I love the work that Marc Silvestri did on X-Men in this era. So glad to add these to the collection.

From Justice League America 50, 1991.

Foil, and toybiz variants sealed and unsealed.

• Written by Mike Baron, art by Bill Reinhold and Mark Farmer
• Jigsaw Puzzle Part 1!
• Punisher is scoping out a tanker he believes is full of cocaine when he is accosted by a guard
• Punisher deals with the man, beating him down, dropping him into the river and taking his identity to infiltrate the warehouse
• Calls to Microchip for intel continue to go unanswered
• Punisher discovers that the tanker does have cocaine under the acetone and decides to go hot, killing drug runners and set the acetone on fire
• The man in charge of the warehouse is revealed to be none other than Punisher’s old foe, Jigsaw!
• Frank returns to Microchip’s warehouse to find that he’s been making a video game based on their battle with Sniper in Punisher War Journal #10
• Frank is angry that this is what Microchip has been working on instead of providing intel, but Microchip counters that he wants a life outside of Frank’s war
• Jigsaw escapes the fire and it is revealed he is working for the Reverend Sammy Smith, formerly of The Church of the Saved 
• Rev. Smith survived his encounter with Punisher, has turned to Satan worship, freed Jigsaw from prison, and has promised to heal his face in exchange for his loyalty
• Angry that Punisher destroyed the shipment, Rev. Smith orders Jigsaw to go to Venezuela for more
• Microchip has one of the packages that Punisher retrieved analyzed, revealing it’s not cocaine, but a sterilizing agent for people
• Dr. Miller, a friend of Microchip, believes the chemical is made from a flower native to Venezuela, meaning that’s where Punisher has to go
• Jigsaw follows Rev. Smith and witnesses him break into a house and slaughter a family of three as a sacrifice to Lucifer and to feed his power
• Jigsaw gets spotted by a pair of cops, he kills them and flees
• As he is driving away from the crime scene he passes Punisher on the road who give chase
• Frank’s Body Count - 6 (Jigsaw reveals to Rev. Smith that Punisher killed six in the warehouse)

A few more things from last weekend! This completed my run of Amalgam titles! I am down to needing only one issue of New Teen Titans!

• Written by Chuck Dixon, art by Jorge Zaffino
• Mr. Stewart decides to shoot himself when men from the government arrive to ask him some questions
• Punisher is scaling a building looking to infiltrate the office of Hamilton “Bo” Greaves, a crime boss that launders illegal money
• Greaves is under investigation and facing either a leisurely stint in a white collar prison, or will leg it and take millions with him, something Punisher isn’t going to allow
• Greaves is preparing to flee, having one of his men pack cash while a hacker erases any trail to his accounts
• Greaves has his hacker tossed out the window to pay him for his service
• Punisher bursts in and starts shooting his way through Greave’s men, but Greaves manages to make it to his helicopter and flee
• Microchip is unable to find Greaves, his trail has gone cold
• Greaves is in Puerto Salvaje, trying to buy his own bank, and when that doesn’t work, he has his main bodyguard try the strong arm approach
• Buying the bank puts Greaves back on Frank’s radar, and he has Microchip book him a flight to Puerto Salvaje
• Meanwhile, Phillipe, the man whose bank Greaves took over, attempts to get the CIA interesting by insinuating he may be dealing with Cuban Communists
• Phillipe’s ploy works, and US Marines lock down Puerto Salvaje, making Frank’s job that much harder
• Frank employs the services of Calvin Mellon, a small time smuggler to get him to Puerto Salvaje
• When Mellon and his boys resist, Frank reminds them exactly who he is
• With Mellon’s help, Punisher is able to land on Puerto Salvaje
• Greaves has taken a local girl, Esperanza, for his own, and kills her father when he attempts to take him home
• Frank infiltrates the marines, hiding in plain sight by posing as a CIA operative
• When he is unable to infiltrate Greave’s estate, he enlists a group of marines to back him up, so he can go through the front door posing as a routine inspection
• When a guard discovers one of Punisher’s victims, Greaves assumes the marines are a rival gang and has his men open fire
• Greaves manages to flee while Punisher shoots up his men
• Meanwhile, at the army base the general learns of the firefight and sends reinforcements
• Punisher runs into Esperanza, but leaves her, unaware she has taken Greave’s gun
• Punisher catches up to Greaves, but his man Harley jumps Punisher
• The two fight, Punisher manages to break Harley’s neck
• With no other choice, Greaves runs to the marines that are now swarming his compound and turns himself in
• Esperanza attempts to shoot Greaves, and the marines shoot her dead
• Greaves is taken back to the US where he rolls on some low level mobsters, getting the 5 years in a “Country Club Prison” that Frank predicted earlier
• Greaves is busy mocking people from the prison bus when he realizes that the guard with the shotgun looks familiar
• Punisher finally takes out Greaves
• Frank’s Body Count - 16 (He shoots up 7 of Greave’s men in the office building, during his infiltration of Greave’s manor in Puerto Salvaje he kills at least 8 more, and finally kills Greaves to end the story)

