History ComicBook / ThePunisherWelcomeBackFrank

* SinisterMinister: Father Redondo, a.k.a. The Holy, who is ready to [[AxCrazy axe murder]] you in his confessional the second you say something he doesn't like.

''The Punisher'' (2000), subtitled ''Welcome Back, Frank'' for collected editions, is a series from the Creator/MarvelKnights imprint of Creator/MarvelComics, starring the titular [[ComicBook/ThePunisher Punisher]], Frank Castle. It's written by Creator/GarthEnnis with art by Creator/SteveDillon and Jimmy Palmiotti, and color art by Chris Sotomayor.

The series, set in the shared Franchise/MarvelUniverse, serves as a SoftReboot for the Punisher. A [[ComicBook/ThePunisherPurgatory previous series]], subtitled ''Purgatory'' (1998), had reinvented the character - normally a BadassNormal vigilante - by giving him magical powers. They are promptly removed again prior to the start of ''Welcome Back, Frank'', something which is briefly explained in the first issue and then never mentioned again.

A SequelSeries, also simply titled ''{{ComicBook/The Punisher|2001}}'', swiftly followed in June 2001, initially with the same creative team.

!!''The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank'' contains examples of:

** Detective Soap for Detective Paul Bridges, a similarly unlucky cop from an early arc of ''Comicbook/{{Preacher}}''.

* StrawLoser: Soap and Molly Von Richthofen do not have the slightest hope of doing anything to the Punisher or Ma Gnucci (nor were the police expecting them to, considering that the cops like the Punisher's methods and Ma Gnucci had the NYPD on her payroll, so it's a catch-22 anyway). The best plan they could come up with was just to let things happen and let the whole crisis solve itself.

* CheatedDeathDiedAnyway: Frank Castle interrogates a mafioso in his car on the freeway, before telling him to get out (while the car is still moving). The man does so, miraculously survives... only to get run over by a food truck. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Belonging to a company called Frank's.]]

* HopeSpot: One of the hitmen was forced by the Punisher to jump out of the car, which was going at high speed in the highway. That, or get a bullet in the face. He jumped, and crawled on his feet: he was very badly hurt, needing immediate hospital care, but he's alive! And then, a truck in high speed finished him. A truck of [[VisualPun Tasty Franks]] no less.

* {{ShadowArchetype}}: Each member of the 'Vigilante Squad' highlights common criticisms of the Punisher as a character.

* CheatedDeathDiedAnyway: Frank Castle interrogates a mafioso in his car on the freeway, before telling him to get out (while the car is still moving). The man does so, miraculously survives... only to get run over by a food truck. Belonging to a company called Frank's.

* DentedIron: The Punisher doesn't make it through all his fights unscathed. [[spoiler: Two of his battles lead to injuries that become major plot points. When he takes two hits from a mook with an SMG while he's trailing Ma Gnucci it allows a noisy neighbor to identify him as he limps home. When a mob hit team attacks him as a result the Punisher gets shot another set of bullets that leave him nearly incapacitated and make him a sitting duck for the Russian.]]

* DentedIron: The Punisher doesn't make it through all his fights unscathed. [[Spoiler:Two of his battles lead to injuries that become major plot points. When he takes two hits from a mook with an SMG while he's trailing Ma Gnucci it allows a noisy neighbor to identify him as he limps home. When a mob hit team attacks him as a result the Punisher gets shot another set of bullets that leave him nearly incapacitated and make him a sitting duck for the Russian.]]

* DentedIron: The Punisher doesn't make it through all his fights unscathed. [[Spoilers: Two of his battles lead to injuries that become major plot points. When he takes two hits from a mook with an SMG while he's trailing Ma Gnucci it allows a noisy neighbor to identify him as he limps home. When a mob hit team attacks him as a result the Punisher gets shot another set of bullets that leave him nearly incapacitated and make him a sitting duck for the Russian.]]

* AbhorrentAdmirer: A trio of vigilante serial killers come to admire the Punisher and eventually decide they should work with him. The Punisher has reasons to be disgusted by each of his copy-cats.

** Detective Molly turns down several men and insists she was assigned to the Punisher task force because she wouldn't give sexual favors to her superiors.

* {{Foil}}: Each member of the 'Vigilante Squad' highlights common criticisms of the Punisher as a character.
** [[KillThePoor Elite]] is the Punisher if he really did shoot people for jaywalking. Elite also highlights the racist and xenophobic UnfortunateImplications of the Punisher's frequent wars on a GenericEthnicCrimeGang.
** [[AxCrazy The Holy]] can be viewed as a parody of the Punisher's Heaven story-arc and the criticism that his character is little more than a homicidal psychopath.
** [[EatTheRich Mr. Payback]] can be seen as a critique of the Punisher's [[KillThemAll methods.]] While Payback's grievances are legitimate his solution of gunning down the nearest bad guys he can get to is unlikely to solve complex international socioeconomic problems (such as the inhumane Taiwanese labor practices he mentions in his MotiveRant). Payback also highlights the amount of collateral damage and innocent victims the Punisher's violence would cause if he wasn't CrazyPrepared.

** [[EatTheRich Mr. Payback]] can be seen as a critique of the Punisher's [[KillThemAll methods.]] While Payback's grievances are legitimate his solution of gunning down the nearest bad guys he can get to is unlikely to solve complex international socioeconomic problems (such as the inhumane Taiwanese labor practices he mentions in his MotiveRant). Payback also highlights the amount of collateral damage and innocent victims the Punisher's violence would cause if he wasn't crazy-prepared.