PC POST #45: The Omega Effect Part 3 Review (Daredevil #11)

By @Neil4LOST

WRITERS: Mark Waid

ARTIST: Marco Checchetto

COLOR ARTIST: Matt Hollingsworth

LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna

COVER: Marcos Martin

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Ellie Pyle

EDITOR: Stephen Wacker

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Axel Alonso

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Joe Quesada

PUBLISHER: Dan Buckley

EXEC. PRODUCER: Alan Fine

Release Date: April 25^th, 2012

Published monthly by Marvel Worldwide, INC.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Price – $2.99

(32 Pages, single-issue, color)

INTRODUCTION: (From page 1)

A long time ago, I met a man named Frank Castle. We never got along. It wasn’t his goals I objected to…he and I both fought crime and criminals, we had that in common…but as you would expect from a man called “The Punisher,” his methods tended toward the despicably violent.

Despite a bitter enmity, circumstances have forced us into a temporary alliance. Spider-Man…Frank…his new accomplice, Cole and I are working an elaborate sting on the strict condition that Frank forgo killing just for tonight. It eats me alive that one night’s the best I can bargain for. Once, years ago, I went all-out to pull Frank back from the edge before he went over. I was too late.

But sometimes…just sometimes…you get a second chance.

WRITING:

Mark Waid is back in his own book “Daredevil”. Waid has worked collaboratively with Greg Rucka over the course of the last few months to finally be able to release the much anticipated crossover event titled “The Omega Effect”; which involved Avenging Spider-Man, The Punisher and Daredevil books.

In Daredevil #11, Waid has the responsibility of wrapping of the crossover with a compelling story about second chances. That seems to be the strongest theme in this book. Waid explores this theme thoroughly with Daredevil and Rachel Cole-Alves. The concept works well but it somehow felt like it was at the expense of the larger characters that the crossover highly touted. Waid and Rucka worked diligently to tell a story involving these beloved characters but by the end of it all there seemed to be little actual resolution. This was somewhat of a disappointment to me personally but I have a strong feeling that it told in this way to allow for future freedoms within the respective titles for Spider-Man, Punisher and Daredevil.

Rating – “B”

ARTWORK:

Checchetto finished up his work on the Omega Effect in an extremely strong fashion. He draws a young Frank during the early days of his conflicts with Daredevil and this issue provides for the most action yet in the crossover. Checchetto does a fantastic job at creating tension with the action sequences and in the quietter more dialogue driven scenes.

I was very satisfied with each page of not only this issue but also the whole Omega Effect crossover. Marco has outdone himself once again!

Rating – “A+”

STORY:

(Warning: Possible Spoilers)

The story boils down to a standoff between Rachel Cole-Alves and Daredevil after Rachel betrayed DD last issue. (See Punisher #10) This confrontation, which has heavy dialogue, centers around DD trying to convince Cole-Alves that she needs to give the Omega Drive back and to change her ways before it is too late. DD argues that there is no valid reason to live a life of vengeance that is filled with murder. He explains that every super-hero has struggled through some sort of loss and that she is no different in that regards.

Rachel seems to listen to DD to the point of returning the Omega Drive but she doesn’t seem fully convinced by the end that she shouldn’t walk down the same path that Frank has walked down. This was somewhat confusing to me as a reader as to why there would have been such a dichotomy with her character in her interactions with DD.

Ultimately DD gets the drive back and now he is back to square one. He has a device with powerful information that he could be hunted down for. Where will this lead?

I do feel that Punisher’s involvement in this whole story was less than satisfactory as a long-time  fan. Not only did I feel like Frank’s interactions with DD and Spidey weren’t consistent with his character I also struggled with the aspect that Frank had no plan to get around DD and Spidey’s wishes to not take life. Not saying that there isn’t a long-term possibility of where this all will lead to but it just seemed odd to me.

Lastly, I do understand that with crossovers of this nature you have to be terribly careful. I do feel that Rucka and Waid did a very good job at being sensitive to fans of these individual series without alienating them. I do however, wish there would have been some kind of fallout from this series that would be more apparent. I do know from Rucka’s run that a lot of things have become somewhat of a slow-burn, which may be what is happening right before our eyes.

