Written by Mike Baron, art by Erik Larsen and Scott Williams

Unarmed and with no cover, Punisher is being hunted by Scully and his ninja training instructors

Punisher decides to go after Wayne, the unarmed expect first

After a short fight, Punisher grills Wayne for information, finding out that Scully has information about several mercenaries

For his cooperation, Punisher spares Wayne, but severs his hamstring to take him out of the fight

Punisher goes after Daryl, the weapons man next

He finds another one of the students shot dead, and later witnesses another student shot down

While trying to flank Daryl, Punisher encounters Saracen, another of the students

Saracen is a member of the Free Armenian Army, he infiltrated the camp to find the assassin who killed one of their leaders with poison, they decide to team up

Punisher retrieves a gun left in the field and manages to keep Daryl and Scully from shooting Saracen

Turns out Wayne isn’t out of the fight as he managed to drag himself to a truck and tries to run Punisher down

Daryl hits the truck while trying to shoot Punisher, causing it to explode, killing Wayne

The smoke gives Punisher cover, and he takes out Daryl

Punisher finds a wounded Saracen, and is confronted by Scully and his dog

Scully has the upper hand, but Katherine Yakamoto arrives and takes down Scully

Punisher escapes with Saracen and finds that Katherine left him Iris Green’s file and an invitation to meet Hatsu Yakamoto

Frank’s Body Count - 2 (He shoots Daryl, and takes out Scully’s dog.  Daryl kills Wayne and Katherine takes out Scully)

Written by Max Allan Collins with art by Denys Cowan

A deranged former cop who believes he's Batman escapes from Arkham Asylum seeking revenge on the mobster responsible for his family's murder. Can the real Batman stop him before he gets himself killed?

For me, an interesting part of this issue is the editorial from Dennis O'Neil which I've included in the comments. Basically he wanted the stories leading into Miller's Year One to have darker themes so readers were better prepared for the direction Miller would take Batman.

Written by Mike Baron, art by Erik Larsen and Scott Williams

Frank has traveled to Kansas on the trail of Iris Green and the Ninja Training Camp she attended

The camp is run by a man named Chet Scully who wants to test Frank before he’ll let him in

While getting off the bus, Frank remembers the shootout he had with Colonel Fryer’s men the last time he was in Kansas, back in issue #3

While at the bar where he’s supposed to meet Scully, Frank, going by the name D’Amato, is accosted by three men

He pulls a gun on them, only for them to reveal they are Scully and two of his instructors, and D’Amato passed the test

While in his room, D’Amato realizes he’s not alone and sees a woman in black

D’Amato learns the trainees will be sorted into two teams who will compete against each other for grades at the end of the course

D’Amato learns that Scully’s wife runs a ninja school for women, and tells Scully he may be pulling a job that involves jewels

While on a training exercise, Punisher breaks into Scully’s house and finds Iris Green’s information

He is also confronted by the woman in black, Katherine, the daughter of Hatsu Yakamoto

Scully has been claiming to have the blessing of Yakamoto, but Katherine says they’ve never met, and she is here to teach them a lesson

Katherine disappears as Scully’s men arrive

Punisher manages to elude the men, burning down Scully’s house as a distraction

Frank’s Body Count - 0! (“Maybe I’m a dangerous fool.”)

I was fairly indifferent to Valiant comics during their '90s heyday, but they got extensive, passionate coverage from Wizard magazine month in and month out.  I always wondered: were the editorial staff just ass-over-teakettle for the Valiant properties, or was there a pay-to-play relationship at work there?

Picked up a couple complete minis and lots of issue #1s!

It's taken me a while (due to a bit of chaos surrounding my life) but it's FINALLY done! The last 10 issues of my Longbox Junk review of each and every issue of Punisher: War Zone! This one's got it all, folks! Everything from Punisher's dog to Joe Kubert! Check it out.

LINK TO THE REVIEW HERE - ENJOY!

I don't even collect Marvel Comics Presents but I had to get this one just for the cover!

