snippets that remind us of the horrible tragedy that made Frank the Punisher to begin with. I liked these as well, because they made me feel more connected to him. The tragedy is an essential part of this whole thing. It’s what justifies him. When you see him gutting badguys alive, sometimes you have to remind yourself that this guy is the way he is because his entire family was snatched from him in a horrible killing. His revenge can never be satisfied.
This is a great book. After writing this review, I’ve decided it deserves the 5 stars. It’s not fair to compare it to the first 4 volumes. They are four of the best comic book collections ever made. Even though this isn’t quite as good, it’s still worthy of the title.
If you love exciting, violent and satisfying comics with incredible art work... look no further. Get on the Punisher MAX train!!
I flitted back and forth between a 4 and a 5 because while this is an easy 5 by normal comic book standards, it’s noticeably not quite as perfect as Garth Ennis’ first 4 volumes.
Don’t get me wrong... it’s great. I burned through it in one sitting. I was glued to these pages. Each story was gripping, fun, sometimes emotional, and 100% badfuckingass.
Let’s run through it:
It starts off with a fun tale of a scumbag crook running from The Punisher and ultimately perishing. Ya know, the kinda shit we specifically read Punisher books for.
Force of Nature is an enjoyable and well drawn (if not slightly uninspired) tale of The Punisher tormenting some scumbags to death. An innocent whale dies, which I didn’t love... but it was a decent little story.
I liked the “Little Black Book” story. It was fun. Again, not exceptionally great by Punisher MAX standards, but by any other comic book standards, it was a fun tale of a vigilante murdering his way to justice.
The Mexico story is where it gets great. This one rocked. The bad guys were truly the scum of the earth, and it was a blast watching Frank Castle help them realize how badly they’d fucked up. I love it when he saves people. To me, that’s an important component. Sure, the revenge murder is cool... but it’s great to see him also defending the innocent. For the Punisher fans, there’s also an old villain who makes a surprise appearance!
Next story; Frank Castle has 6 hours left to live and HE DOESN’T GIVE A FUCK!!! He’s not scrambling to live, he’s scrambling to kill as many bad guys as possible. This story was pure fun. Was it a bit of a stretch? Yes. Did I have to suspend my disbelief? Sure. Was the evil plan kind of dumb? Well yeah... but fuck it. I enjoyed every goddam page, and you will too.
The Bayou story is my favorite one. It’s fucking great. It kind of reminds me of the Barracuda stories in the earlier volumes. This one has it all. It’s basically Frank Castle meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He stumbles upon some gnarly, psychotic cannibal rednecks in the swamps of louisiana. Carnage ensues. This one made me laugh the most.
The rest are some very, very short stories. They are pretty solemn and emotional snippets that remind us of the horrible tragedy that made Frank the Punisher to begin with. I liked these as well, because they made me feel more connected to him. The tragedy is an essential part of this whole thing. It’s what justifies him. When you see him gutting badguys alive, sometimes you have to remind yourself that this guy is the way he is because his entire family was snatched from him in a horrible killing. His revenge can never be satisfied.
This is a great book. After writing this review, I’ve decided it deserves the 5 stars. It’s not fair to compare it to the first 4 volumes. They are four of the best comic book collections ever made. Even though this isn’t quite as good, it’s still worthy of the title.
If you love exciting, violent and satisfying comics with incredible art work... look no further. Get on the Punisher MAX train!!
June 10, 2021
Punisher delivers the greatest blood and guts, hardboiled crime adventures. Punisher MAX Vol. 5 presents five short stories written by Greg Hurwitz, Duane Swierczynski, and Victor Gischler. Each writer kept true to Frank Castle’s nature while laying over their own flavor.
Hurwitz’s story takes place in Mexico where a cartel is abducting women, which force the peaceful town’s people to seek Punisher’s help in the US. Life is hard and grim in this neo-western that mirror real-life elements of the Mexican drug trade. All this is topped with a splash of Latin magical realism. Laurance Campbell’s gritty illustrations complemented the harsh setting.
We switch gears with Swierczynski, a master of dark humor is. Six Hours to Kill puts Frank in a Crank scenario. He’s injected with a time-bomb virus that gives him six hours to complete a hitlist. Of course, Punisher is nobody’s dog. He accepts death and decides to use his final hours to deal punishment to everyone. Plenty of memorable characters and “Oh shit” moments. Swierczynski follows up with a new personal favorite, Force of Nature. Frank sabotages three friends in the middle of the ocean and orchestrates their insanity. The funny part is Frank is hardly in this one. Michel Lacombe illustrates both stories with a crisply clear style.
