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Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Marvel Comics | Tagged: punisher, red band
Frank Castle, The Punisher Returns To Marvel Comics With A Red Band
Frank Castle, The Punisher returns to Marvel Comics in September 2025 with a Red Band, Benjamin Percy and Julius Ohta
Article Summary
- Frank Castle returns as The Punisher in a new Red Band Marvel Comics series launching September 2025.
- The new series by Benjamin Percy and Julius Ohta brings back the infamous Punisher skull logo.
- Marvel's Red Band polybag format protects younger readers from the series' graphic violence.
- The Punisher symbol's controversial real-world use is addressed, with Marvel reclaiming the character.
Frank Castle is back as the Punisher with Benjamin Percy and Julius Ohta creating a new series launching on the 10th of September 2025. And the new comic book series will be polybagged as part of Marvel's Red Band initiative to protect the goriest scenes from little kiddie winks. And yes, he is sporting the familiar skull.
Punisher: Red Band #1
(W) Benjamin Percy (A) Julius Ohta (CA) Marco Checchetto
FRANK IS BACK! Reread and reload, True Believers — Frank Castle is BACK. With no memories, a full clip and a thirst for wrathful vengeance, his violent search for answers could only be chronicled in a Red Band series! Bullets will fly, blood will flow, and the citizens and criminals of New York City alike will fear the name THE PUNISHER! From the superstar HELLVERINE creative team of Benjamin Percy and Julius Ohta, don't miss a single pulse-pounding page of this explosive new series!
32 pages $4.99 Polybagged Sep 10, 2025
The Punisher skull logo has been a bit of a problem for Marvel for years now, being used by police, army, militia, white supremacist groups, QAnon events, and Hannity on Fox News, without a scintilla of suggestion that there may be some irony in that. The character's co-creator Gerry Conway has spoken out about its use by such groups and has tried to reclaim it. He started his own line of shirts designed by people of colour to take the symbol back, with proceeds going to Black Lives Matter-related charities. Marvel Comics has been fighting them in the courts when they've tried to trademark it, actors have criticised its use, police commissioners have also criticised their use, and comics creators have divided over its use. Marvel has even addressed this in the comics, with the Punisher threatening police who use his symbol. Then, the Punisher skull was spotted several times on backpacks and taken into the Capitol building on January 6th. So Marvel pulled back the Punisher further, changed his logo, and changed the Punisher (twice).
Marvel ran a Punisher series where he was leading the Hand, with a very different beast skull logo. Frank Castle was left defending the innocent from monsters in the magical Weirdworld. Then, a different Punisher took his place with a different skull logo. He didn't last long. We even got a Vietnam Punisher/Nick Fury story from Garth Ennis. But what about the present day?
Well, in a title reminiscent of when Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon took over the character, it's time to Welcome Back Frank…
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