Rating – “C+“

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE:

This issue had tons of action and even some tense and more quiet dialogue scenes. That entertained me tons! I was also anxiously anticipated the last few pages as I had no idea where this all was leading to. The book goes by fast with all the action and if you are a fan of Spider-Man, Daredevil or the Punisher then you are in for a treat.

Rating – “A”

OVERAL RATING OF ISSUE:  “B+”

OMEGA EFFECT CROSSOVER RATING: "B+"

PC POST #44: IGN Comics "Omega Effect" interview with Greg Rucka

Post by @Neil4LOST, content attributed to IGN.com

IGN Comics: I have to say, this issue is a prime example of what's really intrigued me about your Punisher run so far, doing so much with very little. Spidey and Daredevildefinitely take up most of the screen time, yet the most poignant for me comes when Frank gives Rachel the Punisher-branded vest. It feels like a really complicated moment, for both characters. I'm curious if you think that Frank starting to enjoy having a partner?

Greg Rucka: I don't think Frank can let himself enjoy anything. That's the danger of having Cole around is that anybody that enters the bubble potentially runs the risk of compromising Frank's focus and his mission. That's a lot of what's coming next. They don't like each other, but they're both part of the same fight. I think, honestly, does Frank like Spider-Man? Eh. I think Frank respects Spider-Man a great deal; I think there is a piece of Frank that looks at Spider-Man and thinks it would be great to be that naive and altruistic and move through the world and maintain that philosophy. I don't think he actively dislikes Spider-Man; I don't think he dislikes Matt Murdock. I think he thinks Matt Murdock is wrong [laughs], but not an enemy. He has tremendous respect for them. 

It's not so much that Cole has anything to prove at this point, other than that she can stay on mission. So I guess what you're seeing in that moment is him acknowledging "we are fighting the same battle together. Our agendas are the same. Our agenda is not Spider-Man's agenda and not Daredevil's agenda." I don't think it's condescending, but I do think he looks at it as a completely different battle. "It's all well and good to leave these people alive, but you and I both acknowledge that there are people who are going to have to die for what they have done." So in that, he gives her the flag to fly, for lack of a better phrase. 

In the same way that if you are going out as a unit, you want to be able to recognize other members of your unit. Not only because you want to know who you should be shooting and who you shouldn't, but also to let your opponent know: if you see that skull coming at you, you know how bad things are liable to get. In that sense, I think it is a big evolution in their relationship. 

IGN: Was finding the balance between telling the Omega Effect story while keeping the regular ongoing threads alive challenging at all?

Rucka: Yeah, it's always a challenge when you introduce, for lack of a better phrase, exterior variables into the story that you've been crafting. That said, this wasn't a surprise. Mark and I knew as of last summer that we would be doing something. Some of the initial conversations that I had… well, I was still talking with [Steve] Wacker about what we were going to do with the Punisher run when he and Mark and I had dinner in San Diego. As Mark was talking about what he was doing and where he was going, I started telling him what I was planning, and we immediately saw where we were going to dovetail. 

So honestly, the biggest challenge for me is making sure I represent the characters I am not as familiar with properly. The benefit is that I have a great editors in Steve Wacker and Ellie Pyle, and I've got Mark Waid, who when I write the script, I send to him and he's going to line correct and offer notes to anything that he feels Matt wouldn't do or wouldn't say. And it works the exact same way in Daredevil #11 except the opposite; I'm reading his script. It's weird for me to see this issue say, "written by Greg Rucka" and then "special thanks to Mark Waid," because I don't like the implication that his input was less, somehow. That's an unfair judgment. If Punisher #10 works, it works as much because of what I did as what Mark Waid did. 

IGN: That kind of leads to my next question, which is about another great moment in this issue that comes from Daredevil, who seems to have some degree of guilt for his failure to turn Frank Castle away from killing. Is this a moment that stemmed from your own take on the character or something that you and Mark had discussed?

