Posted in: Comics | Tagged: , , , ,


Punisher Vs. ISIS

1bfc0fb0f5fc78f83359bf4e6f09a479

Sometimes it's easy to forget that The Punisher began life as a comic book villain. A more morally complex villain than the usual, admittedly, a veteran of the Vietnam War who has lost his family in a gang fight, seeking revenge through bloody murder, he was very much a product of the seventies that also brought us the Death Wish movies.

265EB81300000578-2980663-image-m-4_1425636199275To the surprise of those at Marvel, he was a hit, spawned multiple monthly series and was reinvented as an angel of justice. At one point, literally that. Some writer have played it straight, some have played it for satire, often reflecting their own political beliefs. And the character's chest Skull motif, where Superman's S would be, has been picked up by graffiti artists, designers and hip hop performers amongst others.

He's also been a popular emblem for soldiers. Even, it seems, in Norway.

Since the death of soldier Claes Joachim Olsson – known by his nickname 'Jokke' – in January 2010, some members of the Telemark Battalion, an elite mechanised infantry unit of the Norwegian Army, took to wearing patches featuring the Punisher logo and the words 'Jokke – we will never forget'.

The Telemark Battalion attracted headlines in 2010 when reports emerged some of its soldiers were spray-painting the Punisher symbol on houses and property belonging to Afghans suspected of being members of the Taliban.

2658FAC100000578-2980663-Kyle_s_logo_with_the_Punisher_skull_and_cross_hairs-m-1_1425631492406And now they are headed to Iraq to tackle ISIS.

They're certainly not alone using Punisher imagery, Chris Kyle, now famed as "the American Sniper" after the movie, also used imagery from The Punisher.

But it does make for an uncomfortable situation in which real life affects fiction which then seems to affect real life in return…


Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
twitterfacebookinstagramwebsite
Comments will load 20 seconds after page. Click here to load them now.