Wednesday, April 25, 2012

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 25th, 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+"

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

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

Monday, April 23, 2012

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!


Friday, April 20, 2012

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:





Wednesday, April 18, 2012

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


Punisher #10 (@neil4LOST copy)


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 18th, 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-”


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

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 TitleIssuePricePublisherEst. sales
1Justice League6$3.99DC135,374
2Batman6$2.99DC128,459
3Action Comics6$3.99DC96,592
4Detective Comics6$2.99DC94,415
5Green Lantern6$2.99DC94,087
6Batman The Dark Knight6$2.99DC77,140
7Superman6$2.99DC69,633
8Flash6$2.99DC68,061
9Aquaman6$2.99DC63,450
10Batman And Robin6*$2.99DC63,093
11Uncanny X-Men6$3.99Marvel59,834
12Uncanny X-Men7$3.99Marvel59,200
13Wolverine And X-Men5$3.99Marvel55,788
14Wolverine And X-Men6$3.99Marvel55,341
15Wonder Woman6$2.99DC54,190
16New Avengers21$3.99Marvel54,105
17Avengers X-Sanction3$3.99Marvel53,730
18Teen Titans6$2.99DC53,123
19Avengers22$3.99Marvel52,683
20Amazing Spider-Man679$3.99Marvel52,564
21Avengers23$3.99Marvel52,222
22Amazing Spider-Man680$3.99Marvel51,872
23New Avengers22$3.99Marvel51,235
24Winter Soldier1$2.99Marvel50,932
25Uncanny X-Force21$3.99Marvel50,654
26Amazing Spider-Man679.1$2.99Marvel50,624
27Green Lantern New Guardians6$2.99DC50,319
28Uncanny X-Force22$3.99Marvel49,665
29Batwoman6$2.99DC49,227
30Batgirl6*$2.99DC47,836
31Nightwing6*$2.99DC47,732
32Green Lantern Corps6*$2.99DC46,051
33Avenging Spider-Man4$3.99Marvel45,622
34Ultimate Comics Spider-Man7$3.99Marvel45,266
35Captain America8$3.99Marvel43,487
36Incredible Hulk5$3.99Marvel42,760
37Fantastic Four603$2.99Marvel42,419
38Swamp Thing6$2.99DC41,235
39Winter Soldier2$2.99Marvel41,164
40FF15$2.99Marvel40,583
41Secret Avengers22$3.99Marvel39,337
42Red Lanterns6*$2.99DC39,105
43Wolverine301$3.99Marvel38,462
44Daredevil9$2.99Marvel37,891
45Catwoman6*$2.99DC37,302
46Secret Avengers23$3.99Marvel37,140
47X-Men24$3.99Marvel36,906
48X-Men25$3.99Marvel36,488
49X-Men Legacy262$2.99Marvel36,461
50Deadpool50$3.99Marvel36,392
51Red Hood And The Outlaws6*$2.99DC35,908
52Mighty Thor11$3.99Marvel35,066
53Supergirl6*$2.99DC34,847
54Animal Man6*$2.99DC34,654
55Justice League Dark6*$2.99DC34,524
56Wolverine And X-Men Alpha And Omega2$3.99Marvel34,286
57Ultimate Comics Ultimates7$3.99Marvel33,863
58Scarlet Spider2$2.99Marvel33,794
59Justice League International6*$2.99DC33,781
60Defenders3$3.99Marvel33,548
61Venom13$3.99Marvel33,174
62Invincible Iron Man513$3.99Marvel32,748
63Walking Dead94$2.99Image32,361
64Ultimate Comics X-Men7$3.99Marvel32,353
65Superboy6*$2.99DC31,068
66Ultimate Comics X-Men8$3.99Marvel30,822
67Astonishing X-Men47$3.99Marvel30,490
68Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Freefall6$2.99Dark Horse29,878
69Magic The Gathering1$3.99IDW28,858
70Carnage USA3$3.99Marvel28,272
71Suicide Squad6*$2.99DC27,751
72Venom13.1$2.99Marvel27,520
73Deadpool51$2.99Marvel27,458
74Birds of Prey6*$2.99DC27,338
75Venom13.2$2.99Marvel27,155
76Venom13.4$2.99Marvel27,135
77Green Arrow6*$2.99DC27,087
78Venom13.3$2.99Marvel26,969
79Batman Beyond Unlimited1$3.99DC26,589
80Captain America And Bucky627$2.99Marvel26,276
81Stormwatch6$2.99DC26,076
82Fear Itself Fearless9$2.99Marvel24,423
83Fear Itself Fearless8$2.99Marvel24,394
84X-Factor231$2.99Marvel24,362
85X-Factor232$2.99Marvel24,173
86Magic The Gathering2$3.99IDW23,849
87All Star Western6*$3.99DC23,553
88New Mutants37$2.99Marvel23,262
89New Mutants38$2.99Marvel22,656
90Punisher8$2.99Marvel22,488
91Journey Into Mystery634$2.99Marvel22,323
92Huntress5$2.99DC22,259
93Moon Knight10$3.99Marvel21,986
94Avengers Academy25$2.99Marvel21,963
95Hulk48$2.99Marvel21,751
96Avengers Academy26$2.99Marvel21,633
97Demon Knights6*$2.99DC21,128
98Legion of Super Heroes6*$2.99DC21,085
99Conan The Barbarian1$3.50Dark Horse20,569
100Fatale2*$3.50Image20,315


