MattBrady
10-22-2004, 08:27 AM
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNISHER-REDX-MAScover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNISHER-REDX-MAScover_t.jpg" width="175" height="272" border="0" align="right"></a>December – the time for peace, reflection, kindness and…well, Punishment via Frank Castle, Marvel’s Punisher. Dipping into the holiday tradition of Christmas, or holiday themed comics, sure, Marvel will be releasing a <b>Holiday Special</b>, but for a little more edge, a hint more violence than you can normally find at the season, you’ve got to go with <b>Punisher: Red Xmas</b>, a one-shot special written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, with art by Mark Texeira. It’s a tale of revenge, and well, revenge on top of revenge, as the widows of mafia heads recently killed by the Punisher go looking for a weapon to take Frank down once and for all. And they find…<i>her</i>.
We caught up with the writers for a look at the behind the scenes on the project.
<b>Newsarama</b>: First off, Jimmy, how did you get back to Marvel in this larger capacity?
<b>Jimmy Palmiotti</b>: Well, most of my work has been at DC comics for the past couple of years, and I really haven’t been offered much work at Marvel other than inker on a few projects with friends involved. A lot of doors started opening recently and this project was the perfect welcoming mat for us. The whole crew up there at Marvel has been really supportive about the quality of work we have been doing for others and gave us a shot of a few projects. This is the first one.
<b>NRAMA</b>: Was a Punisher story something you pitched to them, or something that was suggested to you?
<b>JP</b>: Axel and I have been friends since his Vertigo days and he has been a constant work source and supporter since his first day at Marvel. Justin and I were working on titles like <b>21 Down</b> and <b>The Monolith</b>, and I think these projects helped us a whole lot in landing numerous jobs at all the companies…it certainly helped us get <b>Hawkman</b>, and now this Punisher one shot.
I’ve been telling Axel how we would do this and that with the character and when I landed the gig to help write the Punisher video game for THQ, it all came together. The Punisher is one of the first things I ever worked on at Marvel back in ’91 - I inked over 60 <b>Punisher</b> books,…worked on the 2099 title, re-launched the book with the Marvel Knights and co-edited it as well. I have Punisher in the blood. To answer the question, Axel asked if I would be interested in a one shot and we pitched him an idea.
<b>NRAMA</b>: So this is your first time writing the Punisher in a comic, despite your previous experience?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001002s72.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001002s72_t.jpg" width="350" height="269" border="0" align="left"></a><b>JP</b>: Right. I may feel like it, but this is the first time for me on the actual comic. Writing the videogame for me feels like writing 3 years of the title, it’s very involved. Come January, when it is released, you’ll understand the amount of work and research that went into that project. Unlike a lot of the heroes out there in comics, I really feel this is one established character I totally get…I understand his motivations, his need for revenge and I understand why it is so satisfying to read this type of story on so many levels. I remember back when I was in high school and I chased a guy that knocked down an old woman and grabbed her purse. I ran for like 9 blocks before he got cut off by a police car and was busted. I watched this guy get handcuffed as I was trying to catch my breath, and all I could think was that I really wanted to hurt this guy…make him pay for what he did. The handcuffing and throwing him in the back of the car was not enough.
I’m a bit older and wiser these days, yet we deal with that kind of frustration every day…from people cutting us off in their cars, all the way to presidents making decisions about peoples lives without a second thought. The characters motivation is revenge and frustration…and I get that. We all get that and its good sometimes to read about a guy with nothing to lose leveling the playing field of life each and every month.
<b>NRAMA</b>: So, and barring any vigilante action that may call you away Jimmy, as always, how does the division of labor break down between the two of you? Who came up with the overall story, and then how did it go from there?
<b>JG</b>: Working the way we do it’s sometimes very difficult to remember who came up with what. How we work depends on the project, the character and the timing. In this case the story came together while we were bullshitting on the phone. I think Jimmy first said, “Frank in a Santa suit gunning people down on Christmas Eve.” We discussed the revenge genre and personally I’m slightly burned out on straight Mob stories so I wanted us to approach it in a different way. I enjoyed the episodes of <i>The Sopranos</i> that featured girl’s movie night, so it naturally progressed into the wives standing up to take care of the family after their husbands are murdered. We worked through the various scenes. Then Jimmy, who has prior experience working on the Punisher, scripted the first draft. Then I went in, worked on the script for a while, bounced it back and forth between us and we were done.
