The 'Nam #53 (February 1991)

Last time, we looked at The 'Nam #52 (January 1991), which was the first part of a two-part story that depicted some of Frank Castle's pre-Punisher days, when he was a soldier serving his country in the Vietnam War. I suggest you look at that review if you want to learn more about The 'Nam as a comic book, and Frank Castle's incorporation into it. So, let's dig into the follow-up issue: The 'Nam #53!

 

WAR IS HELL! HELL, I TELL YOU!

The cover is a Jorge Zaffino piece. It's a basic cover, depicting what we can presume is Frank Castle in Vietnam-era Marine gear. I have no idea about the facial expression. The coloring is the big feature of the cover. It is wild and chaotic, perhaps foreshadowing Frank's future? The skull in the background didn't stick out to me at first. Is it more foreshadowing? Also, the words on the cover: "The Mark of the Executioner". I think it references Castle himself, considering his role in the story. It makes sense, as that's not the title of the story itself. And like the last issue, I am again amused by the corner box logo of the Punisher skull logo wearing the lopsided Vietnam-era Army helmet. Seriously, I have no idea why it amuses me. Also, the words "Mark of the Executioner". Was that the original title of this story?

"The Long Sticks Part Two"
Writer: Roger Salick
Penciler: Mike Harris
Inker: James Palmiotti
Colorist: Ed Lazerllari
Letterer: Jade Moede
Editor: Don Daley
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with the guard unlocking the cage to take a closer look at the hanging Frank Castle. However, he is in for a nasty surprise. Turns out ol' Frankie...isn't quite dead. He springs back to life, wraps his legs around the guard's head, and snaps his neck.

Oh my God, Frank is an Immortal. Cue the Queen! Naw, he just did a bit of trickery. Thankfully, the guard was not too bright, or he would have seen the length of cloth at Frank's back. The future vigilante tied a length of cloth between his belt and the noose, which presumably helped prevent Frank from choking to death. With the guard now a corpse, Frank grabs his rifle. Not like the guard needs it anymore. The rifle also has a fixed bayonet on it, which is handy as Frank can use that as a silent weapon.

He uses the bayonet to take out another guard. He then uses the rifle's sling as an improvised garrote wire to take out a third guard. The soldier then discovers his own sniper rifle...which he described as a Winchester. That's funny because in the last issue, Frank used a M-2 Browning as a sniper rifle. Oopsie. He also finds explosives...which will come in handy. He makes off with his gear and Morris's spotting scope. He then spots a can of paint...which inspires another wicked idea.

Frank wires the explosives to blow...and he drags out one of the bodies of the guards he killed. Frank Castle then gives the cave system his own idea of renovation.

Castle Renovations. Renovation with a bang.

The Monkey and some of his men are heading for the camp where Captain James resides, when they see the explosion. Must have been a ton of C-4 in that cave. The men all head back, realizing that all their ammo's just gotten blown to smithereens. The Monkey realized that Castle has escaped, because the Marine has left a message.

"Dear Monkey, You Smell. Sincerely, Frank Castle."

That's why he took that guard's corpse with him. The Monkey sees the skull painted on the dead guard's chest as some of his men work to bring the corpse down, and sees it as Frank mocking him with his own symbol. Remember, the Monkey wears a small skull around his neck. The men notice their dead comrade is strung up with det cord...which triggers a booby trap. The explosion leaves two of the Monkey's men dead. The sniper believes Castle is heading back to his base, probably halfway back by now. The Monkey witnesses one of his men getting a bullet to the neck, alerting him that Castle is still in the area.

The Monkey and his remaining two men flee into the smoke of the smoldering crater that was their home base. They use the smoke cloud as cover to get out into the jungle. One of the Monkey's men spots a white skull painted on a tree.

"That skull's teeth are uneven, and missing a lower jaw. Castle needs more practice!"

The Monkey thinks that it's just Castle trying to be intimidating, and orders his men to ignore it. However, one of the men hits a tripwire, making a tree fall on him. That leaves only one soldier and The Monkey left. The soldier starts freaking out, screaming and ranting that Castle is not human. That he's something else. He is...a Punisher. Obvious foreshadowing is obvious...