Finally, we end with Gischler’s vison of the Punisher in the Louisiana swamps, where he takes on cannibal hillbillies. This one had Southern horror dripped all over. I wish more Punisher stories explored these slasher elements. “I love the way it feels when I take the life out of something,” says one of the villains. That line is sweet honey. There’s a bit of humor laid over this one that enhances the horror somehow. Gischler finishes with a quick shot, Little Black Book. This miniature pulp finishes quick as a snaped neck and is just as satisfying. Frank kills gangsters at their mansion. No complaints here. Goran Parlov supplies the classy inks in both stories.
Hurwitz’s story takes place in Mexico where a cartel is abducting women, which force the peaceful town’s people to seek Punisher’s help in the US. Life is hard and grim in this neo-western that mirror real-life elements of the Mexican drug trade. All this is topped with a splash of Latin magical realism. Laurance Campbell’s gritty illustrations complemented the harsh setting.
We switch gears with Swierczynski, a master of dark humor is. Six Hours to Kill puts Frank in a Crank scenario. He’s injected with a time-bomb virus that gives him six hours to complete a hitlist. Of course, Punisher is nobody’s dog. He accepts death and decides to use his final hours to deal punishment to everyone. Plenty of memorable characters and “Oh shit” moments. Swierczynski follows up with a new personal favorite, Force of Nature. Frank sabotages three friends in the middle of the ocean and orchestrates their insanity. The funny part is Frank is hardly in this one. Michel Lacombe illustrates both stories with a crisply clear style.
Finally, we end with Gischler’s vison of the Punisher in the Louisiana swamps, where he takes on cannibal hillbillies. This one had Southern horror dripped all over. I wish more Punisher stories explored these slasher elements. “I love the way it feels when I take the life out of something,” says one of the villains. That line is sweet honey. There’s a bit of humor laid over this one that enhances the horror somehow. Gischler finishes with a quick shot, Little Black Book. This miniature pulp finishes quick as a snaped neck and is just as satisfying. Frank kills gangsters at their mansion. No complaints here. Goran Parlov supplies the classy inks in both stories.
May 10, 2025
The Punisher, Vol. 11: Girls in White Dresses: solid punisher story, picked up write after ennis. its not the gold guts and glory ennis had, and the quips from frank are a little too off character, but i really enjoy his commentary. i felt like i got see franks love for the innocence of children and women much more than the entirety of ennis's run--aswell as how severely the death of his family affects him. not bad, not bad
The Punisher, Vol. 12: Six Hours to Kill: yeah, it was alright. lowkey confused, like i get they hired him to kill the mayor, but why inject him with a lethal drug... the whole woman and viet vet team up with the other guy confused me too, like it was all over the place. not the best in terms of bad guys or storytelling
The Punisher, Vol. 13: Welcome to the Bayou (Paperback): reminds me of true detective s1. bunch of inbred deep south cultish family of cannibals and whatever form of degeneracy u can think of. it was alright, whatever I guess
Punisher: Frank Castle #75: what a beautiful wrap up for the Max series. the art styles changing are a little wack, but i know they represent different versions/stories of frank. very beautiful ending and writing, ennis should have been in here
The Punisher, Vol. 12: Six Hours to Kill: yeah, it was alright. lowkey confused, like i get they hired him to kill the mayor, but why inject him with a lethal drug... the whole woman and viet vet team up with the other guy confused me too, like it was all over the place. not the best in terms of bad guys or storytelling
The Punisher, Vol. 13: Welcome to the Bayou (Paperback): reminds me of true detective s1. bunch of inbred deep south cultish family of cannibals and whatever form of degeneracy u can think of. it was alright, whatever I guess
Punisher: Frank Castle #75: what a beautiful wrap up for the Max series. the art styles changing are a little wack, but i know they represent different versions/stories of frank. very beautiful ending and writing, ennis should have been in here
August 18, 2020
Not Crazy About This One
These max Punisher comics are super brutal and extreme. That doesn't necessarily mean they are good. The stories were okay. One was a lot like the movie "Crank". The Louisiana backwoods bayou story was pretty entertaining, even though that seemed like a very bizarre setting for Frank Castle. Reading these, with all the extreme violence and pointless nudity, it really just makes me miss the old Punisher comics more. Give me the white boots and battle van! Yeah, I know it is silly but I felt like those stories had heart and these new ones often seem cruel and heartless.
