Marvel Comics’ Punisher gets a new series from Avengers writer Jason Aaron

AvengersAnd Thor scribe Jason Aaron will write Marvel Comics’ next Punisher series, a “definitive culmination of Frank Castle’s journey in the Marvel Universe to date.” Punisher will run for 13 oversized issues, starting in March 2022, with art from Jesús Saiz (You can checkmate, Doctor StrangePaul Azaceta (Amazing Spider-Man).

“After writing the Punisher over the years, I’ve always been fascinated by the character of Frank Castle,” said Aaron in Marvel’s news release. “What moments made him the Punisher, even before that fateful day in the park? How far is he willing to go in order win this war which has claimed his entire life? Spoiler: as far as it damn well takes.”

Punisher will be Marvel’s first solo book for Frank Castle since Punisher (2018) concluded in late 2019, in a time during which the killer vigilante’s emblem has gained notoriety for its adoption by police and pro-police organizations. Aaron’s take will examine “the past, present, and future of Frank Castle’s character,” according to Marvel’s news release, as he becomes an assassin for the Hand, the shadowy crime organization that originated in the pages of Daredevil. Saiz will draw the story’s present-day scenes, while Azaceta will draw the flashbacks.

“This story is the destined next step in the dark and tragic evolution of Frank Castle,” Aaron said in the news release, “from troubled kid to heroic soldier to revenge-driven vigilante…to the duly anointed King of Killers. Believe me when I say, I am as excited about this story as anything I’ve ever written for Marvel.”

Check out Marvel’s official summary, two preview pages, and the complete cover from Punisher #1 below:

Frank Castle is the Punisher. He has been the greatest killer in the history of the world. After a shocking secret pushes him to become the warlord of the Hand, he now serves the Beast, a role he’s been fated to fulfill. As he takes up the sword and new armor, tragedy, war and rage collide as he joins the Marvel Universe’s most prominent clan of assassins. Is it the beginning of the end for Punisher’s reign? Oder a new, bloody start?