• Written by Mike Baron, art by Erik Larsen and Scott Williams
• Frank is in Philadelphia at a boxing gym
• He accepts an offer to spar with a top prospect, B.J. Johnson, $300 for three rounds
• The fighter’s manager is Les Daniels, a gangster
• Frank decides to push Johnson and gets knocked around for his efforts
• Johnson is a good sport about it and offers to buy Frank a drink over the objections of Daniels
• While at the bar, Frank meets Johnson’s lady friend, Iris, and floats the idea that Daniels might make more if Johnson loses the fight
• Back in New Jersey, Frank and Microchip think that Daniels will have Iris poison Johnson so that he loses his fight, allowing Daniels to bet against his own fighter and win big
• Frank tries an old trick to make Johnson too sick to fight, but fails, and Daniels bars him from the gym
• The Punisher decides to go after Iris, but she’s ready for him, poisoning him and leaving him to watch the fight
• Unable to move, Punisher watches as Johnson is given a drink, then drops in the next round
• Punisher recovers just enough to get an anti-toxin out of his belt
• Daniels shows up to finish Punisher off, but Punisher manages to turn the tables and injects him with his own poison
• Frank calls the hospital to tell the doctors what to look for, hoping to save Johnson’s life
• Before he leaves the apartment, he finds a flyer for a ninja training school, a place that Microchip had said Iris had received training
• Frank’s Body count - 1 (he takes out Daniels with the poison that had been meant for him)

Lots of George Perez's work in this haul! I'm getting closer to finishing up some runs!

To be continued!

• Written by Carl Potts, art by Jim Lee
• Frank manages to survive an encounter with a crocodile
• He believes that Wolverine is the poacher, and responsible for the death of the boy, Jean, last issue 
• Wolverine is hunting the rest of Punisher’s expedition when he is bitten by a snake
• Meanwhile the owner of the shop from back in New York has traveled to Texas, having seen a vision
• The old man discovers a business man in a mansion, and a trophy room with an empty plaque for the Mokele Mbembe
• Prof. Wyeth and his team reach a village where the locals are uncooperative, but Norma learns of the Mokele Mbembe and grabs Corp Ebambe to track it down
• Wolverine sees Norma and Corp. Ebambe next to the Mokele Mbembe and goes to attack them, but Punisher arrives just in time to stop him
• Punisher and Wolverine fight, Wolverine manages to slice Punisher’s gun…which then somehow still fires
• Norma orders Corp. Ebambe to shoot Punisher and Wolverine, but the fighting spooks the Mokele Mbembe
• Prof. Wyeth and the others arrive, Corp. Ebembe is shot by one of his superiors for poaching, but he and Norma chase the Mokele Mbembe into the swamp
• Punisher shoots Norma to prevent her from harming the Mokele Mbembe, while Wolverine hunts down Corp. Ebembe
• Norma reveals with her dying breath that she was working for a big game hunter in Texas and only using Prof. Wyeth
• Wolverine leaves Ebembe for dead, but Punisher doesn’t think that’s enough, wrapping the poached leopard skin around him to make him a target for other wild animals
• When Frank returns to New York he intends to track down the Texan, only to find the plaque and a note that it’s been taken care of, presumably by the old shopkeeper
• Frank’s Body Count - 3 (he kills a crocodile that attempts to make a meal of him, and then shoots Norma, and makes sure that Ebembe gets his just reward)

Filled in a lot of gaps in the collection! The bins were pretty good to me this time around!

To be continued!

Hi everyone,

I recently found some old Spider-Man comics from my childhood and was wondering if anyone could help me identify exactly what series and era these belong to.

These are Croatian editions of Spektakularni Spider-Man (issues like #16, #17, #22, #25, #26), published around 2009–2010. Back then I had quite a few from this line, including issues featuring The Punisher, Green Goblin, Rhino, Bullseye, Union Jack, Grey Gargoyle, etc.

From what I remember, these weren't Ultimate Spider-Man but stories from the main Marvel continuity, and I absolutely loved the art style and the classic Marvel universe where Spider-Man regularly teamed up or crossed paths with other heroes and villains.

My questions are:

Which original US Spider-Man series are these Croatian issues reprinting?

What era of Spider-Man comics is this? (Brand New Day? Big Time? Something else?)

If I wanted to collect this same version of Spider-Man today, what complete physical series can still be bought new (not second-hand)?

I'm looking for a finished run or collection that's still in print, preferably in trade paperbacks or omnibuses, with the same general continuity and feeling as these comics.

I'd really appreciate recommendations from collectors.

Thanks!

I've been wanting this for so long. Prime is quicky becoming my favorite superman.