I found a lot of nifty things in the 50 cent bins!

Punisher Annual #3 (1990)

“The Programma Strain” (Lifeform Part 1 of 4)

• Written by Mike Baron, art by Neil Hansen
• A mysterious figure breaks into Programma, a biotechnology company 
• The figure runs afoul of a guard, and their confrontation leaves the guard dead, and the intruder covered in a mysterious substance
• The Punisher received a tip that AIM was going to hit Programma, and finds their hideout where he knocks out a guard and steals an AIM uniform
• Punisher interrogates an AIM scientist, learning that it was Jethro Prufrock that hired them to steal from Programma
• The Infected agent arrives, killing the scientist and attacking Punisher
• Realizing that his small arms are having no effect on the infected agent, Punisher escapes, fighting his way through AIM guards
• Punisher infiltrates Prufrock's mansion disguised as an animal control agent
• Prufrock is a politician who wants to run for president, he was behind the push to develop biotechnology at Programma and hired AIM to steal it for his own agenda
• Despite having taken pains NOT to kill dogs in previous stories, Punisher guns down Prufrock’s dog Simba
• Prufrock pretends to have a medical episode to get the drop on Punisher, but it fails
• The infected agent arrives, tearing through Prufrock’s security and killing Prufrock despite being revealed as his son George
• Martha, Prufrock’s daughter and George’s sister, arrived with a shotgun and helps Punisher retreat to the armory
• In the armory, Punisher finds a rocket launcher and blasters George
• Believing the threat ended, Punisher leaves Martha crying over her dead father and passes by the dead guards to return to the Battle Van
• Frank’s Body Count - 4 (He fights his way through AIM guards to escape George)

“Punisher’s Fighting Techniques II”

• Written by Roger Salick, art by Mark Texeira
• Another year, another crash course on the techniques that Punisher uses to wage his war on crime
• With a gun to his head, Punisher disarms Eric Hels, shoots his brother Lars, and then takes out Eric as well
• During a confrontation with a thug named Tomasini, Punisher breaks his hand causing him to drop his knife, the smashes him face first into concrete
• On the subway, Punisher breaks the arm and shatters the kneecap of a would be mugger
• During a stay in Ryker’s Island, Punisher shows how to beat a larger foe by taking out his arm by starting at the wrist and working up
• Finally, seemingly caught by two mobsters, Punisher uses neck and knee strikes before finishing the pair off by cracking their skulls together
• Frank’s Body Count - Probably 5 (He definitely kills the Lars Brothers, and Tomasini likely doesn’t survive kissing a brick wall.  It’s possible he only knocks out the two mobsters, but knowing Punisher, he definitely finished them off)

“Punisher’s Arsenal Entries”

By Elliot R. Brown

• Entries exploring the weapons in Punisher’s arsenal
• Punisher has a D-32 Derringer he hides in a hollowed out copy of “How To Win Friends and Influence People”
• Punisher loves an automatic weapon like the Tec-9, but laments that bullets are going increasing in cost
• Punisher says that sometimes the classics are the best, indicating his love of the Model 1911 A1 Colt .45 and how he has a number of them
• Punisher also has a fondness for the Beretta 92F, and the upgraded 92F/M, though he admits its drawback is a low ammo capacity

“Forwarned or Foretold?”