<b>JP</b>: The frank in the Santa suit was actually Axel’s idea. The minute he said it, I laughed for a bit and then worked it into the finished proposal.
<b>NRAMA</b>: How did Tex get involved?
<b>JG</b>: I like Tex as an artist and a friend and so it is fantastic to finally be working with him on a project.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001007_72.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001007_72_t.jpg" width="175" height="263" border="0" align="right"></a><b>JP</b>: Tex is one of those few guys that I think was born to draw the character and when this opportunity came up with Marvel, we went after the crazy man…we pitched him the story, he bit and the rest is history…sort of. You have to remember, Tex did at least a dozen <b>Punisher War Zones</b> in the ‘90s that were drawn brilliantly.
<b>NRAMA</b>: So – let’s talk about the story a little - Frank wipes out eight bosses, and the wives get upset?
<b>JP</b>: Well...it’s a lot more than that…like the dependant wives they are, the best way to deal with a problem like the Punisher is to hire someone else to deal with it. In this case, for the right amount of money, a hired gun comes to the big apple to take out the Punisher.
<b>JG</b>: It was both a logical and comedic situation to have pissed off, tacky mob wives looking for revenge and so they hire a Sicilian assassin to do away with the Punisher once and for all.
<b>NRAMA</b>: But that said, this is what - vengeance upon vengeance in a way, isn't it?
<b>JP</b>: In a way, but not exactly. Frank, at one point in his life, was motivated by revenge for the killings of his family, but it is years later and he is still taking out the bad guys…and will not stop till he is dead. He is a psycho…a likable one, but psychotic none the less. He is that rare hero that is not always a hero to some. If this was reality…Frank would be behind bars…if he was ever caught.
<b>NRAMA</b>: And Susperia – the killer the wives bring in to take care of Frank – what’s behind her creation?
<b>JG</b>: Jimmy and I wanted to create a female assassin that is similar to the Punisher and in some respects even idolizes him. The name <i>Susperia</i> is taken from Dario Argento’s classic horror film and part of the idea was to give the character a passionate and intoxicating love of violence. Susperia is a mingling of our ideas; the ultra sexy Italian assassin meets the artistic sociopath.
<b>JP</b>: Right - she’s a hired killer that is fascinated with our boy frank. Its all about money at first for her…then it becomes a bit more personal. I always love the idea of a female antagonist.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001008s72.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001008s72_t.jpg" width="350" height="269" border="0" align="left"></a><b>NRAMA</b>: Tone-wise, is this in line with what Garth is doing, or, given the "name" assassin - and Frank in a Santa suit, a bit of a nod back to earlier, less MAX times?
<b>JP</b>: Oh, this story is in line with what Garth has been doing with the book, just another tale centering on the holidays. Garth and I are the best of friends and talk about the book all the time and this story really fits right into place with the monthly. The difference is that it is self contained and that the book is not a MAX title, so there is no cursing…and that is about it really.
Really, what Justin and I are doing here is <i>our</i> version of a Punisher movie for people who know everything about the character…we don’t get into who he is and why he does what he does…we stay away from that and do a day in the life of Frank Castle and show how much madness we can get away with in a double size issue and at the same time introduce a new character. I think Mark Texeira delivered some of his best work ever here.
<b>NRAMA</b>: And the Christmas tie-in?
<b>JP</b>: Right - buy 20 of these and give them away for the holidays. Seriously, the story takes place between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. It’s a week or so of madness in and around the Big Apple.
<b>JG</b>: I love Christmas. We’re just trying to spread holiday cheer to all the boys and girls with bullets and buckets of blood.
<b>NRAMA</b>: Any more Punisher trips in the works for you guys?