Rucka: That was something that Mark brought to me. One of the wonderful things that he's doing in the Daredevil run is that Matt is not ignoring the incredible run of tragedy that he's had in his life, but he has decided for the time being that, "I'm not looking at that. That's not there." Of course, Mark is too good a writer to let that drop. You know that the day is going to come where Daredevil is going to have to pay the piper on that. I think there's a hint of that when Matt looks at Frank and he sees a failure. It's a guy he couldn't turn away. And it's true, [Frank] is never going to change. He's never going to wake up one day and be like, "Well, I've killed enough people! It's time to open a grocery store!" [laughs] 

IGN: [laughs]

Rucka: He's not going to do that! Ever! His last breath will be expelled killing somebody who he feels has to die for the crimes they've committed. So when Matt couldn't lead Frank, he sort of turns to Rachel and goes, "Here's a chance. Maybe I can reachher." It creates an interesting triangulation because you have, on one hand, Frank saying, "Here are the colors; here's the flag. You may wear it. We're in this together. I want to help you achieve your ends. I know what you want because it is what I want." And on the other side, you have Daredevil going, "There is another way. Please come the other way." That is the character engine of Omega Effect, these two guys and how they are trying to deal with this woman's presence and what's going to happen to her next. 

IGN: Mark actually mentioned that last week when we talked to him about Avenging #6. He mentioned that Daredevil is "a sucker for a capable woman" and that Rachel fits that bill perfectly, but as we see in this issue, she's not really receptive to what Matt's offering. Do you think she's using this situation to her advantage?

Rucka: Have you read #10? Then you know the answer to that! [laughs] She's smart enough to know. I do think that if we're going to give Matt an obvious weakness, it's that he's a sucker for a pretty face. He always has been. That's not out of character for him. But I'm not sure that is any more acute than the fact that he is, despite everything, an optimist. Despite everything he presents, Frank is, maybe not a pessimist, but he would call himself a realist. But Daredevil, he's wearing a costume. I think that tells Cole everything she needs to know. There is a certain contempt for people in costumes, based not solely on the "Where were you when I needed you?" thing but also, "It's great that you guys do what you do, but there's a whole lot of stuff that isn't getting done while you do it." 

IGN: That's a really interesting approach. And speaking of people in costumes, I really enjoyed the scenes between Frank and Spidey. As you mentioned before, the two really couldn't be more different, but their chemistry is unique, I think. Can you speak at all to what makes their dichotomy interesting?

Rucka: Absolutely, yeah. The immediate given that we have for being relatively silent for the first ten issues of the run is that kind of behavior is just going to drive Peter nuts! [laughs] He just wants him to say something, anything! And it's not the best joke in the world, but I love it when he says, "I'm glad we had this little chat, Frank." [laughs] One of the things that I get when I write the two of them side by side is that it will never matter how old Spider-Man is, or what he accomplishes, or how many lives, worlds, or universes he may save, every time he's next to Frank, Frank is going to make him feel like he's sixteen. He's going to make him feel like he's some snot nosed kid. Frank doesn't have to say anything; it's just the look. So there's that. 


Honestly, one of the great things you get with Spider-Man – and I've had great difficulty wrapping my head around the character for years and it really wasn't until working on this and working with Mark and Steve that I really think I started to get Spider-Man. I mean, I always understood the character and the mission. But that level of humor that Spider-Man can bring to anything as a defense mechanism or coping mechanism, in this issue in particular, is a much needed dose of levity. Frank's world is not a world where people are making pratfalls or cracking wise. Frank's never going to be the Roger Moore Bond, "Have a nice trip!" He's never going to do that. But Spider-Man demands the humor and as a result, Frank can bide his time. And like everything else, the one thing he says is like the one bullet spent. It's the right bullet at the right time for the right target. From a writing point of view, that's more fun than you can imagine. 

IGN: Awesome. That's all I had for you in regard to this issue, but is there anything you wanted to add?

Rucka: I'm just going to sound like a blind cheerleader because I'm going to say, this is the middle chapter and Daredevil #11 is a fantastic issue and I think Marco has done an outstanding job on all three of these. I love the art. One of the delights in this is that it justifies taking Frank into a different world than I've had him moving in in the previous nine issues. The superpowers/super villain contingent, he stays away from that, and with good reason. This allowed quite easily for him to move into that world, both by necessity and by the fact that he's working with people who can deal with it in a more experienced manner. That has ramifications. The Omega Effect radiates out into the rest of the Punisher run. 


You can read the original content at IGN comics by going to the following link:
http://comics.ign.com/articles/122/1223465p1.html

PC POST #43: Space Punisher Preview!

By @Neil4LOST

Punisher fighting a new HULK!

