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Punisher War Journal (2006) (Collected Editions)
Punisher War Journal, Vol. 5: Secret Invasion
With an alien armada laying the world to waste, Stuart RAMPAGE Clarke decides to make his move. Skrull Armageddon is just a backdrop for his ultimate revenge — against Tony Stark, against S.H.I.E.L.D., and against anyone that ever stood in his way! And what about Frank Castle? Where does The Punisher fit into Clarke's plans? It's the end of the world as we know it — time to cross some names off the old enemies list. Then, take a trip to the Helter Skelter Club — psychedelic hangout of every costumed wannabe, z-list villain, and spandex tryhard in NYC. Its retro-tastic owner — Captain Pepper — has been up to his paisley-print elbows in bad business, but now he's caught the attention of one decidedly ungroovy vigilante.
120 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2009
4 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Matt Fraction
1,221 books1,864 followers"How he got started in comics: In 1983, when Fraction was 7 years old and growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he became fascinated by the U.S. invasion of Grenada and created his own newspaper to explain the event. "I've always been story-driven, telling stories with pictures and words," he said.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 18, 2021
Bogged down in another crossover event, saddled with a trippy, oversized annual that's far to silly for its own good, the only redeeming factor is the final issue of the run which, unburdened with completing the storylines wrapped up in the preceding issue, is a poignant stand alone. If only every issue were half as good.
May 11, 2018
A mediocre ending for a mediocre series. I suppose the authors wanted to be fun. They were not.
Punisher isn't supposed to be fun, or at least not that way. The only guy who approached the sense of dark humor required is Garth Ennis.
Dark humor. Not clownish humor. Got it guys? Yeah, I'm talking to you Matt Fraction, Rick Remender, Simon Spurrier.
This run of PWJ sucks. Big time. You may as well stay far away from it.
Punisher isn't supposed to be fun, or at least not that way. The only guy who approached the sense of dark humor required is Garth Ennis.
Dark humor. Not clownish humor. Got it guys? Yeah, I'm talking to you Matt Fraction, Rick Remender, Simon Spurrier.
This run of PWJ sucks. Big time. You may as well stay far away from it.
February 19, 2010
The two-issue crossover with Secret Invasion is more unnecessary awfulness from Matt Fraction, whose run writing the Punisher was mostly disappointing.
I kicked my rating up to three stars, however, for the fantastic issue #26, in which Frank Castle and The Rhino experience a "Christmas miracle" when they meet on a rooftop on Christmas Eve just as Frank is about to pull the trigger on a bunch of punks who've gotten ahold of the Stilt Man suit. It was funny, human, and The Punisher was written well. If Fraction's whole run on this title had been like this it would have been a really good series.
This collection also reprints the 2008 annual, which was written by Simon Spurrier. The Punisher gets dosed with hallucinogens and winds up inside the mind of the little girl he's trying to rescue. It sounds better than it plays out.
I kicked my rating up to three stars, however, for the fantastic issue #26, in which Frank Castle and The Rhino experience a "Christmas miracle" when they meet on a rooftop on Christmas Eve just as Frank is about to pull the trigger on a bunch of punks who've gotten ahold of the Stilt Man suit. It was funny, human, and The Punisher was written well. If Fraction's whole run on this title had been like this it would have been a really good series.
This collection also reprints the 2008 annual, which was written by Simon Spurrier. The Punisher gets dosed with hallucinogens and winds up inside the mind of the little girl he's trying to rescue. It sounds better than it plays out.
January 11, 2019
"Frank Castle was a decorated Marine, an upstanding citizen, and a family man. Then his family was taken from him when they were accidentally killed in a brutal mob hit. From that day, he became a force of cold, calculated retribution and vigilantism, Frank Castle died with his family. Now, there is only..."
The art reminded me of The Boys, Franks design was very similar to The Butcher in that, good art...3 🌟
Not much to do with Secret Invasion but tied a few loose ends in the Punisher story, and, a Skrull, using, a sniper rifle???...1 1/2 🌟
Relevance to SI, 1 🌟 So overall for this TPB 2 🌟
Not much to do with Secret Invasion but tied a few loose ends in the Punisher story, and, a Skrull, using, a sniper rifle???...1 1/2 🌟
Relevance to SI, 1 🌟 So overall for this TPB 2 🌟
July 20, 2016
Secret invasion was dumb. Single issue with Rhino and Christmas was funny. Otherwise, ugh.
Annual wasn't even Fraction. Art looked like a Batman cast off, and Mad Hatter lite villain. Ugh ugh ugh.
Remender had nothing to do with this either...??
Annual wasn't even Fraction. Art looked like a Batman cast off, and Mad Hatter lite villain. Ugh ugh ugh.
Remender had nothing to do with this either...??
October 19, 2023
Three stories, in which the Punisher has to confront the Skrull invasion of Earth, decide the fate of a gang of inexperienced criminals looking to become supervillains and rescue a young girl from a madman selling nightmares as narcotics.
