During a daring escape from a pair of detectives hot on his tail, the titular hero of Punisher #3 is uncharacteristically fearful of the situation he is caught up in. As it turns out, this isn’t because the Punisher is afraid of the police, but rather of a monstrous new enemy who has taken up the mantle of the Fearmaster for herself.
Marvel’s new Punisher is taking on a classic supervillain’s successor — and she is even more terrifying.
Punisher #3
Written by DAVID PEPOSE
Art by DAVE WACHTER
Colorist DAN BROWN
Letterer VC’s CORY PETIT
Cover by ROD REIS
Variant Cover Artists LUCIO PARRILLO, ROGÊ ANTÔNIO, and RAIN BEREDO
The original Fearmaster, Darryl King, made his debut in the pages of 1993’s Punisher 2099 #2 by writers Pat Mills and Tony Skinner and artist Tom Morgan. As a board member of Alchemax Corporation, King was replete with resources he could use in his villainous endeavors as the leader of the shadowy cartel known as Cyber-Nostra. For more than two years, King tormented Jake Gallows, the Punisher of 2099.
Despite what the name might imply, Marvel’s original Fearmaster did not wield any power over the fears of others. Instead, King was capable of altering the mineral matter within living tissues, allowing him to calcify his enemies in an instant or rejuvenate his allies as they aged.
Joe Garrison, the current Punisher, first appeared during the outset of the currently ongoing Punisher series. A former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Joe lost his family to a brutal attack, setting him on a path for justice almost completely parallel to that of his predecessor, Frank Castle. So far, Joe has proven himself to be just as capable as Marvel’s original Punisher, having successfully held his own against a plethora of villains, including the recently reformed Night Shift.
Castle, on the other hand, has taken his leave to Marvel Comics’ Weirdworld to live out a life unlike any other he has known. This came after months of waging war on his fellow heroes as the leader of the ancient ninja cult known as The Hand. Throughout the course of those battles, Frank very nearly became a living vessel for the Beast on Earth, only to be defeated by Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, who journeyed into Hell and back to dismantle his longtime enemies’ schemes.
Punisher #3 is on sale January 24 from Marvel Comics.