Space Punisher #1 (of 4) series
Written by: Frank Tieri
Art & Colors by: Mark Texeira

Additional information:
32 pgs./Parental Advisory
$3.99

Preview: Punisher is on a mission...to shoot and kill his way through the criminal hierarchy of outer space starting with the infamous Sym-Brood-Ant Queen!

This will be Punisher's first journey into space and before you discount the possibility of this outlandish story of being success you should look at some of the artwork that has been released so far. That doesn't mean however that the writing will be great but knowing that Frank Tieri has written Frank Castle in the past does help.

What do you think? Will a Frank Castle story based in outer space be a success? Will the back story of Punisher still hold up or will Tieri change the cold-hearted killer's past that we have all come to know and love?

PREVIEW PHOTOS:

At a space cantina?

Punisher & aliens

Aliens...

PC POST #42: Happy Punisher "Earth Day"!

By @Peteopolis

Have a Happy Punisher Earth Day!

PC POST #41: Daredevil #11 Preview

By @Neil4LOST

Daredevil #11 Preview

Story: Mark Waid
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: VC - Joe Caramagna
Covers: Marcos Martin, Adi Granov, Steffi Schuetze
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: April 25th, 2012

Preview: Daredevil, Avenging Spider-Man, Rachel Cole-Alves and the Punisher are in for the night of their lives as they attempt to take down the five largest crime organizations together. But that is under the assumption that they are working together, of course.


Thumbnail Previews:

PC POST #40: The Omega Effect: Part 2 Review

Punisher #10 (@neil4LOST copy)

By @Neil4LOST

The Omega Effect: Part 2 (The Punisher #10)

WRITERS: Greg Rucka

ARTIST: Marco Checchetto

COLOR ARTIST: Matt Hollingsworth

LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna

COVER: Marco Checchetto

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Ellie Pyle

EDITOR: Stephen Wacker

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Axel Alonso

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Joe Quesada

PUBLISHER: Dan Buckley

EXEC. PRODUCER: Alan Fine

Release Date: April 18^th, 2012

Published monthly by Marvel Worldwide, INC.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Price – $3.99

(32 Pages, single-issue, color)

INTRODUCTION: (From page 1)

Marine Sergeant Rachel Cole-Alves, still burning for vengeance against the Exchange, the criminal organization that murdered her husband and family on her wedding day, has finally crossed paths with Frank Castle, and for the moment, the Punisher is willing to share agendas.

But there’s a new wrinkle. The Man Without Fear, Daredevil, has come into possession of the Omega Drive, a storage device with untold terabytes of information about every criminal organization in existence. Now hunted by these same organizations, DD has turned to the Punisher for tactical advice – how to survive this onslaught, and end the threat the Omega Drive poses.

Further complicated matters, the Avenging Spider-Man has learned of the drive, and of Daredevil’s situation. Coming to the Man Without Fear’s aid, he was shocked to discover Daredevil already striking a deal with Frank Castle.

An uneasy alliance has been formed – for one night, Castle, Cole, Daredevil, and Spider-Man will wreak havoc on the New York underworld…at the end of which, the Omega Drive will be destroyed for all to see.

That’s the plan, at least.

WRITING:

Greg Rucka is back home working on the book that he writes so well…The Punisher. Except this time, Rucka’s duties include writing the bridge issue of the much anticipated “Omega Effect” crossover featuring Avenging Spider-Man, Punisher, Rachel Cole-Alves, and Daredevil. Rucka and Waid did an excellent job in their collaboration effort in Avenging Spider-Man #6 by catching up readers on what exactly the Omega Drive was and how important the information it held is to five mega-crime organizations.

Rucka continues the story by unfolding the plan that Frank Castle shares with Spidey and Daredevil. Frank’s plan is to inform all of the mega-crime organizations that at 3 A.M. the same night, the Omega Drive will be up for grabs. Rucka has a difficult job in balancing many character interactions, the plot and several themes all at the same time. Some of the character interactions that he explores are Spidey and Frank, Daredevil and Frank, Daredevil and Cole-Alves. Trust is a major theme in this issue as Spider-Man struggles to trust that Frank and Rachel will keep their word.

All in all, this was a solid effort by Rucka in exploring the characters interactions with each other and to begin the road towards concluding the Omega Effect crossover.

