Punisher related corrections post-"Suicide Run"

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JLH
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Punisher related corrections post-"Suicide Run"

Post by JLH »

During "Suicide Run" in late 93/early 94, the Punisher and Microchip parted ways. Continuity of the books got a lot tighter, and as a result, most of the stories in PWZ at the time were said to be "Classic Punisher", meaning they were set in the past ala "Legends of the Dark Knight". The MCP doesn't reflect this. So, I'm going to attempt to correct that!

< means "current listing placement to be moved away from"
> means "place where it should be moved to".

MICROCHIP/LINUS LIEBERMAN
...
PHS 2/3
SMPS:DG
>PWZ 26
>PWZ 27
>PWZ 28
>PWZ 29
>PWZ 30
>PUN2 89
>PUN2 90
>PSS 4/2
>PWZ@ 2/2
>PBSS 3/2
>PWZ 31
>PWZ 32
>PWZ 33
>PWZ 34
>PWZ 35
>PWZ 36
>PHS 3/2
PWJ 61
PWZ 23
PUN2 86
PWJ 62
PWJ 64
PUN2 100/2
<PWZ 26
<PWZ 27
<PWZ 28
<PWZ 29
<PWZ 30
<PUN2 89
<PUN2 90
<PSS 4/2
<PWZ@ 2/2
<PBSS 3/2
<PWZ 31
<PWZ 32
<PWZ 33
<PWZ 34
<PWZ 35
<PWZ 36
<PHS 3/2
PUN2 97
...


FONDOZZI, MICKEY
...
PWJ 47
PWJ 60
>PWZ 31
PWJ 61
PWZ 23
PUN2 86
PWJ 62
PWJ 63
PWJ 64
<PWZ 31
PWZ 41
...


PUNISHER II/FRANK CASTIGLIONE/"FRANK CASTLE"
...
SMPS:DG
PUNNAM
>PWZ 25/2
>PWJ 64/2
>PWZ 26
>PWZ 27
>PWZ 28
>PWZ 29
>PWZ 30
>PUN2 89
>PUN2 90
>PUN2 91
>PUN2 92
>PSS 4
>PSS 4/2
>PWZ@ 2
>PWZ@ 2/2
>PWZ@ 2/3
>PBSS 3
>PBSS 3/2
>PBSS 3/3
>PUN2 93
>PWZ 31
>PWZ 32
>PWZ 33
>PWZ 34
>PWZ 35
>PWZ 36
>PWZ 38
>PWZ 39
>PWZ 40
>PHS 3
>PHS 3/2
>GRWP:DD
PWJ 61
PWZ 23
PUN2 86
PWZ 24
PUN2 87
PWJ 63
PWZ 25
PUN2 88
PWJ 64
<PWZ 26
<PWZ 27
<PWZ 28
<PWZ 29
<PWZ 30
<PUN2 89
<PUN2 90
<PUN2 91
<PUN2 92
<PSS 4
<PSS 4/2
PWJ 65
PWJ 66
PWJ 67
PWJ 68
PWJ 69
<PWZ@ 2
<PWZ@ 2/2
<PWZ@ 2/3
<PUN@ 7
<PBSS 3
<PBSS 3/2
<PBSS 3/3
<PUN2 93
<CLAN 7
<PWZ 31
<PWZ 32
<PWZ 33
<PWZ 34
<PWZ 35
<PWZ 36
PUN2 94
PUN2 95
<PWZ 38
<PWZ 39
<PWZ 40
<PHS 3
<PHS 3/2
<GRWP:DD
PWJ 71
PWJ 71/2
PWJ 72
PWJ 73
PUN:EQ
<GR3 61
<BLAZE 10
<BLAZE 11
<BLAZE 12
>PUN@ 7
PUN2 96
PWJ 74
>SM:PT 2
>SM:PT 3
>SM:PT 4
PUN2 97
PUN2 98
PUN2 99
PUN2 100
**PWJ 75
PUN2 101
PUN2 102
PWJ 78
PUN2 103
PWJ 79
>CLAN 7
>GR3 61
>BLAZE 10
>BLAZE 11
>BLAZE 12
>SM:PT 2
>SM:PT 3
>SM:PT 4
PWZ 41
PUN2 104
PWJ 80
DE:A
...


Here's a little more detail:


PWZ 25/2 and PWJ 64/2 are placement neutral. I mean, it IS possible they could take place between PWJ 64 and 65, but PWJ 65 is so specific as to the outrage of the video footage of Frank killing a "cop" that he really has not breathing room for it to happen.

PWZ 26-30 is said to be "classic", and even has Frank in his standard mode, with Microchip and he working as usual. It could go anywhere before PWJ 61.

