The streets of the Marvel Universe are set to explode this October as the Punisher comes face-to-face with some of Marvel's most dangerous heroes.
Beginning with Punisher: Showdowns: Black Widow #1, writer Tom Waltz (Marvel Zombies: War Zone) and artist Greg Land (All-Out Avengers) will showcase previously untold conflicts between Frank Castle and other members of the Marvel Universe in a series of oversized one-shots.
It all begins as Punisher and Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. the Black Widow, collide during a mission to stop a terrorist attack in Las Vegas. If Frank can make it through that encounter in one piece (and there's no guarantee...), he’ll have to contend with both Wolverine and the Winter Soldier in the follow-up one-shots releasing in November and December.
In Punisher: Showdowns: Black Widow #1, A threat from a terrorist cell puts Frank Castle on a mission to Las Vegas, where the Black Widow's intel on a Wolf Spider operative will set them all on a bullet-riddled collision course.
But will Punisher and Black Widow see eye to eye, or is this eye-for-an-eye going to leave bodies in their wake? The Punisher’s one-man war on the guilty crosses paths with other denizens of the Marvel Universe with explosive and unexpected results!
Next, in Punisher: Showdowns: Wolverine #1, Wolverine digs into the criminal underground of New York City as the Yakuza unleash a deadly and violence-inducing drug on the streets. The Punisher already has his sights set on these death-peddling scum, so what happens when Logan crosses paths and claws with Frank Castle? What follows, you'll have to read to believe.
Then, in Punisher: Showdowns: Winter Soldier #1, when Punisher targets a death-dealing criminal with political ties, Soviet Russia activates its deadliest asset—the Winter Soldier—to intercept. But will the Punisher get his man, or will the Winter Soldier complete his mind-controlled mission?
"The Punisher has always been one of my favourite comic-book characters, all the way back to the first time I witnessed him doing battle with Daredevil in the classic Daredevil (1964) #183," Waltz said. "And now I get to showcase untold Punisher missions, culling from some of my favourite Marvel lore, and featuring three other fascinating superheroes with dark histories: Black Widow, Wolverine, and Winter Soldier."
Check out the covers for Punisher: Showdowns: Black Widow #1, Punisher: Showdowns: Wolverine #1, and Punisher: Showdowns: Winter Soldier #1 below, and stay tuned for more on these one-shots.
PUNISHER SHOWDOWNS: BLACK WIDOW #1
Written by TOM WALTZ
Art & Cover by GREG LAND
Variant Cover by MARK BAGLEY
Variant Cover by JOE JUSKO
On Sale 10/21
PUNISHER SHOWDOWNS: WOLVERINE #1
Written by TOM WALTZ
Art by BRUNO BÜLL
Cover by WHILCE PORTACIO
Variant Cover by JOE JUSKO
On Sale 11/4
PUNISHER SHOWDOWNS: WINTER SOLDIER #1
Written by TOM WALTZ
Art by EDGAR SALAZAR
Cover by IAN CHURCHILL
Variant Cover by JOE JUSKO
On Sale 12/2