The Monkey is disgusted and gives the soldier some Boot to the Head. He tells him this is just Castle playing mind games, using the Viet Cong's own tricks against them. Castle is a man. And he can be killed. Castle is watching the nervous soldier walking out onto a field. He's out in the open, where he can easily be sniped. The Viet Cong man knows that on this field of grass, he is merely a pawn. A pawn in a bigger game between two snipers. A game that result in death for the loser.

"These two should NEVER be allowed to play Laser Tag ever again!"

Castle snipes the soldier. The Monkey spots the flash of the Punisher's gun as it fired. He swings around his Dragunov sniper rifle. The Viet Cong sniper spots a gleaming spot of light, like it's reflecting off glass...the glass of a sniper's scope. The Monkey takes the shot...and hits Morris's spotting scope. He realizes this too late, and gets a bullet from Castle. The big Marine races over to see if he got him...and is satisfied. Castle made a one-in-a-million shot. The Monkey is dead. Frank collects a trophy from the man: his little necklace with the monkey skull, the one The Monkey kissed for luck before taking every shot.

The story ends with Frank Castle deciding to leave The Monkey's corpse for the Viet Cong to find. As a bit of a message: Don't Mess with the Marines.

"Why this is cloud forming a skull? Hope that's not some weird omen..."

...why did Frank paint a skull on his chest? I get the other times that he painted the skulls, and I also get that they're trying to foreshadow his eventually becoming the Punisher, but it was a bit obvious. There is also a backup tale, but the trade paperback I used to review this did not collect it, so I could not review it.

This comic was really good. In fact, I really enjoy this story in general. As I said in my review of the last issue, I really liked seeing a bit of Frank Castle's life before he would become known for wearing a skull on his chest and shooting gangsters. This story shows Frank's skills as a sniper. My favorite scene in the comic was the face-off with Castle and the Monkey. There was a nice symmetry to the panel layout and angles of it. I also liked Frank setting the traps for the Viet Cong ad using improvisation to deal with the guards. It shows that he has a brain, that he's not just some dumb musclehead who is also a good shot. The art has a bit of a gritty vibe, which fits the story, in my opinion.

If you want to read this one for yourself, like the last issue, it can be found in the 2018 trade paperback The Punisher Invades The 'Nam. It collects all of his appearances in the title, as well as a couple follow-up issues from the Punisher's own books at the time. Thanks for reading this review! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! See you next time, where we take a look a toy tie-in comic...

The 'Nam #52 (January 1991)

The 'Nam. A war series, it told tales of soldiers fighting in Vietnam from 1965 to 1973. The 'Nam actually got its start as story called The 5th of the 1st. The story was published in Savage Tales #1 (October 1985), an anthology magazine that told historical adventure tales. It was written by Vietnam veteran Doug Murray, and penciled by Michael Golden. At the time, the magazine was edited by another man who knew the jungles of Vietnam well: Mr. Larry Hama. He included this story as he wanted to incorporate more Vietnam-era war stories in the titles.

The story was well-received, and it inspired Marvel's then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter to greenlight a comic based on stories of soldiers in Vietnam in 1986. According to Larry Hama, Jim Shooter approached him with a mock-up of a comic book cover made from a G.I. Joe cover, with 'The 'Nam' as a title and basically said, "Make a comic out of this." Hama then asked Doug Murray to put together a pitch. Murray himself has said that he was surprised Shooter decided to make this comic a thing, but felt maybe he wanted to experiment a bit.

Murray would be reunited with Michael Golden for this new war comic. At the time, Golden was due to start work on Batman for DC Comics. However, Golden had grown kind of bored with drawing superheroes. Naturally, he was very receptive to the idea of doing something different.

The 'Nam would actually go on to be quite successful. In fact, the first issue of the book outsold X-Men. Yeah. Think about that. The X-Men. They were arguable Marvel's most popular superteam at the time, if not their most popular characters...and their book got outsold...by a book about soldiers in the Vietnam War. That's crazy. Even crazier? The book would last seven years, going from 1986 to 1993. The series would put out 84 out of an intended 100 issues. The book would get critical acclaim, and even be honored by a veterans' organization called The Bravos. The 'Nam was also unique as unlike many other titles produced by Marvel, it was not intended to be part of the Marvel Universe. Many issues would show soldiers owning Marvel comic books, explicitly establishing that various Marvel mainstays like Captain America, Spider-Man, and Iron Man were fictional in that book's world.

Under Murray's pen, the book's tales would be told in real-time. Basically, for every month between issues, a month would pass in the book. He did this to convey the soldiers waiting to return home from Southeast Asia. According to him, every soldier there had a calendar to keep track of how long they had left in Vietnam. His run told the tale of Private First Class Edward Marks as he witnessed real events during the war. Doug Murray would leave the book after twelve issues due to editorial changes. If his run wasn't cut short, Murray intended Marks to return to Vietnam as a reporter, witnessing the usage of Agent Orange.

By the 1990s, sales of the book were struggling. The writer at the time, Don Lomax (himself also a Vietnam veteran) and editor Don Daley decided to have the Punisher appear in the title. This made some sense. Punisher was popular at the time, and it was established that the character himself served in Vietnam. Despite this, the title would conclude in 1993, with issue #84. Issues #85 and #86 were still made, though. However, they would not go unpublished. They would be released as part of a Punisher special: The Punisher in the 'Nam: Final Invasion in 1994. The appearance of the Punisher in the book surprised readers as The 'Nam was, as I said earlier, not intended to be set in the Marvel Universe.

The comic that we're going to look at is the first time Frank Castle appeared in the title, showing his days serving his country before he would don his black outfit with the skull logo on the chest. This is The 'Nam #52!

The cover is a Jorge Zaffino piece. It's basically a man screaming at me. I'm assuming that it's Frank Castle. What is he screaming? A vow of vengeance? An epic battle cry? His pizza order? The coloring and the pencils give the cover a gritty look, and I think it gives the impression that Frank is going a little nuts. I have to admit, the corner box logo amuses me. It's the Punisher's skull logo wearing a lopsided Vietnam-era Army helmet. I have no idea why it amuses me, it just does.

"The Long Sticks"
Writer: Roger Salick
Penciler: Mike Harris
Inker: James Palmiotti
Colorist: Ed Lazellari
Letterers: Phil Felix (pages 1-5), Jade Moede (pages 6-20)
Editor: Don Daley
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The time: Somewhere between 1965 and 1973. The place: Duc Pho, South Vietnam. A helicopter touches down in a Marine Corps base. 800 yards away, a Vietnamese sniper watches the landing through the scope of a sniper rifle. The sniper is camouflaged by the trees and foliage.

A general emerges from the helicopter, and the sniper takes aim. As the unsuspecting Marine salutes and talks to the lieutenant sent to greet him, the sniper kisses a small monkey skull hung around his neck, like he's hoping for some luck. He takes aim with his Soviet sniper rifle, the SVD Dragunov...and fires.

The 7.62 mm round hits its target: the general's neck. The sniper smiles proudly at his work, then slips away to perform another mission. Three days pass. At Hill 55, the news is brought to Captain James. James figures that the Colonel was killed by a sniper known only as The Monkey. He points out a map that has several pins on it. Each pin represents a man that the Monkey has killed. The Monkey has become such a problem that the brass is sending a man to brief him on it. The Monkey may be a good sniper, but the Marine Corps got a man who is no slouch himself behind a sniper's scope: One Sergeant Frank Castle.

So, where is our resident future criminal killer at? Well, he and his friend Corporal Morris are doing a bit of sniping.

They spot a Viet Cong sniper using an improvised outhouse. Frank's got a bead on him. The outhouse was about 2500 yards away. The rifle of Frank's choice? An M-2 .50 cal Browning. He liked the gun as its bullets allowed for a stable trajectory for about 3000 yards. Frank makes the shot and takes out the sniper...and sets a new sniping record.

He's brought to Captain James's office. James asks him what he knows about The Monkey. Frank's knowledge is little, but he does know he's probably the very best sniper the Viet Cong have got. As such, James wants Frank to take a classified, and very dangerous mission: Take out The Monkey. As for why this mission is classified? Well, The Monkey's home has been found. It's an NVA headquarters...in Laos. I'm guessing that there's potential for an international incident here if something goes wrong.

Soon, Castle and Morris are on their way to Laos. Morris is to keep an eye on Castle, and they are to avoid the Viet Cong at all costs. The helicopter can wait three days. After that, they're gone. Castle assures them not to worry. If they're not back in time...they're likely not coming back.

The two men find the base. The only way Castle can get a shot is by doing some crawling on the grass for about a thousand yards. He'll scout the area tonight, then shoot The Monkey tomorrow. Morris thinks he's crazy. Frank tells Morris to meet him on the treeline. Castle then begins the slow crawl. It's a tough job. Castle can't leave any evidence he is there, or he'll get spotted. This had led him to take five hours to crawl 800 yards. The future Punisher encounters a bit of a problem.

A bamboo viper. Venomous snakes native to Southeast Asia. And the Viet Cong will be the least of Frank's worries if that gets its fangs into him. He and the snake engage in a staring contest. It seems like an eternity that the two stare at each other...ultimately, the snake gives up and slithers away. I kind of liked Frank being a bit freaked out by the snake. For all of his grit and toughness, he's still only human. Also, he hasn't reached Punisher levels of crazy yet. Frank is able to sneak his way towards the compound, where he encounters The Monkey, who is busy cleaning his sniper rifle.

Frank tries to sneak in closer, but a Viet Cong patrol is right near by. The future Punisher silently hopes that they don't look in his direction...but decides against it. After all, as Castle himself said, "Nobody listens to a soldier's prayers". As such, he takes out his silenced .45 pistol and shoots them. The camp is still quiet. It's like nobody noticed the soldier's actions. Castle takes the shot with his sniper rifle at The Monkey.

The camp goes into battle stations, and Castle flees into the trees. Heh. I'm a poet and I don't know it. Castle finds Morris, seemingly asleep. The soldier is understandably angry about it. He just took out The Monkey, the NVA are firing more rounds at him than at a target at a redneck's shooting range, and he's sleeping?! But Morris is not in Dreamland, he's in the afterlife. Got impaled by a bamboo shoot. Castle feels a gun at his back.

Wait...if The Monkey's right there, then...who did Frank shoot?! How?! Is The Monkey like Wolverine or something?! Is he an Immortal?! Castle shares my confusion, but the answer is actually pretty simple: A double. Castle sniped a body double. The Monkey uses doubles to confuse American snipers that hunt for him. The Monkey and his men lead Castle to a cave that they use as they use as a home base. The big Marine is well aware that they will likely torture him for any info they can get about his mission and all that. They enlarged the cave and stocked it with weapons and equipment likely stolen from the American troops. They take the future Punisher to a cage which is going to be his new home.

The Monkey decides to taunt Castle a little bit by asking if he wants to know his next target. Who is it?

Yes, The Monkey plans to put a bullet in the neck of Captain James. You see, James had been like a father to the future vigilante, and it understandably angers the man. Frank refuses to hear The Monkey's bragging and boasting. He takes off his shirt and tears it up. A guard comes by to check on Castle...and he's shocked by what he has found.  The story ends with Frank Castle having seemingly hung himself, possibly out of despair over being unable to save his mentor.

This comic was pretty good. It's pretty cool seeing Frank Castle's military days before he became the Punisher. It's a great opportunity to see what could have helped form the Punisher...or at the very least, see where he picked up the skills he uses as the Punisher. We get the idea that Frank is already a very deadly and very effective man when he's got a gun in his hand. The Monkey is a bit of a one-dimensional character, but the usage of a body double is actually rather clever. Also, it's a Punisher story, those don't need overly-complex bad guys.

I think the ending was kind of obvious as a fakeout. I mean, yeah, we all know ol' Frankie isn't the type give up and die easily, so there's got to be a trick to it. Also, I would have liked a bit more exploration of the relationship between Castle and James. The story hints that James mentored Castle, so I would have liked to have seen more interaction between them.

I had no complaints about the art. One detail I liked was that some panels that showed snipers aiming made it look like we were looking right down the sniper's scope. It was a cool detail that I really liked.

If you want to read this for yourself, I suggest you hunt down the 2018 trade paperback The Punisher Invades 'The Nam. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! See you next time, where we find out if Frank Castel truly did die in 'The Nam...