<b>JP</b>: I think the powers that be will check out how well this does and judge it from there. As you already know, these days, Frank is Garth’s baby and I would never mess with that in a million years, but given the chance, we would love to do some more self contained stories. There is nothing I love more that buying one book and reading it from beginning to end and it is complete. Tex and I did that on <b>Conan</b> recently and this is our second project like this. There’s something very satisfying about that. I guess that’s why the trade book format is the wave of the future.
We caught up with the writers for a look at the behind the scenes on the project.
<b>Newsarama</b>: First off, Jimmy, how did you get back to Marvel in this larger capacity?
<b>Jimmy Palmiotti</b>: Well, most of my work has been at DC comics for the past couple of years, and I really haven’t been offered much work at Marvel other than inker on a few projects with friends involved. A lot of doors started opening recently and this project was the perfect welcoming mat for us. The whole crew up there at Marvel has been really supportive about the quality of work we have been doing for others and gave us a shot of a few projects. This is the first one.
<b>NRAMA</b>: Was a Punisher story something you pitched to them, or something that was suggested to you?
<b>JP</b>: Axel and I have been friends since his Vertigo days and he has been a constant work source and supporter since his first day at Marvel. Justin and I were working on titles like <b>21 Down</b> and <b>The Monolith</b>, and I think these projects helped us a whole lot in landing numerous jobs at all the companies…it certainly helped us get <b>Hawkman</b>, and now this Punisher one shot.
I’ve been telling Axel how we would do this and that with the character and when I landed the gig to help write the Punisher video game for THQ, it all came together. The Punisher is one of the first things I ever worked on at Marvel back in ’91 - I inked over 60 <b>Punisher</b> books,…worked on the 2099 title, re-launched the book with the Marvel Knights and co-edited it as well. I have Punisher in the blood. To answer the question, Axel asked if I would be interested in a one shot and we pitched him an idea.
<b>NRAMA</b>: So this is your first time writing the Punisher in a comic, despite your previous experience?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001002s72.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001002s72_t.jpg" width="350" height="269" border="0" align="left"></a><b>JP</b>: Right. I may feel like it, but this is the first time for me on the actual comic. Writing the videogame for me feels like writing 3 years of the title, it’s very involved. Come January, when it is released, you’ll understand the amount of work and research that went into that project. Unlike a lot of the heroes out there in comics, I really feel this is one established character I totally get…I understand his motivations, his need for revenge and I understand why it is so satisfying to read this type of story on so many levels. I remember back when I was in high school and I chased a guy that knocked down an old woman and grabbed her purse. I ran for like 9 blocks before he got cut off by a police car and was busted. I watched this guy get handcuffed as I was trying to catch my breath, and all I could think was that I really wanted to hurt this guy…make him pay for what he did. The handcuffing and throwing him in the back of the car was not enough.
I’m a bit older and wiser these days, yet we deal with that kind of frustration every day…from people cutting us off in their cars, all the way to presidents making decisions about peoples lives without a second thought. The characters motivation is revenge and frustration…and I get that. We all get that and its good sometimes to read about a guy with nothing to lose leveling the playing field of life each and every month.
<b>NRAMA</b>: So, and barring any vigilante action that may call you away Jimmy, as always, how does the division of labor break down between the two of you? Who came up with the overall story, and then how did it go from there?
<b>JG</b>: Working the way we do it’s sometimes very difficult to remember who came up with what. How we work depends on the project, the character and the timing. In this case the story came together while we were bullshitting on the phone. I think Jimmy first said, “Frank in a Santa suit gunning people down on Christmas Eve.” We discussed the revenge genre and personally I’m slightly burned out on straight Mob stories so I wanted us to approach it in a different way. I enjoyed the episodes of <i>The Sopranos</i> that featured girl’s movie night, so it naturally progressed into the wives standing up to take care of the family after their husbands are murdered. We worked through the various scenes. Then Jimmy, who has prior experience working on the Punisher, scripted the first draft. Then I went in, worked on the script for a while, bounced it back and forth between us and we were done.
