'Punisher': Through the years

The unusual and cruel

The Crime: The failure of the movie had no impact on the popularity of the comic books. Marvel added a second series, Punisher War Journal, in 1988 and a third, Punisher War Zone in 1993. But even that couldn’t quench readers’ thirst for the character. He appeared in countless special editions, crossovers and guest starred in every Marvel title needing a sales boost.

The Punishment: As Marvel tried to avoid repeating itself too much, it put out more than a few weird Punisher comics. While holiday-themed specials may seem odd, things got really bizarre with The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe, in which he wipes out all the publisher’s superheroes and villains. And nothing tops 1994’s The Punisher Meets Archie, a double-size comic in which Frank Castle heads to Riverdale and runs into Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the gang.