10 Best Comic Books Of 2017

2. Punisher: The Platoon

Garth Ennis and the Punisher go together like mince and 'tatties, with his MAX run in particular often being heralded as the best the character has ever gotten.

And that's why, after almost ten years away from the character, fans have gotten so excited about his return. The occasion? A prequel to 'Born', Ennis' Punisher origin story that dared to pose the question of just where, exactly, Frank Castle was made. The Platoon, published in November this year, dares to go even further, chronicling Castle's first tour of duty in a book that is as historically competent as it is riveting.

Ennis' affinity for the sixties zeitgeist is displayed in full force in The Platoon, as the writer analyses the transformative effects of Vietnam on both America as a whole and on Frank too. We're still waiting on that answer - whether or not Vietnam truly made Frank Castle - but we can't wait to see Ennis and Goran Parlov provide the answer. It might be uncomfortable, but Ennis has already reiterated his masterful understanding of the character in the comic's first three issues, providing the thematic and literal prelude to the run he started all those years ago.

It's just a genius, genius book, and one Punisher fans in particular should mark down as essential reading.