Punisher: Soviet #1-6

[Col_Fury]

PUNISHER: SOVIET #1 (January 2020)
By Garth Ennis & Jacen Burrows

APPEARANCES:
Punisher (also in fb), Valery Stepanovich (also bts in fb), Russian mobsters (inc Rollo, Mischa, Nicky’s father, others in fb), Nicky (vo) & his mother (bts), policeman (in fb), Grand Odessa staff & patrons, Konstantin Pronchenko (photo), Zinaida Sebrovna (photo)

FLASHBACKS:
The Punisher learns from a policeman that Russian mobster Konstantin Pronchenko is going legit, and the powers that be are letting it happen.
SYNOPSIS:
The Punisher arrives at one of Pronchenko’s safehouses only to find it filled with dead mobsters. Later, Pronchenko’s men try to trap the Punisher but he’s ready for them; he leads them into a warehouse and blows up his van, killing most of them. He interrogates the survivor who tells him that Pronchenko wants the Punisher dead because he’s been hitting his operations through the world. The Punisher stakes out a nightclub owned by Pronchenko and after a while shooting starts. He heads inside and meets the guy who killed Pronchenko’s men earlier: Valery Stepanovich.

PUNISHER: SOVIET #2 (February 2020)
By Garth Ennis & Jacen Burrows

APPEARANCES:
Punisher, Valery Stepanovich (also in fb), Lt. Col. Konstantin Pronchenko (in fbs) & his mobsters, Russian army (in fb, inc Viktor, Stinky Joe, Vladislav, Klatrio, Sergei Fedotov), Afghanis (in fb), police

FLASHBACKS:
Pronchenko runs his operations in a detached manner, often unaware of the grisly details (4:1). Valery served in the Russian military in Afghanistan; his fairly ineffective base commander was Pronchenko (various, but the relevant one is (20:1)).
SYNOPSIS:
Valery reveals that he’s been attacking Pronchenko’s operations across the world, and after the pair kill more of Pronchenko’s mobsters he tells the Punisher his story.

PUNISHER: SOVIET #3 (March 2020)
By Garth Ennis & Jacen Burrows

APPEARANCES:
Punisher, Valery Stepanovich (also in fb), Russian army (in fb, inc Lt. Col. Konstantin Pronchenko (bts), Viktor, Stinky Joe, Vladislav, Klatrio, Sergei Fedotov, Niki Schukin), Afghanis (in fb)

FLASHBACKS:
The Afghanis are brutal against the Russians, often torturing and mutilating prisoners. At some point Valery’s unit is ambushed. Valery is crucified to a tree and passes out. When he wakes up some of his friends had been skinned alive and he’s forced to watch them die. He’s discharged from the service and soon after Russia pulls out of Afghanistan. In civilian life Valery becomes an alcoholic and years later learns that Pronchenko sold his unit out to the Afghanis.
SYNOPSIS:
Valery continues to tell the Punisher his story.

PUNISHER: SOVIET #4 (April 2020)
By Garth Ennis & Jacen Burrows

APPEARANCES:
Punisher (also in fb), Valery Stepanovich (also in fb), Zinaida Sebrovna (also in fb), Konstantin Pronchenko (in fb), his sons (in photo) & his mobsters

FLASHBACKS:
The Punisher and Valery research Pronchenko’s wife. Former model Zinaida Sebrovna, still wanting to live the rich life, meets and marries Pronchenko, knowing that Pronchenko’s previous four wives were killed when he grew bored with them. Over five years of marriage she eventually convinces him to go legit.
SYNOPSIS:
The Punisher and Valery kills some of Pronchenko’s mobsters and abduct his wife, Zinada Sebrovna. She tells them her story. The Punisher realizes she has a tracking device implanted in her but it’s too late; helicopters are arriving. The Punisher destroys one with a grenade launcher and the three escape into the woods.

