The Punisher #5
Punisher Vol. 5 #5 ("Even Worse Things," cover-dated August 2000) is the simultaneous debut of two of the most philosophically pointed characters in Garth Ennis's "Welcome Back, Frank" run — the class-warrior vigilante Mr. Payback and the fascist neighborhood-cleaner known as the Elite — making it the issue where the series' central moral argument snaps into focus: that Punisher-style vigilantism, taken to its logical extremes by less disciplined hands, produces monsters. The trio of copycat killers (including the already-introduced Holy) collectively form the Vigilante Squad, whose creation and eventual destruction by Castle's own hand serves as Ennis's sharpest rebuke to the idea that the Punisher is a model worth emulating. That thematic core — Frank as the standard against which all lesser violence is condemned — would echo across Ennis's entire subsequent decade of Punisher work, including the MAX run. The issue sits squarely within the Marvel Knights imprint's mission of using mature storytelling to rehabilitate characters left adrift by 1990s editorial excess.
In "Even Worse Things," Frank Castle is still recovering when a $10 million bounty is placed on his head by Ma Gnucci, escalating the violence in New York. Meanwhile, two copycat vigilantes—Mr. Payback and Elite—each leave a trail of corpses, forcing Soap and von Richthofen to devise a risky plan to catch both the Punisher and the Gnucci gang. Written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steve Dillon, with inks by Jimmy Palmiotti, colors by Chris Sotomayor, and lettering by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Wes Abbott, this issue features a cover by Tim Bradstreet.
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The 2000 series was editorially shepherded by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti under the Marvel Knights banner, the same imprint that had already revitalized Daredevil and Black Panther by giving creators room to tell grounded, superhero-free stories. Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon brought their long-running creative partnership — honed across years of Preacher at DC/Vertigo — directly to bear on the Punisher, a character whose popularity had cratered after a late-'90s storyline involving angelic resurrection. Issue #5 falls in the middle stretch of their twelve-issue limited series, with Palmiotti on inks and Chris Sotomayor on colors, while Tim Bradstreet supplied the series' signature painted covers.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Story title: "Even Worse Things" — the fifth chapter of the twelve-issue "Welcome Back, Frank" arc (Punisher Vol. 5, 2000–2001, Marvel Knights imprint).
- First appearance of Mr. Payback (Earth-616): an anti-corporate vigilante who targets wealthy executives and corporations he views as preying on working-class people, created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
- First appearance of the Elite (Earth-616): a racist, upper-class vigilante who murders anyone he considers lowering the tone of his neighborhood, also created by Ennis and Dillon.
- Both Mr. Payback and Elite are introduced as Punisher-inspired copycats; together with the previously introduced Holy (Father Hector Redondo, debuted in issue #2), they eventually form the Vigilante Squad.
- The Vigilante Squad's formation — and Frank Castle's ultimate judgment against them — provides the series' central moral argument: Castle views their collateral killing of innocents as disqualifying, and executes all three in issue #12.
- Creative team: writer Garth Ennis, penciler Steve Dillon, inker Jimmy Palmiotti, colorist Chris Sotomayor, letterers Richard Starkings and Wes Abbott (Comicraft), editor Joe Quesada; cover art by Tim Bradstreet.
- The issue was released on June 14, 2000, with a cover date of August 2000.
- The full twelve-issue series (including this issue) has been reprinted in multiple collected editions, including the trade paperback Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank and Marvel Knights Punisher by Garth Ennis: The Complete Collection Vol. 1, which also collects Punisher (2001) #1–5 and Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Mega Marvel #5/2001 (2001), 100% Marvel : Punisher #2 (2001), Punisher #[1] (2001), Marvel Actionalbum #2 (2004), The Punisher by Garth Ennis Omnibus #[nn] (2008), Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank #[nn] (2011), Die offizielle Marvel-Comic-Sammlung #18 (2014), Marvel Comics - La collection #14 (2014), Marvel Knights Punisher by Garth Ennis: The Complete Collection #1 (2018), Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank #[nn] (2021), Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank [Marvel Premier Collection] #[nn] (2025)
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