As far as art goes, this volume is inconsistent. Some are good, some are bad. Some of it detracts from the story. As a whole, it's okay but not great and I'm not sure if I want to read any more of these.
These max Punisher comics are super brutal and extreme. That doesn't necessarily mean they are good. The stories were okay. One was a lot like the movie "Crank". The Louisiana backwoods bayou story was pretty entertaining, even though that seemed like a very bizarre setting for Frank Castle. Reading these, with all the extreme violence and pointless nudity, it really just makes me miss the old Punisher comics more. Give me the white boots and battle van! Yeah, I know it is silly but I felt like those stories had heart and these new ones often seem cruel and heartless.
As far as art goes, this volume is inconsistent. Some are good, some are bad. Some of it detracts from the story. As a whole, it's okay but not great and I'm not sure if I want to read any more of these.
May 13, 2020
One bad story and one mistake keep this from a five
The mistake was drawing a humpback whale attacking a human. They don't. This is because they eat krill. Ok, so what was the worst story? Back in the bayou. The editor who approved this either was in a rush or bad at their job. Frank's in Louisiana, and what does he run into? A family of inbred, some super strong, cannibal swamp dwellers. Yes, every stupid cliche from bad horror movies. The story was hard to get through since it didn't have one original idea. Lame from beginning to end. It was like punisher meets wrong turn. The best story was girls in white dresses, where Frank goes to Mexico and meets an old enemy. Little black book was tremendous, as was 6 hours to live. But that bayou...
The mistake was drawing a humpback whale attacking a human. They don't. This is because they eat krill. Ok, so what was the worst story? Back in the bayou. The editor who approved this either was in a rush or bad at their job. Frank's in Louisiana, and what does he run into? A family of inbred, some super strong, cannibal swamp dwellers. Yes, every stupid cliche from bad horror movies. The story was hard to get through since it didn't have one original idea. Lame from beginning to end. It was like punisher meets wrong turn. The best story was girls in white dresses, where Frank goes to Mexico and meets an old enemy. Little black book was tremendous, as was 6 hours to live. But that bayou...
May 28, 2020
I liked this one a lot more than volume 4, even though it isn't written by Ennis. Some really fun stories in here. And the writers are a lot less interested in making Frank Castle so quiet and stoic. He actually has a few funny lines and gets into some interesting situations. My favorite stories are "Force of Nature", "Six Hours to Kill" (the best), and "Welcome to the Bayou". That last one is more of a horror story that happens to star the Punisher and it actually works pretty well.
December 11, 2017
After a shaky start (Garth Ennis' leaving the title is what made me initially not pursue the series anymore) squandering some nice set-ups, this collection finds its groove with the Swierczinski and Gischler arcs that deliver a take on "Crank" and a bayou-set "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Good fun, and Goran Parlov's art is stellar.
October 13, 2017
The joy of struggling to sleep is being able to finish books. This was one such book that was very enjoyable from start to finish. Definitely enjoy certain artists more than others but the writing is always good
August 2, 2018
Bayou Did It For Me
I was worried by the other reviews that was not a good pick after reading the former collections by Garth Ennis. This was really good too, and I loved the bayou story.
I was worried by the other reviews that was not a good pick after reading the former collections by Garth Ennis. This was really good too, and I loved the bayou story.
August 4, 2024
This fifth collection is made of of short arcs and individual issues by various authors in the wake of Ennis leaving the book. I was expecting more of a mixed bag, but this was pretty consistently solid.
August 2, 2017
Garth Ennis is no longer writing the series at this point, and you can tell, but this volume is still packed with solid Punisher stories. Inconsistent artwork styles let it down though.
December 16, 2017
Brilliant
June 30, 2020
Read this in a digital collection, probably scanned from the original paperback. Not as good as the Garth Ennis ones, but pretty good nonetheless.
December 9, 2020
A mix of one goofy and a few extremely serious punisher comics. No good overarching story
February 19, 2024
No one writes Punisher like Garth Ennis, but there's some really good stuff in here. 6 Hours to Kill is fantastic. And the artwork is excellent throughout the collection.
February 26, 2025
Pretty decent all the way through. Better than expected
September 30, 2017
Very typical story of a runner. And it end like all cliches, no one escapes the Punisher. Artwork is nice though.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews