The Punisher: 7 Essential Stories You Must Read

4. Circle Of Blood

Published in 1986 (as evidenced by that costume), at a time when Frank Miller was changing the moral ambiguity of comics in his own unique way, this volume is an example of early attempts to push the character to the violent extremes he is famous for. Featuring copious amounts of death, this was the first Punisher miniseries and was a pure culture shock for Marvel - never before had a main character in the Marvel Universe been so downtrodden and malicious.

Written by Steven Grant, the Punisher was portrayed as a broken-down Vietnam vet - haunted by his experiences during the war and his family€™'s gruesome murders - and he was hell-bent on wiping out criminals everywhere. If you're looking for the story that elevated the Punisher from a bit-character into one of comics biggest icons this is it.