ATR: How do you avoid stagnation/repetition in the Punisher Max series (mobster of the week)? So far fans and critics agree that Ennis' run on Punisher Max is a seminal one…to what do you attribute that to?
AA: The supporting characters, mainly. The Punisher's world is populated by 3-dimensional characters -- including the villains who, of course, really, really deserve to get killed. And then there's the twists: Who saw Frank's battlefield romance with O'Brien coming?
ATR: Why do you think Ennis' run has been so well received? What elevates it from some of the 90s pseudo-exploitation Punisher tales that were just action sequences and big guns?
AA: Garth is writing this for an adult audience. He's not looking to push Fanboy's buttons; he's looking to write a compelling thriller.
ATR: What is coming up next after the MAN OF STONE arc? Who will the Punisher tackle next?
AA: Big stuff. For starters, there will be big heartbreak for Frank. Yes, heartbreak. That gristly muscle in his chest still pumps blood through his body, so it still qualifies as a heart -- and it's going to have to carry a heavy weight after the events of "Man of Stone." Frank will carry this load could through the following arc -- "Widowmaker" – and deal with the full ramifications of his actions in the arc that begins in issue #50. Yes 50 issues and going strong. I don't spoil anything about that arc, but we've got big plans that are sure to raise interest. Besides that, Garth is writing his first PUNISHER SPECIAL limited series, which we'll be announcing soon. Let's just say it started when Garth killed a character and I said, "What the **** are you doing?"
What the hell, Ill give ATR readers the scoop on the PUNISHER SPECIAL limited series, you heard it here first:
PUNISHER SPECIAL: BARRACUDA. Yes, that's right, he's not dead. What --you thought that a load of buckshot to the chest in shark-infested waters was enough to put that sunuva***** down? Suffice it to say, he's back -- minus a few body parts -- and pissed as hell.
PUNISHER SPECIAL: BARRACUDA is a 5-issue limited series that picks up shortly after the events in the just-completed "Barracuda" arc, and bridges the gap to the events in PUNISHER #50. In other words, while Frank is dealing with the nasties in "Widowmaker" (PUNISHER #43-49), Barracuda is dealing with his own little problem: escorting the unfortunate hemophiliac son of a dangerous mob boss on his first criminal caper.
Pops decides that junior's been mollycoddled long enough and sends him out to make his bones, with Barracuda as his bodyguard. What follows is five issues of pure mayhem as every crime syndicate in the country takes a shot at young "Hemo," all hoping to pay the mob boss back for the various wrongs he's dealt them over the years. Throw in the forces of law and order, who take a natural interest in the proceedings, and a bona fide damsel in distress, and you've got the recipe for series that's going to have people talking and dispel any doubt that Barracuda isn't the most resourceful and lethal enemy Frank Castle's made for himself in some time.
Indeed, Barracuda will make clear his intention to return to plague Frank once again, hinting at an angle he's working that even the Punisher won't be expecting. We'll reveal his angle in the arc that begins in PUNISHER #50.
ATR: Any more one shots planned? By Ennis or by other writers?
AA: We've got the Punisher Xmas Special out this December, "The List," written by Stuart Moore and illustrated by C.P. Smith. We've got the PUNISHER SPECIAL limited series. And I've got a nifty one-shot that's coming out sometime next year that I'm also very excited about that. And then there's PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL, our Marvel Universe title, written by Matt Fraction and Ariel Olivetti. It's like the forty ounce of super hero comics.
ATR: Which artists are lined up after the MAN OF STONE arc? Any truth to the rumor that JRJR will be working with Ennis on a Punisher arc soon? Any chance of Tim Bradstreet doing interiors?
AA: Too soon to talk about that rumor. Let's just say John's got lots on his plate. As for Tim Bradstreet – we've been talking about that possibility for year.