Rating – “B+”

ARTWORK:

Checchetto’s work on Punisher has received quite a bit of attention as of late. He has continued his solid work again in Punisher #10. From the gorgeous crossover cover to the dark and moody pages within the book, to the amazing reveal as to how Frank designs the Punisher skull for his clothing, Checchetto adds incredible depth to this story and it feels very appropriate given the interactions and themes that Rucka works so hard to convey in his storytelling. I hate to say it but if Marco continues this kind of solid work he might not last much longer on this series. Outside of Greg Capullo, who is the current artist on “Batman”, Checchetto has to be one of the most gifted artists working today.

Rating – “A+”

STORYTELLING:

Rucka tells a story in Punisher #10 that really revolves around two themes…trust and vengeance. These two themes excited me when I realized that they would be explored together in the same book. Rucka likes to explore in a relentless fashion themes.

The trust theme is one that he uses to drive the first half of the issue. Spider-Man never trusts either Frank Castle or Rachel Cole-Alves. Daredevil however, trusts that Frank and Rachel have kept their word up to this point so why shouldn’t they continue to believe that they can work together throughout the remainder of the night?

The vengeance theme is one that involves Rachel Cole-Alves and Daredevil. Daredevil tries to help Rachel to let go of her desire to take lives to quench the pain that she is experiencing from the murder of her husband and friends. At one point in the book it seems that Daredevil convinces Rachel to let go and to not give in to the lifestyle that Frank lives. But does Rachel really believe what Daredevil says or is it a con?

Rating – “A”

CHARACTER REPRESENTATION:

Rucka creates dichotomy in this issue between the characters with each of his themes. It comes across beautifully as well. The trust theme comes across with the characters of Daredevil and Punisher and the vengeance or distrust theme comes across with Spider-Man and Rachel Cole-Alves. There is even a pivotal point in the story where the characters are paired up in groups with each other and the dichotomy is even used to move the plot forward in that manner.

Daredevil is represented as a man that wants to expose the mega-crime organizations while attempting to convince Rachel that she can be a better person. Spider-Man is his normal doubting and talkative self. Punisher is quiet, moody and tactical and Rachel is controlled but seething on the inside waiting for her chance to strike. All of these representations feel consistent with what has been established in past issues and Rucka does an awesome job at continuing these representations moving forward.

It becomes obvious in this issue that Rachel is meant to be a female version of Frank Castle. This is clearly shown on my favorite page of the issue where Frank is making a bullet-proof vest for Rachel and he uses his skull stencil to brand who she is and what she will be about.

Rating – “A”

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE:

This book doesn’t have as much action as the first part of the Omega Effect but it is clear that the action is about to go through the roof in Daredevil #11. This book reflects Rucka as a writer who explores themes and motives of individuals and why they do what they do. Also in traditional Punisher fashion there is a fantastic swerve on the last page of the book. There is no doubt that the events that take place on the last page will have a major effect on what happens with the information that is on the Omega Drive!

Rating – “B+”

OVERAL RATING OF ISSUE:  “A-”

PC POST #39: Punisher Comic Sales - March 2012

By @Neil4LOST

Every month we will have a review of the previous month's Punisher comic book sales. The way that we will go about presenting this information is in showing what the past months sales figures were compared to the month previous.

This month we are focusing on how well Punisher did in March compared to the month of February.

February

February 2012 Comic Book Sales Figures
Estimated Comics Sold to North American Comics Shops 
as Reported by Diamond Comic Distributors

