(Standing should to shoulder with him? Preacher's Jesse Custer and Hellblazer's John Constantine, both Ennis-penned characters.)

Garth Ennis on the Punisher is simply one of the best runs in Marvel's history and was a consistent seller, fluctuating within decimals every month. It was a rock solid seller, a stellar plot driven book, had some of the best artists in tow (Steve Dillon, most notably, for most of the first two Marvel Knights volumes) and even created some great new characters (Spacker Dave, Joan the Mouse, the Russian (all in the film version, which borrowed heavily from "Welcome Back, Frank"), the Barracuda) while utilizing old favorites in new ways (Microchip and even Nick Fury in one of the best stories of the run).

I feel I would remiss if went any further without shower similar accolades on Tim Bradstreet. As cover artist for all sixty of the MAX run (as well as several one shots), Bradstreet redefined the look of the Punisher from a gun-toting, steroid popping, behemoth to a more realistic middle-aged soldier trying to do whatever he could to stem the tide of crime in this country. Utilizing simply the covers, we saw Frank as a person in so many locations, positions, demeanor and activities that you could make a worthwhile story just from the cover art. There are untold artists that can't convey that kind of story or emotion in a full story arc, let alone cover pin ups. As much as Ennis did for the Punisher's story, Bradstreet did for his visuals.

Also of note is artist Darick Robertson. While he did not have a lengthy career on the Punisher, he certainly had a memorable one. He worked with Ennis on the Punisher: Born limited series. The book examined just what Frank develop this almost other persona after his family was murdered. There was a very specific reason why Frank didn't hide in a corner after the massacre and Born explored those roots as far back as Frank's tours of duty in Vietnam. It made Frank much more three dimensional and gave us a look at the motives behind one of the most misunderstood characters in the company. Robertson's art was a big part of this connection as his talents are just as stong in the action-oriented superhero books as they are in the quiet, personal moments of more true-to-life books.

I could go on and on for some time talking about each storyline (like "The Tyger," "Little Black Book," "Kitchen Irish" and dozens of other fantastic reads), but I think I'll wrap it up here. Suffice it to say that the Punisher had never been one of my favorite characters. His over saturation in the 90s drove me away from him. I didn't want to read three books about Frank as a quasi-superhero which is why he disappeared for a long time before Marvel Knights.

Thankfully Joe Quesada put Ennis and Dillon on the twelve issue "Welcome Back, Frank" and the rest, as they say, is history. You would do well to read the entire series, though some will want to bypass the Marvel Knights series as the humor can be a little off-putting to certain people. Without a doubt, you must red "Welcome Back, Frank" before anything else as it reintroduces the character to today's world. From there, just about any story from the MAX is worth reading, though the ones I mentioned are some of the best. Also of particular note is the arc entitled "Mother Russia." Guest-starring the MAX version of Nick Fury (also written by Ennis in the two limited series, "Fury" and "Fury: Peacemaker"), Frank travels to the former Soviet Union in one of the most gripping tales of the entire run.

So head over to the Pink Kryptonite Store and order your Punisher trades or hardcovers (I recommend the HCs). I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

What's that? You want more retrospective on Ennis and his work on the Punisher? Well, you're in luck. You can head over to The Comic Addiction for Corwin Crowl's thoughts on this momentous run and its main creator.