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 TitleIssuePricePublisherEst. sales
1Avengers Vs X-Men1$3.99Marvel203,181
2Avengers Vs X-Men0$3.99Marvel134,509
3Justice League7$3.99DC131,697
4Batman7$2.99DC127,402
5Avengers Assemble1$3.99Marvel100,883
6Action Comics7$3.99DC91,822
7Green Lantern7$2.99DC90,232
8Detective Comics7$2.99DC89,891
9Batman The Dark Knight7$2.99DC75,297
10Superman7$2.99DC66,588
11Flash7$2.99DC64,975
12Aquaman7$2.99DC62,345
13Batman And Robin7*$2.99DC61,209
14Uncanny X-Men8$3.99Marvel57,568
15Amazing Spider-Man682$3.99Marvel57,143
16Uncanny X-Men9$3.99Marvel56,976
17Age of Apocalypse1$2.99Marvel56,426
18Avengers X-Sanction4$3.99Marvel55,677
19Wolverine And X-Men7$3.99Marvel54,559
20Avengers24$3.99Marvel52,242
21Avengers24.1$2.99Marvel52,164
22Amazing Spider-Man681$3.99Marvel52,143
23New Avengers23$3.99Marvel51,697
24Teen Titans7$2.99DC51,402
25Wonder Woman7$2.99DC51,314
26Uncanny X-Force23$3.99Marvel48,867
27Green Lantern New Guardians7$2.99DC48,422
28Batwoman7$2.99DC46,874
29Ultimate Comics Spider-Man8$3.99Marvel46,290
30Batgirl7*$2.99DC45,685
31Nightwing7*$2.99DC45,440
32Kick-Ass 27$4.99Marvel45,213
33Green Lantern Corps7*$2.99DC43,823
34Fantastic Four604$3.99Marvel42,126
35Captain America9$3.99Marvel41,631
36Avenging Spider-Man5$3.99Marvel40,877
37Incredible Hulk6$3.99Marvel40,522
38Swamp Thing7$2.99DC40,268
39Daredevil10$2.99Marvel38,137
40Saga1*$2.99Image37,641
41Red Lanterns7*$2.99DC37,465
42Wolverine302$3.99Marvel37,213
43FF16$2.99Marvel37,152
44Wolverine303$3.99Marvel36,368
45X-Men Legacy263$2.99Marvel35,999
46X-Men Legacy264$2.99Marvel35,953
47X-Men26$3.99Marvel35,833
48Catwoman7*$2.99DC35,647
49Winter Soldier3$2.99Marvel34,923
50Red Hood And The Outlaws7*$2.99DC34,767
51Supercrooks1$2.99Marvel34,673
52Astonishing X-Men48$3.99Marvel34,182
53Mighty Thor12$3.99Marvel33,967
54Walking Dead95$2.99Image33,916
55Supergirl7*$2.99DC33,337
56Animal Man7*$2.99DC33,174
57Scarlet Spider3$2.99Marvel32,616
58Justice League Dark7*$2.99DC32,480
59Ultimate Comics Ultimates8$3.99Marvel32,222
60Fairest1$2.99DC31,769
61Justice League International7*$2.99DC31,747
62Wolverine And X-Men Alpha And Omega3$3.99Marvel31,456
63Invincible Iron Man514$3.99Marvel31,424
64Ultimate Comics X-Men9$3.99Marvel30,080
65Defenders4$3.99Marvel29,789
66Superboy7*$2.99DC29,745
67Suicide Squad7*$2.99DC29,617
68Avengers Childrens Crusade9$3.99Marvel29,509
69Venom14$2.99Marvel28,926
70Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Freefall7$2.99Dark Horse28,908
71Carnage USA4$3.99Marvel28,707
72Deadpool52$2.99Marvel27,990
73Birds of Prey7*$2.99DC26,276
74Green Arrow7*$2.99DC26,104
75Captain America And Bucky628$2.99Marvel24,881
76Stormwatch7$2.99DC24,384
77X-Factor233$2.99Marvel23,840
78Fear Itself Fearless10$2.99Marvel23,629
79Batman Beyond Unlimited2$3.99DC23,570
80Fear Itself Fearless11$2.99Marvel23,211
81All Star Western7*$3.99DC22,814
82Punisher9$2.99Marvel22,318
83Avengers Academy27$2.99Marvel21,830
84Huntress6$2.99DC21,678
85Journey Into Mystery635$2.99Marvel21,617
86Moon Knight11$3.99Marvel21,581
87Hulk49$2.99Marvel21,510
88New Mutants39$2.99Marvel21,508
89Fatale3*$3.50Image20,222
90X-2321$2.99Marvel20,123
91Magic The Gathering3$3.99IDW20,078
92Marvels Avengers Prelude Furys Big Week1$2.99Marvel19,829
93Demon Knights7*$2.99DC19,800
94Legion of Super Heroes7*$2.99DC19,705
95Thunderbolts171$2.99Marvel19,073
96Secret Avengers24$3.99Marvel18,965
97Batwing7*$2.99DC18,952
98Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ongoing8$3.99IDW18,775
99Batman Odyssey Vol. 26$3.99DC18,330
100Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi Force Storm2$3.50Dark Horse18,118


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?