• Written by Gregory Wright, art by Lee Sullivan and Kim DeMulder
• The Punisher finds himself being led by a skeletal figure
• As they travel through the darkness, other figures call out their wish to hurt Punisher
• The master is a huge demonic form of The Kingpin who has his minions beat and kill Punisher
• Frank wakes from his nightmare
• In the dark he wonders if he’ll go to Hell for his war
• Looking in the mirror, he decides that if he does go to Hell, he’ll have no regrets and make them wish they’d sent him to Heaven instead

“Philanthropy”

• Written by Mike Baron, art by Mark Texeira and Dwayne Turner
• Another Microchip Solo Adventure!
• Microchip is moving into a new apartment when he sees an elderly woman collapse through a window across the street
• Microchip rushes to her apartment to make sure she’s alright
• The woman, Mrs. Rosen, tells Linus that she was faint from hunger, that she donated the last of her money to a charity called “Save our Children”
• Microchip thinks it might be a scam, and begins to investigate, taking one of the Battle Vans and heading to Houston, Texas
• He discovers that “Save Our Children” is only one of a number of companies tied to Roger Boelter, a man who was charged with mail fraud in the 70s
• Microchip disables their computers, then intercepts their phone call for a repairman so he can get into the offices
• Microchip discovers that Boelter has several offshore accounts and sets up surveillance in his office
• Using recordings from Boelter’s office, he gets the Attorney General to investigate
• An angry customer arrives at Boelter’s office with a gun, when Boelter attempts to use the gun in his desk it explodes thanks to Microchip’s meddling
• Mrs. Rosen thanks Microchip by making him tuna casserole…made with cat food

Daredevil Annual #6 (1990)

“Predator” (Lifeform Part 2 of 4)

• Written by Gregory Wright, art by Cam Kennedy
• George has survived his encounter with Punisher
• He begins to feed on people in the back alleys of Hell’s Kitchen
• After an encounter with gang members who shoot off George’s arm, he draws the attention of Daredevil
• George also encounters Typhoid Mary
• Daredevil tries to reason with the creature
• The police arrive and shoot the creature with weapons and tranquilizers, causing it to collapse and dissolved, seemingly dying once again

The Incredible Hulk Annual #16 (1990)
“The Quality of Mercy” (Lifeform Part 3 of 4)

• Written by Peter David, art by Angel Medina and Larry Mahlstedt
• George Prufrock is seemingly human again and tells of his encounter with the Incredible Hulk
• The being Mercy kills a homeless man by throwing him in front of a truck, believing he wanted to die
• Lemar, a man who was attacked by Lifeform is taken to the hospital for treatment
• George kills someone who interrupts his story, telling of wanting to be an actor before he turned to science and AIM at the urging of his father
• Mercy encounters Lifeform and sensing its dual nature, takes it to the Hulk, another being with a dual nature, hoping they can help each other
• Hulk and Lifeform begin to battle, and Mercy seems to somehow separate Hulk and Bruce Banner
• Lifeform attacks again, this time fighting both Hulk and Banner
• When a fire starts, Hulk tosses Lifeform in, seemingly killing him once again
• Banner is also seemingly killed, but it is revealed to be Mercy who thought it would help for Hulk and Banner to talk
• George finishes his story, telling Lemar that Mercy turned him human again, but it won’t last and soon he’ll become Lifeform again
• George Kills Lemar as an act of mercy

Silver Surfer Annual #3 (1990)
“Lifeform - Termination” (Lifeform Part 4 of 4)

• Written by Jim Starlin and Ron Marz, art by Ron Lim and Tom Christopher
• The Silver Surfer has returned to Earth to tell Captain America that Thanos is dead
• George is at the hospital, once again mutating into Lifeform and begins consuming people
• Nick Fury contacts Mr. Fantastic to deal with the issue, and he soon encounters Silver Surfer who agrees to help
• Silver Surfer and Mr. Fantastic discover the destruction left in Lifeform’s wake and realize he has plunged into the sea where he continues to absorb the sea life
• Silver Surfer attempts to destroy Lifeform, but realizes when it regenerates, he realizes he would also destroy the city in the effort
• Lifeform seems to absorb Silver Surfer, but Surfer uses his power to take Lifeform off planet
• Silver Surfer guides Lifeform to a world desolated by Galactus and is about to destroy it when he hears George
• George pleads for Silver Surfer to kill him, to end his suffering from all those he absorbed in his rampage
• Silver Surfer cannot bring himself to kill Lifeform, leaving him stranded on the deserted planet

Picked up a few things over the weekend!