There's almost nothing of consequence to this book. None of the plotlines that feel important (such as Frank's sidekick discovering that Frank murdered his girlfriend or, you know, a full-scale alien invasion) gets any time to develop and breath. Instead they're hurried through as quickly and, sadly, as shallowly as possible.
As I understand it, this was the end of this run of War Journal and it's clear that cramming everything in and tying it off was more important than giving the plot the space it needed.
There are a few moments here that are really good, such as seeing Frank cut loose on the Skrulls or the scene where he learns a moral lesson from the Rhino, but they're too few and too brief.
Honestly, even if you're a Punisher fan, I don't think you'd miss much if you missed this book out.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
There's almost nothing of consequence to this book. None of the plotlines that feel important (such as Frank's sidekick discovering that Frank murdered his girlfriend or, you know, a full-scale alien invasion) gets any time to develop and breath. Instead they're hurried through as quickly and, sadly, as shallowly as possible.
As I understand it, this was the end of this run of War Journal and it's clear that cramming everything in and tying it off was more important than giving the plot the space it needed.
There are a few moments here that are really good, such as seeing Frank cut loose on the Skrulls or the scene where he learns a moral lesson from the Rhino, but they're too few and too brief.
Honestly, even if you're a Punisher fan, I don't think you'd miss much if you missed this book out.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
December 8, 2023
I was reading New Avengers for some reason and got up to the Secret Invasion storyline and said, “Hey, I have the Mavel Unlimited app, why don’t I just read the entire Secret Invasion storyline? I’d be really interested because I know that the MCU is going to come out with a movie pretty soon.” Great idea, right?
Ugh, that thing is 99 issues long and just starts to d r a g in the middle as Marvel tried to cash in by incorporating as many titles as possible. But I was committed, and I read every single issue. Was it worth it? Absolutely not. Am I glad I read it? I’m not sad, but I wish that Marvel had done a better job writing with concise storytelling. Or that I had not made the decision to read the whole blamed thing.
But, you know, in for a penny, and for a pound. And it’s red and I will never have to read it again and I can enjoy the movie when it comes out. So I’m just going to copy and paste this review in every single trade paperback that contains the secret invasion, storyline and call it a day.
if anyone reads this review, I recommend you just read the essential story itself without all of the side issues.
Ugh, that thing is 99 issues long and just starts to d r a g in the middle as Marvel tried to cash in by incorporating as many titles as possible. But I was committed, and I read every single issue. Was it worth it? Absolutely not. Am I glad I read it? I’m not sad, but I wish that Marvel had done a better job writing with concise storytelling. Or that I had not made the decision to read the whole blamed thing.
But, you know, in for a penny, and for a pound. And it’s red and I will never have to read it again and I can enjoy the movie when it comes out. So I’m just going to copy and paste this review in every single trade paperback that contains the secret invasion, storyline and call it a day.
if anyone reads this review, I recommend you just read the essential story itself without all of the side issues.
September 14, 2022
A perfectly servicable, if not very memorable, Punisher War Journal book.
I grew up not reading or wanting to read Punisher. This is mostly because of the kind of person I knew who wore Punisher shirts in the 80s and 90s. But then I read Garth Ennis's The Punisher, Vol. 1: Welcome Back, Frank and the Punisher Max stuff, and I decided to check out more of the series.
He's not my favorite character, but certain writers make him really interesting to me. I don't think Fraction's work here is amazing, but I was intrigued at how he put the Secret Invasion as a background story for Punisher's showdown with Rampage.
It's over the top, and the Christmas issue that follows is a bit hokey, but it's better than I imagined it would be. If you're super into Frank Castle's violent adventures and don't mind some humor that misses the mark (I didn't find it offensive at all, I just didn't find it that funny), this could be perfect for you. But as a part of The Secret Invasion, it's totally skippable.
I grew up not reading or wanting to read Punisher. This is mostly because of the kind of person I knew who wore Punisher shirts in the 80s and 90s. But then I read Garth Ennis's The Punisher, Vol. 1: Welcome Back, Frank and the Punisher Max stuff, and I decided to check out more of the series.
He's not my favorite character, but certain writers make him really interesting to me. I don't think Fraction's work here is amazing, but I was intrigued at how he put the Secret Invasion as a background story for Punisher's showdown with Rampage.
It's over the top, and the Christmas issue that follows is a bit hokey, but it's better than I imagined it would be. If you're super into Frank Castle's violent adventures and don't mind some humor that misses the mark (I didn't find it offensive at all, I just didn't find it that funny), this could be perfect for you. But as a part of The Secret Invasion, it's totally skippable.
April 8, 2025
Me gustó la tensión que genera y como reúne las piezas importantes de toda la trama que abordó a la serie a la par que se incluye dentro del gran evento Marvel del momento, que siento es la parte que menos importa más allá de justificar un desastre en la ciudad y a Frank liberándose.