	Comic-book Title	Issue	Price	Publisher	Est. sales
1	Justice League	6	$3.99	DC	135,374
2	Batman	6	$2.99	DC	128,459
3	Action Comics	6	$3.99	DC	96,592
4	Detective Comics	6	$2.99	DC	94,415
5	Green Lantern	6	$2.99	DC	94,087
6	Batman The Dark Knight	6	$2.99	DC	77,140
7	Superman	6	$2.99	DC	69,633
8	Flash	6	$2.99	DC	68,061
9	Aquaman	6	$2.99	DC	63,450
10	Batman And Robin	6*	$2.99	DC	63,093
11	Uncanny X-Men	6	$3.99	Marvel	59,834
12	Uncanny X-Men	7	$3.99	Marvel	59,200
13	Wolverine And X-Men	5	$3.99	Marvel	55,788
14	Wolverine And X-Men	6	$3.99	Marvel	55,341
15	Wonder Woman	6	$2.99	DC	54,190
16	New Avengers	21	$3.99	Marvel	54,105
17	Avengers X-Sanction	3	$3.99	Marvel	53,730
18	Teen Titans	6	$2.99	DC	53,123
19	Avengers	22	$3.99	Marvel	52,683
20	Amazing Spider-Man	679	$3.99	Marvel	52,564
21	Avengers	23	$3.99	Marvel	52,222
22	Amazing Spider-Man	680	$3.99	Marvel	51,872
23	New Avengers	22	$3.99	Marvel	51,235
24	Winter Soldier	1	$2.99	Marvel	50,932
25	Uncanny X-Force	21	$3.99	Marvel	50,654
26	Amazing Spider-Man	679.1	$2.99	Marvel	50,624
27	Green Lantern New Guardians	6	$2.99	DC	50,319
28	Uncanny X-Force	22	$3.99	Marvel	49,665
29	Batwoman	6	$2.99	DC	49,227
30	Batgirl	6*	$2.99	DC	47,836
31	Nightwing	6*	$2.99	DC	47,732
32	Green Lantern Corps	6*	$2.99	DC	46,051
33	Avenging Spider-Man	4	$3.99	Marvel	45,622
34	Ultimate Comics Spider-Man	7	$3.99	Marvel	45,266
35	Captain America	8	$3.99	Marvel	43,487
36	Incredible Hulk	5	$3.99	Marvel	42,760
37	Fantastic Four	603	$2.99	Marvel	42,419
38	Swamp Thing	6	$2.99	DC	41,235
39	Winter Soldier	2	$2.99	Marvel	41,164
40	FF	15	$2.99	Marvel	40,583
41	Secret Avengers	22	$3.99	Marvel	39,337
42	Red Lanterns	6*	$2.99	DC	39,105
43	Wolverine	301	$3.99	Marvel	38,462
44	Daredevil	9	$2.99	Marvel	37,891
45	Catwoman	6*	$2.99	DC	37,302
46	Secret Avengers	23	$3.99	Marvel	37,140
47	X-Men	24	$3.99	Marvel	36,906
48	X-Men	25	$3.99	Marvel	36,488
49	X-Men Legacy	262	$2.99	Marvel	36,461
50	Deadpool	50	$3.99	Marvel	36,392
51	Red Hood And The Outlaws	6*	$2.99	DC	35,908
52	Mighty Thor	11	$3.99	Marvel	35,066
53	Supergirl	6*	$2.99	DC	34,847
54	Animal Man	6*	$2.99	DC	34,654
55	Justice League Dark	6*	$2.99	DC	34,524
56	Wolverine And X-Men Alpha And Omega	2	$3.99	Marvel	34,286
57	Ultimate Comics Ultimates	7	$3.99	Marvel	33,863
58	Scarlet Spider	2	$2.99	Marvel	33,794
59	Justice League International	6*	$2.99	DC	33,781
60	Defenders	3	$3.99	Marvel	33,548
61	Venom	13	$3.99	Marvel	33,174
62	Invincible Iron Man	513	$3.99	Marvel	32,748
63	Walking Dead	94	$2.99	Image	32,361
64	Ultimate Comics X-Men	7	$3.99	Marvel	32,353
65	Superboy	6*	$2.99	DC	31,068
66	Ultimate Comics X-Men	8	$3.99	Marvel	30,822
67	Astonishing X-Men	47	$3.99	Marvel	30,490
68	Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Freefall	6	$2.99	Dark Horse	29,878
69	Magic The Gathering	1	$3.99	IDW	28,858
70	Carnage USA	3	$3.99	Marvel	28,272
71	Suicide Squad	6*	$2.99	DC	27,751
72	Venom	13.1	$2.99	Marvel	27,520
73	Deadpool	51	$2.99	Marvel	27,458
74	Birds of Prey	6*	$2.99	DC	27,338
75	Venom	13.2	$2.99	Marvel	27,155
76	Venom	13.4	$2.99	Marvel	27,135
77	Green Arrow	6*	$2.99	DC	27,087
78	Venom	13.3	$2.99	Marvel	26,969
79	Batman Beyond Unlimited	1	$3.99	DC	26,589
80	Captain America And Bucky	627	$2.99	Marvel	26,276
81	Stormwatch	6	$2.99	DC	26,076
82	Fear Itself Fearless	9	$2.99	Marvel	24,423
83	Fear Itself Fearless	8	$2.99	Marvel	24,394
84	X-Factor	231	$2.99	Marvel	24,362
85	X-Factor	232	$2.99	Marvel	24,173
86	Magic The Gathering	2	$3.99	IDW	23,849
87	All Star Western	6*	$3.99	DC	23,553
88	New Mutants	37	$2.99	Marvel	23,262
89	New Mutants	38	$2.99	Marvel	22,656
90	Punisher	8	$2.99	Marvel	22,488
91	Journey Into Mystery	634	$2.99	Marvel	22,323
92	Huntress	5	$2.99	DC	22,259
93	Moon Knight	10	$3.99	Marvel	21,986
94	Avengers Academy	25	$2.99	Marvel	21,963
95	Hulk	48	$2.99	Marvel	21,751
96	Avengers Academy	26	$2.99	Marvel	21,633
97	Demon Knights	6*	$2.99	DC	21,128
98	Legion of Super Heroes	6*	$2.99	DC	21,085
99	Conan The Barbarian	1	$3.50	Dark Horse	20,569
100	Fatale	2*	$3.50	Image	20,315

