Frank Castle is back in action with Punisher: Red Band #1, and the underworld of New York should be scared… if he can remember his name.

As you may or may not remember, Frank was recently replaced with a new Punisher —Joe Garrison— but I’m not totally sure what happened to him since the conclusion of his series, nor do I think most people care anyway. With all the characters Marvel introduces on a yearly basis, not all of them are gonna hit like Kamala Khan. Oh well. I’m also not really sure where Frank himself has been all this time since I don’t really “go here” with Punisher lore in general, but in any event, he’s back in the title role. And his classic logo is back! Capitalism is our God and recognizable iconography trumps anti-ACAB messaging. Alas.

In the first issue of Punisher: Red Band (named as such because it’s part of the new Red Band imprint that I, quite honestly, had no idea was a thing until now), Frank washes up on the shore of New York City without his memory. Mainly regarding his identity; he still has the killer instinct and knows how to use it as we see lovingly rendered in bloody, violent beauty by artist Julius Ohta. And surprisingly nobody, it seems he’ll be colliding with a who’s who of Marvel baddies from the street-level side of things including (but not limited to) Kingpin and Tombstone.

If anything else, the “Red Band” subtitle is not false advertising. It seems Marvel is using Red Band as a replacement for their defunct MAX line (which the Punisher himself was essentially the poster boy for) and while I’m sort of apathetic towards the notion of violence as a selling point in comic books, there’s clearly a market for it. The people in that demo will likely enjoy this series a lot.

I sound dismissive, but I did enjoy the experience of reading Punisher: Red Band #1 even if I don’t necessarily feel the need to return to it anytime soon. The creative team of writing Benjamin Percy and the aforementioned Ohta is well-picked, following up on their Hellverine run together, and their sensibilities match not only each other’s but Punisher’s as well. It’s actually extremely surprising to learn this is Percy’s first go with the character, given his prolific back catalog with Marvel and overall aptitude for this sort of material. Fans of the character will definitely see value in this series, and it could prove to be a pretty decent seller for Marvel with legs for the future if they stick the landing. (Also, great coloring from Yen Nitro. Just wanted to shout that out.)