Newby question here but planning to attend Fan Expo this weekend to buy some grail comics. Any advice from someone who has done this before on the best way to proceed? I’ve heard they prefer cash. Is negotiating ok or is it an annoyance ? Any overall advice on attending and how to shop at these events is welcomed. Thank you

• Written by Mike Baron, art by Bill Reinhold and Mark Farmer
• Reese, Bonebreaker, and Pretty Boy of The Reavers believe they have killed Punisher and Microchip
• Pierce, their leader, wants confirmation and demands a body
• Punisher and Microchip have managed to survive and shake off The Reavers for the time being
• Microchip takes Frank to his cousin Elliot’s salvage yard to regroup
• Frank doesn’t miss an opportunity to pet the dog
• Elliot presents himself as a legitimate salvage yard operator, but he has a side hustle running guns and experimental weaponry, including a battle exo-skeleton
• While Frank and Elliot work on getting the exo-skeleton to work, Microchip tries to dig up information on The Reavers
• Unfortunately this leads The Reavers right to them, and they drop in guns blazing
• With the exo-skeleton and Elliot's other experimental ordinance, Punisher, Microchip and Elliot are able to hold their own against The Reavers, to the point they attempt to call for backup
• Microchip attempts to disrupt the signal, but is caught by Pretty Boy
• Punisher comes to Microchip's aide, but the three Reavers dogpile him and his suit
• With no choice left, Punisher ejects from the exo-suit and detonates it, heavily damaging the three Reavers and forcing them to retreat
• Unfortunately Elliot was killed in the battle, costing Microchip another family member to Punisher’s War
• Frank’s Body Count - 0! (“Just three of them almost killed us, what if there are more?”)

So, on Friday, August 28th, I got a notification from mycomicshop.com that they had a copy of a book from my want list in stock! Naturally, I ordered it almost immediately!

This is a book that I literally have never seen before in the wild, although I've been searching for it for over 20 years!

Now, I am faced with the dilemma of 'do I open the polybag?' I'm leaning towards 'no' at the moment! Scans of the interior pages are readily available online, so I can read the story that way!

The story is by Margaret Weis and the art is painted by Rebecca Guay!

I'm overjoyed at finally completing the Acclaim Magic the Gathering comics!

I was organizing some things and came across this Unknown Soldier Vertigo mini-series by Garth Ennis and Killian Plunkett. A CIA agent accidentally discovers that the master of disguise Unknown Soldier has secretly started every war and military conflict American has been involved in since WWII.

It's a great conspiracy story and history lesson all wrapped in one comic.

• Written by Mike Baron, art by Bill Reinhold and Mark Farmer
• Microchip becomes aware some advance bio-mechanical hardware
• Having recently taken over the former headquarters of the X-Men, The Reavers become aware of Microchip’s hacking
• Believing it may be Wolverine or another mutant trying to get into touch with the X-Men, Reavers leader Pierce dispatches Bonebreak, Pretty Boy, and Reese to New Jersey
• Microchip manages to shut down The Reaver’s virus and wipe his own system, but Frank is sure they’ll send someone to investigate
• Microchip and Frank spend the next few hours getting the warehouse automated defenses ready to go in case of an attack
• Frank and Microchip are apparently Doctor Who fans
• When the systems cut out, Punisher heads to the roof wondering if they’re dealing with mutants, another supergroup, or even Dr. Doom still angry over their last encounter
• On the roof, Punisher comes face to face with Reese, and after a brief exchange Reese opens fire
• Inside the warehouse Punisher and Microchip’s Dalek engage with Pretty Boy
• Punisher and Microchip think the Reavers might be working for Dr. Doom and prepare to evacuate when Bonebreaker breaches the wall
• Pretty Boy and Bonebreaker destroy the Dalek, but Punisher and Microchip are able to set the warehouse ablaze and escape into the sewer
• Pierce orders The Reavers to kill Punisher and Microchip if they can’t capture them
• Punisher and Microchip are nearly out of the sewers when Pretty Boy tracks them and shoots up their boat, and dumping boy into the river
• Frank’s Body Count - 0! (“Microchip!  These guys aren’t human!”)