As you can see in the month of February Punisher came in on the sales charts for Marvel at #90 for all books released with 22,488 units sold. Punisher needs to continue to move up the ranks of the top 100 to continue running. If the book can somehow crack the top 50 books every month that would be huge for the series. Now, lets take a look at how the book did in the month of March...

March

March 2012 Comic Book Sales Figures
Estimated Comics Sold to North American Comics Shops 
as Reported by Diamond Comic Distributors

	Comic-book Title	Issue	Price	Publisher	Est. sales
1	Avengers Vs X-Men	1	$3.99	Marvel	203,181
2	Avengers Vs X-Men	0	$3.99	Marvel	134,509
3	Justice League	7	$3.99	DC	131,697
4	Batman	7	$2.99	DC	127,402
5	Avengers Assemble	1	$3.99	Marvel	100,883
6	Action Comics	7	$3.99	DC	91,822
7	Green Lantern	7	$2.99	DC	90,232
8	Detective Comics	7	$2.99	DC	89,891
9	Batman The Dark Knight	7	$2.99	DC	75,297
10	Superman	7	$2.99	DC	66,588
11	Flash	7	$2.99	DC	64,975
12	Aquaman	7	$2.99	DC	62,345
13	Batman And Robin	7*	$2.99	DC	61,209
14	Uncanny X-Men	8	$3.99	Marvel	57,568
15	Amazing Spider-Man	682	$3.99	Marvel	57,143
16	Uncanny X-Men	9	$3.99	Marvel	56,976
17	Age of Apocalypse	1	$2.99	Marvel	56,426
18	Avengers X-Sanction	4	$3.99	Marvel	55,677
19	Wolverine And X-Men	7	$3.99	Marvel	54,559
20	Avengers	24	$3.99	Marvel	52,242
21	Avengers	24.1	$2.99	Marvel	52,164
22	Amazing Spider-Man	681	$3.99	Marvel	52,143
23	New Avengers	23	$3.99	Marvel	51,697
24	Teen Titans	7	$2.99	DC	51,402
25	Wonder Woman	7	$2.99	DC	51,314
26	Uncanny X-Force	23	$3.99	Marvel	48,867
27	Green Lantern New Guardians	7	$2.99	DC	48,422
28	Batwoman	7	$2.99	DC	46,874
29	Ultimate Comics Spider-Man	8	$3.99	Marvel	46,290
30	Batgirl	7*	$2.99	DC	45,685
31	Nightwing	7*	$2.99	DC	45,440
32	Kick-Ass 2	7	$4.99	Marvel	45,213
33	Green Lantern Corps	7*	$2.99	DC	43,823
34	Fantastic Four	604	$3.99	Marvel	42,126
35	Captain America	9	$3.99	Marvel	41,631
36	Avenging Spider-Man	5	$3.99	Marvel	40,877
37	Incredible Hulk	6	$3.99	Marvel	40,522
38	Swamp Thing	7	$2.99	DC	40,268
39	Daredevil	10	$2.99	Marvel	38,137
40	Saga	1*	$2.99	Image	37,641
41	Red Lanterns	7*	$2.99	DC	37,465
42	Wolverine	302	$3.99	Marvel	37,213
43	FF	16	$2.99	Marvel	37,152
44	Wolverine	303	$3.99	Marvel	36,368
45	X-Men Legacy	263	$2.99	Marvel	35,999
46	X-Men Legacy	264	$2.99	Marvel	35,953
47	X-Men	26	$3.99	Marvel	35,833
48	Catwoman	7*	$2.99	DC	35,647
49	Winter Soldier	3	$2.99	Marvel	34,923
50	Red Hood And The Outlaws	7*	$2.99	DC	34,767
51	Supercrooks	1	$2.99	Marvel	34,673