PUNISHER: SOVIET #5 (May 2020)
By Garth Ennis & Jacen Burrows

APPEARANCES:
Punisher, Valery Stepanovich (also in fb), Zinaida Sebrovna, Konstantin Pronchenko (in fb), his sons & his mobsters, Russian army (in fb, inc Viktor, Stinky Joe, Vladislav, Klatrio, Sergei Fedotov, Niki Schukin), Afghanis (in fb)

FLASHBACKS:
Valery and his squad patrol an Afghan city and Valery feels sorry for the regular folks that are ruled over by the extremists. Meanwhile, Pronchenko is a war profiteer.
SYNOPSIS:
Zinaida tells the Punisher that Pronchenko will be meeting with a US Senator on Sunday; that’s the opportunity to get him. When the Punisher turns around Zinaida jumps off a cliff. Meanwhile, Pronchenko’s mobsters and sons gather to search for Zinaida. The Punisher tricks the mobsters by tossing Zinaida’s tracking device onto a truck; when half of them leave the Punisher and Valery ambush Pronchenko’s sons and ties them up. Reinforcements arrive and are killed, but Valery is impaled on a crashed helicopter’s rotor blade. The Punisher agrees to take care of Pronchenko according to Valery’s plan and he dies with a smile on his face.

NOTE:
Valery notes that there is worse than Pronchenko running Russia these days.

PUNISHER: SOVIET #6 (May 2020)
By Garth Ennis & Jacen Burrows

APPEARANCES:
Punisher (also in fb), Valery Stepanovich (corpse), Zinaida Sebrovna (in fb), Konstantin Pronchenko, his sons & his mobsters, a US Senator, police, FBI, bystanders

FLASHBACKS:
Zinaida tells the Punisher that the US Senator Pronchenko is set to meet is deeply corrupt and wants connections with the Russian government; he’s willing to commit treason to gain personal power.
SYNOPSIS:
The Punisher tells Pronchenko’s sons to dig a grave for Valery; when one objects, he shoots him in the face. When the two finish burying Valery, the Punisher kills them both. The Punisher sneaks into the Senator’s vacation home and confronts them. The Punisher implements Valery’s plan: he forces Pronchenko to skin the Senator alive. The Senator dies within fifteen minutes and Pronchenko pisses himself and vomits several times. The Punisher texts the FBI and leaves. Pronchenko’s operation fell apart and he was driven insane by what the Punisher put him through. When Pronchenko was taken to the loony bin Punisher has a shot of Vodka in memory of Valery.

NOTE:
PUNMAX 1-22 is fairly continuous and Frank dies at the end, so this has to go before that. Easy!

On the Punisher MAX page, obviously:

PRONCHENKO, LT. COL. KONSTANTIN
P:SOVIET 2 (20:1)-FB
P:SOVIET 5-FB
P:SOVIET 3-FB-BTS
P:SOVIET 4-FB
{P:SOVIET 1-FB}
P:SOVIET 2 (4:1)-FB
P:SOVIET 6

PUNISHER/FRANK DAVID CASTLE
……
UTPMAX 4
*P:SOVIET 1-FB
*P:SOVIET 1
*P:SOVIET 2
*P:SOVIET 3
*P:SOVIET 4-FB
*P:SOVIET 4
*P:SOVIET 6-FB
*P:SOVIET 5
*P:SOVIET 6
PMAX 1
……

SEBROVNA, ZINAIDA
P:SOVIET 4-FB
{P:SOVIET 1-FB}
P:SOVIET 4
P:SOVIET 6-FB
P:SOVIET 5

STEPANOVICH, VALERY
P:SOVIET 2-FB
P:SOVIET 5-FB
P:SOVIET 3-FB
P:SOVIET 1-FB-BTS
{P:SOVIET 1}
P:SOVIET 2
P:SOVIET 3
P:SOVIET 4-FB
P:SOVIET 4
P:SOVIET 5
P:SOVIET 6