<b>JP</b>: The frank in the Santa suit was actually Axel’s idea. The minute he said it, I laughed for a bit and then worked it into the finished proposal.
<b>NRAMA</b>: How did Tex get involved?
<b>JG</b>: I like Tex as an artist and a friend and so it is fantastic to finally be working with him on a project.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001007_72.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001007_72_t.jpg" width="175" height="263" border="0" align="right"></a><b>JP</b>: Tex is one of those few guys that I think was born to draw the character and when this opportunity came up with Marvel, we went after the crazy man…we pitched him the story, he bit and the rest is history…sort of. You have to remember, Tex did at least a dozen <b>Punisher War Zones</b> in the ‘90s that were drawn brilliantly.
<b>NRAMA</b>: So – let’s talk about the story a little - Frank wipes out eight bosses, and the wives get upset?
<b>JP</b>: Well...it’s a lot more than that…like the dependant wives they are, the best way to deal with a problem like the Punisher is to hire someone else to deal with it. In this case, for the right amount of money, a hired gun comes to the big apple to take out the Punisher.
<b>JG</b>: It was both a logical and comedic situation to have pissed off, tacky mob wives looking for revenge and so they hire a Sicilian assassin to do away with the Punisher once and for all.
<b>NRAMA</b>: But that said, this is what - vengeance upon vengeance in a way, isn't it?
<b>JP</b>: In a way, but not exactly. Frank, at one point in his life, was motivated by revenge for the killings of his family, but it is years later and he is still taking out the bad guys…and will not stop till he is dead. He is a psycho…a likable one, but psychotic none the less. He is that rare hero that is not always a hero to some. If this was reality…Frank would be behind bars…if he was ever caught.
<b>NRAMA</b>: And Susperia – the killer the wives bring in to take care of Frank – what’s behind her creation?
<b>JG</b>: Jimmy and I wanted to create a female assassin that is similar to the Punisher and in some respects even idolizes him. The name <i>Susperia</i> is taken from Dario Argento’s classic horror film and part of the idea was to give the character a passionate and intoxicating love of violence. Susperia is a mingling of our ideas; the ultra sexy Italian assassin meets the artistic sociopath.
<b>JP</b>: Right - she’s a hired killer that is fascinated with our boy frank. Its all about money at first for her…then it becomes a bit more personal. I always love the idea of a female antagonist.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001008s72.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/road10_04/PUNXMAS001008s72_t.jpg" width="350" height="269" border="0" align="left"></a><b>NRAMA</b>: Tone-wise, is this in line with what Garth is doing, or, given the "name" assassin - and Frank in a Santa suit, a bit of a nod back to earlier, less MAX times?
<b>JP</b>: Oh, this story is in line with what Garth has been doing with the book, just another tale centering on the holidays. Garth and I are the best of friends and talk about the book all the time and this story really fits right into place with the monthly. The difference is that it is self contained and that the book is not a MAX title, so there is no cursing…and that is about it really.
Really, what Justin and I are doing here is <i>our</i> version of a Punisher movie for people who know everything about the character…we don’t get into who he is and why he does what he does…we stay away from that and do a day in the life of Frank Castle and show how much madness we can get away with in a double size issue and at the same time introduce a new character. I think Mark Texeira delivered some of his best work ever here.
<b>NRAMA</b>: And the Christmas tie-in?
<b>JP</b>: Right - buy 20 of these and give them away for the holidays. Seriously, the story takes place between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. It’s a week or so of madness in and around the Big Apple.
<b>JG</b>: I love Christmas. We’re just trying to spread holiday cheer to all the boys and girls with bullets and buckets of blood.
<b>NRAMA</b>: Any more Punisher trips in the works for you guys?
<b>JP</b>: I think the powers that be will check out how well this does and judge it from there. As you already know, these days, Frank is Garth’s baby and I would never mess with that in a million years, but given the chance, we would love to do some more self contained stories. There is nothing I love more that buying one book and reading it from beginning to end and it is complete. Tex and I did that on <b>Conan</b> recently and this is our second project like this. There’s something very satisfying about that. I guess that’s why the trade book format is the wave of the future.