Same with PUN2 89-92. For some reason, while PWJ was running the "current status quo continuity" at the time, they made PUN2 into another "classic arc" book. This is anothe "classic arc" book with things being hunky dory with Micro.

PSS 4, PBSS 3, and PHS 3 are all "classic" style books. There are even a few references to and appearances of Micro in the stories. Gotta be before PWJ 61.

PWZ@ 2 and its tales is another one that has to be before, since Frank and Micro are operating as usual throughout. Ditto for PUN2 93.

PWZ 31-36 is another "classic arc". Micro's there, Frank is running around, pretty as he pleases, while in PWJ he's without his arsenal and aid and is being hunted actively by cops or believed dead.

PWZ 38-40 is tricky. I first thought it was intended to be the "Cold Steel" arc (see the PWJ 71-73 entry below), but it doesn't appear to match the continuity references in the book at the time. Frank isn't in New York (he has guns shipped to him in the mail), so he could be in Chicago. But who sent him the guns if he's on his PWJ 71-73 road trip? Also, he's sent to prison in this tale, yet is considered dead by the public during this entire period! So it has to be before PWJ 61.

GRWP:DD has nothing in it to tie it as being before or during Suicide Run, except for the fact Frank has his van. Measuring up against the placements of Ghost Rider at the time, I figure this must be just right before PWJ 61.

PWJ 65 to 69 are one continuous run for Frank, the "Pariah" storyline that follows directly up on "Suicide Run". At the end of it, everyone believes he's dead and this is referenced repeatedly afterwards.

PUN2 94-95 is stated in the letters pages, and brought up in the story, as following on PWJ 69. It's there to explain how Frank gets some additional funds by being involved with a criminal fight club of some kind.

PWJ 71-73 is another arc of sorts. Now with some money, Frank, in a crappy car, takes off cross country. There was to be a PWZ arc called "Cold Steel" by Steven Grant, writer of PWJ at the time, which took place between PWJ 72 and PWJ 73, involving Frank in Chicago chasing some gun runners to Reno. It was never published, though for a while I thought it was the "Dark Judgment" arc in PWZ 38-40.

PUN:EQ is very generous with the continuity references. It has footnotes galore stating it takes place right after PWJ 73 (and even has a one panel FB to the unpublished "Cold Steel"). It also places itself directly before PUN@ 7 and PUN2 96.

Speaking of PUN@ 7, Frank, having flown overseas in PWJ 73 to be in PUN:EQ, makes what the letter pages call a "pit stop" in Europe for it. There is one huge screw up here, though: Microchip is in the story with Frank! This tale can't go any earlier than between PUN:EQ and PUN2 96 because it hinges entirely on being after "Suicide Run" (Rapido recovers from his injuries in that tale in the annual). So Micro's appearance has to be an art error or something.

PUN2 96 has Frank returning from his trip abroad, landing in Hollywood. PWJ 74 continues from that, directly referencing it as Frank makes his way back to New York City, happy to see he's still considered dead.

PUN2 97 starts another arc. Frank just arrives back in New York in it. His crappy car from before gave out, and he's in a new one. He's still sans-arsenal. He hasn't seen or heard from Micro since PWJ 61. Frank targets "Cringe", an apparent new drug lord, in this issue, and continues going after him in PUN2 98 and 99, where he finds out it's actually Micro luring him into a trap. 100 has Frank stuck in Micro's trap. He fakes his suicide, which causes Micro to send his new Punisher replacement down to check on him in 101-102, which leads to Frank's new tech assistants, Mouse and Ponygirl, in that same issue. They get him out in PWJ 78. He heads right for Micro in PUN2 103 and they have a fatal confrontation in PWJ 79. At the end of that issue, Frank finally gets a brand new stock of weapons. His arsenal restored, he resumes his old habits of taking on any old bad guy.

As such, any guest appearances of Frank in the latter period of this era should be between PWJ 79 and PWZ 41. In PWZ 41, one of Kingpin's goons mentions how busy the past few "weeks" have been in regards to certain mobsters getting killed. CC, Micro's Fake Frank, catches up to Punisher at the start of PWZ 41. But considering he's new, it doesn't have to be the next day from PWJ 79. There's nothing there saying it is, and the gap does work well. So I figure CLAN 7, GR3 61, BLAZE 10-12, and SM:PT 2-4 can all go there. They all can't go before PWJ 61, since Ghost Rider and Spidey's chronologies need them to be close to the whole "Double Edge" and "Maximum Clonage" appearances of the Punisher.

On a side note, PWJ 75 has a one page appearance of Frank, in Micro's trap, likely between PUN2 100 and 101. So I've added it.
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