Me gustó la enemistad/amistad infundada en Clarke y Castle y de nuevo GW siendo un archienemigo y aliado del justiciero. En particular me gustó su último número como un intento de lo más navideño que se puede ser con Frank en una historia, el Rhino destaca mucho en toda la serie como un personaje recurrente, es una comedia oscura pero muy linda a final de cuentas dentro de todo lo retorcido.
Buen dibujo y una decente conclusión para un capítulo más en la vida del vigilante.
Me gustó la enemistad/amistad infundada en Clarke y Castle y de nuevo GW siendo un archienemigo y aliado del justiciero. En particular me gustó su último número como un intento de lo más navideño que se puede ser con Frank en una historia, el Rhino destaca mucho en toda la serie como un personaje recurrente, es una comedia oscura pero muy linda a final de cuentas dentro de todo lo retorcido.
Buen dibujo y una decente conclusión para un capítulo más en la vida del vigilante.
February 13, 2023
A disappointing mishmash of stories - two decent Secret Invasion issues bogged down by some jarringly clumsy artwork, a sort of Punisher Christmas special and a tedious annual that goes on forever - this is all very disappointing from Fraction, whose two volumes writing Hawkeye were so good. Or Remender and Spurrier for that matter. All three have written some fantastic comics. This is isn't one of them. The highlight is the Christmas issue that includes Rhino and a bunch of idiots who want to be the new Stilt Man. It's good fun but nothing especially memorable.
January 22, 2018
This whole run has been plagued by bad art and a weird, merciful take on the Punisher. Maybe better art might have smoothed over the rough edges, but this series ends on a whimper, without leaving a lasting mark.
November 4, 2018
A perfectly suitable story, even though the links to Secret Invasion are a mite stretched at times. Full disclosure: I have never enjoyed Chatkin's art, and I genuinely feel like he detracts from otherwise enjoyable work.
February 8, 2022
Very amusing that the run finally ends (with a lot of loose ends tied-up) in another crossover event.
Punisher War Journal ends, leading into Remender's run (which includes Frankencastle and In the Blood) which starts with Dark Reign (lol).
Punisher War Journal ends, leading into Remender's run (which includes Frankencastle and In the Blood) which starts with Dark Reign (lol).
December 22, 2017
They just keep getting more fun. I have to admit, I was more of a punisher max fan when i before, but I've been won over.
December 29, 2017
Punisher contemplating killing more people during Christmas. A new jigsaw is born.
September 20, 2018
I think I’m one of the few who really liked this book. All of it.
I don’t know why.
I didn’t find it boring.
I liked the story.
I liked the art.
I found it humorous.
It was one of the better Punisher books, in my opinion.
Must have caught me in just the right moment. lol
I don’t know why.
I didn’t find it boring.
I liked the story.
I liked the art.
I found it humorous.
It was one of the better Punisher books, in my opinion.
Must have caught me in just the right moment. lol
August 22, 2009
The two-issue Secret Invasion crossover is unnecessary, except for explaining how the Punisher gets out of jail. A Hammerhead Skrull hangs around with Frank, Rampage, and G.W. Bridge get out their issues. While it's the title storyline, the other stories are more interesting.
The Stilt Man Christmas story is funny--this book succeeds when it focuses on the villains. And the Annual story is loopy and a bit hard to follow, but it's nice to see someone can make a psychedelic, colorful Punisher story.
The Stilt Man Christmas story is funny--this book succeeds when it focuses on the villains. And the Annual story is loopy and a bit hard to follow, but it's nice to see someone can make a psychedelic, colorful Punisher story.
February 23, 2015
Three short stories here. First one a brush with Secret Invasion that neatly tied up some loose ends with this Punisher run before the War Journal was cancelled. But how awful was the art on that one? Chaykin drew characters that looked like they all had diapers on.
Then there was a short christmas themed one that was pretty good actually. Nice art and nice little story.
But then there was a story bu Simon Spurrier. I really can not put my finger on it, but I just do not like his writing. This time was no exception.
Then there was a short christmas themed one that was pretty good actually. Nice art and nice little story.
But then there was a story bu Simon Spurrier. I really can not put my finger on it, but I just do not like his writing. This time was no exception.
February 24, 2009
Cross-overs ruin everything.
April 11, 2010
Stories and art of mixed quality.
January 31, 2011
Very little story, but Castle just kills lots of skrulls with style.
April 30, 2012
If you didn't read this comic, you didn't miss anything. The story doesn't add anything to the bigger Secret Invasion-story line. The Punisher is just fighting soms Skrulls. Poor graphics.
November 14, 2013
Individual issues on marvel unlimited
August 2, 2016
The event issues were horrible but the annual was even worse. I honestly did not know what I was reading at all.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews