10 Criminally Underrated Marvel Comics You Must Read

The MAX Imprint was a way for Marvel to tell mature stories without having to worry about the overall intricacies of the publisher's mainstream, 616 continuity. This imprint worked well to revitalize interest in characters such as Black Widow and Nick Fury, but no hero really stuck to the imprint as well as the gun-toting vigilante the Punisher.

Garth Ennis’ run with the character in the mid-2000s is considered one of the best runs for the character. It was during this time that a little miniseries called Born was released.

Born is a four-part miniseries that sets up Frank Castle’s last tour of service during the Vietnam War, but rather than seeing it from his perspective, it is from the eyes of Stevie Goodwin - a private under the command of the tough as nails Captain Castle. This book specifically chronicles the last four days before the Firebase Valley Forge Massacre.

The spectacular characterization of Frank Castle as a man who is in love with war carries this book to being a must read for both fans of military comics and of superheroes more generally. Perhaps more important, however, is how it reappraises the character of Frank Castle altogether, and poses a haunting question of whether or not he ever truly returned from Vietnam.