52	Astonishing X-Men	48	$3.99	Marvel	34,182
53	Mighty Thor	12	$3.99	Marvel	33,967
54	Walking Dead	95	$2.99	Image	33,916
55	Supergirl	7*	$2.99	DC	33,337
56	Animal Man	7*	$2.99	DC	33,174
57	Scarlet Spider	3	$2.99	Marvel	32,616
58	Justice League Dark	7*	$2.99	DC	32,480
59	Ultimate Comics Ultimates	8	$3.99	Marvel	32,222
60	Fairest	1	$2.99	DC	31,769
61	Justice League International	7*	$2.99	DC	31,747
62	Wolverine And X-Men Alpha And Omega	3	$3.99	Marvel	31,456
63	Invincible Iron Man	514	$3.99	Marvel	31,424
64	Ultimate Comics X-Men	9	$3.99	Marvel	30,080
65	Defenders	4	$3.99	Marvel	29,789
66	Superboy	7*	$2.99	DC	29,745
67	Suicide Squad	7*	$2.99	DC	29,617
68	Avengers Childrens Crusade	9	$3.99	Marvel	29,509
69	Venom	14	$2.99	Marvel	28,926
70	Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Freefall	7	$2.99	Dark Horse	28,908
71	Carnage USA	4	$3.99	Marvel	28,707
72	Deadpool	52	$2.99	Marvel	27,990
73	Birds of Prey	7*	$2.99	DC	26,276
74	Green Arrow	7*	$2.99	DC	26,104
75	Captain America And Bucky	628	$2.99	Marvel	24,881
76	Stormwatch	7	$2.99	DC	24,384
77	X-Factor	233	$2.99	Marvel	23,840
78	Fear Itself Fearless	10	$2.99	Marvel	23,629
79	Batman Beyond Unlimited	2	$3.99	DC	23,570
80	Fear Itself Fearless	11	$2.99	Marvel	23,211
81	All Star Western	7*	$3.99	DC	22,814
82	Punisher	9	$2.99	Marvel	22,318
83	Avengers Academy	27	$2.99	Marvel	21,830
84	Huntress	6	$2.99	DC	21,678
85	Journey Into Mystery	635	$2.99	Marvel	21,617
86	Moon Knight	11	$3.99	Marvel	21,581
87	Hulk	49	$2.99	Marvel	21,510
88	New Mutants	39	$2.99	Marvel	21,508
89	Fatale	3*	$3.50	Image	20,222
90	X-23	21	$2.99	Marvel	20,123
91	Magic The Gathering	3	$3.99	IDW	20,078
92	Marvels Avengers Prelude Furys Big Week	1	$2.99	Marvel	19,829
93	Demon Knights	7*	$2.99	DC	19,800
94	Legion of Super Heroes	7*	$2.99	DC	19,705
95	Thunderbolts	171	$2.99	Marvel	19,073
96	Secret Avengers	24	$3.99	Marvel	18,965
97	Batwing	7*	$2.99	DC	18,952
98	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ongoing	8	$3.99	IDW	18,775
99	Batman Odyssey Vol. 2	6	$3.99	DC	18,330
100	Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi Force Storm	2	$3.50	Dark Horse	18,118

As you can see Punisher moved up 8 spots in the month of March to #82 with a total of 22,318 units sold. This was actually a decrease in total units sold but other books dropped off in the month of March. As we know, April is a big month for Punisher with the Omega Effect crossover with Daredevil and Avenging Spider-Man. Can this huge event draw over some much needed Spidey and Daredevil readers to Punisher's world?