Two comics came out this week. One isn't completely ending so much as taking a break for a bit after an epic 16-issue run (so far). It is the superb series known as, "The Power Fantasy," which I have often expressed fondness for on this blog (Image publishes it). Another series is a fresh-ish start, "The Punisher," #1--the latest relaunch of Frank Castle's vigilante identity. Both comics show the impetus and downfalls brought about by violence--either on a worldwide or relatively small and personal scale. One features people where the idea of having a superpower means they could single-handedly destroy the planet, with the fact a handful of individuals more powerful than 100 atomic bombs hold each other in check being the only reason our planet as survivied. The other comic features a single man who exists in a World of powered beings, overshadowed by metal claws, flying, laser beams, and so forth, but he still persists in his compulsory urge to, "Fight," crime in a brutally violent manner. Both comics examine the hollow reward of violence, just with differing stakes. Let's discuss.
"The Power Fantasy," has been quite the read. The World as we know it was the same until the first atomic bomb test gave birth to a literal angel on Earth. From there, other beings with powers that could utterly wreck our planet emerged, with only the risk of Mutually Assured Destruction keeping things from getting out of hand. That said, with the last handful of issues...things really got out of hand. Some characters died, the balance was thrown off, and this issue opens with Earth barely escaping ruin...before (spoiler alert) it all blows up anyway, and the one surviving being who witnesses it from the Moon goes back to early in the story to try and fix things. It almost should feel like a cheat to say, "Hey, let's have a re-do," but from the very start, writer Kieron Gillen told us if any of these characters ever did let loose, it would literally end Earth...and he and artist Caspar Wijngaard made good on that promise this issue.
Gillen admits in some backmatter of the comic that he debated ending things here, with a sad-yet-kinda-hopeful note, but it was decided to take a little break and come back with more later in 2026. I, personally, am glad he and Wijngaard want to do more, because this is such a great comic. A series where the whole point is, "Nobody can fight or everybody dies," sounds dull, but this book has been anything but, and hey, we got some fighting finally, and the end result of, "Everybody dies," did indeed occur.
People with the ability to end all life on Earth if they decided to resort to fisticuffs is a scary thought to the degree that the idea of one man roaming around New York City killing criminals he deems, "Dangerous," sounds a lot less frightening, yet the latest relaunch of, "The Punisher," manages to fill the reader with dread and comment on how in some ways Frank Castle being a mere mortal who manages to make an impact in a World full of gods, mutants, and so forth is itself astonishing. Yes, the, "The Punisher: Red Band," mini-series was a hit that brought Frank Castle back to our reality after his last, "The Punisher," series, where he led the Hand (for some reason) was critically panned, hated by readers, and ended with him going to another dimension. In the five-issue mini, it is addressed how he came back (the reason isn't given and can probably be glossed over anyway) and found himself under the influence of the Kingpin due to a mind control chip that really messed him up.
Anything you need to know about Frank Castle/the Punisher is covered in this issue, so don't worry if you skipped the, "The Punisher: Red Band," mini, even though with this having the same creative team of Benjamin Percy and José Luis Soares Pinto, it flows into this new ongoing well. Frank's returned, and it is back-to-basics as he tears through the criminal underground. We see one reporter trying to cover it, but she's told he's of little interest when the news should focus on superheroes. The idea of Frank being, "Just," a human despite everything he's been through in the Marvel Universe (and depending on what stories you think count, there were times he's been fighting literal demons or turned into a Frankenstein's monster-style creature) is examined heavily in this debut. After all these years and attempts at continuity tweaks, the heart remains the same--he keeps persisting due to a single-minded mission of killing the killers. Castle even knows it's a lost cause and brings no reward, but he just can't stop because there is nothing else for him.
We had a comic this week where the main characters could not be violent without mass death, and a comic where the protagonist knows only violence. Both books illustrate the pointlessness of brutality while reveling in it for readers to enjoy the snazzy artwork of Earth going, "Boom," or anyone who gets in Frank's way exploding into a pile of bloody viscera due to his bullets. A story scolding us for enjoying the very thing it provides is not a new concept, of course, but it is fun to compare and contrast these two comics and their approach to, "Might makes right, or wrong. Very, very wrong." That both comics are fantastic reads helps too. This week, we read a comic where Earth ends savagely in, 'The Power Fantasy," #16, before a hopeful reboot/rebirth. Within this week, we also got the debut of the latest volume of the story of a man who will never know happiness as long as Marvel keeps putting out comics about the fellow, as his being at peace would defy the foundation of his characterization. Just as one violence ends, another begins--so goes the entirety of human existence.
