The Punisher’s iconic skull logo has been adopted by members of the police and military for some time, brandished on their uniforms and vehicles in a variety of ways. But Gerry Conway, co-creator of the Marvel character, has long been an outspoken critic of this appropriation of Frank Castle’s iconography. And now Conway has launched a fundraising effort with the goal, as he puts it, to "claim this symbol for the cause of equal justice and Black Lives Matter." Conway has launched a new fundraising drive called Black Lives Matter: Skulls for Justice. Working with a number of artists, Conway has created T-shirts adorned with the Punisher logo and the Black lives Matter slogan, with proceeds going to Black Lives Matter-related charities. "For too long, symbols associated with a character I co-created have been co-opted by forces of oppression and to intimidate black Americans,” Conway writes on the site. “This character and symbol was never intended as a symbol of oppression. This is a symbol of a systematic failure of equal justice. It’s time to claim this symbol for the cause of equal justice and Black Lives Matter." Conway expanded on the mission behind the fundraiser on Twitter.
Why is Conway intent on reclaiming the Punisher logo? To answer that, it's worth taking a step back to examine the origins of the character and how the skull imagery has increasingly been co-opted by a variety of organizations.
The Punisher Is No Superhero
The Punisher was originally created by Conway and artists Ross Andru and John Romita, Sr. Debuting in 1974's The Amazing Spider-Man #129. Frank Castle was very unlike traditional Marvel heroes such as Spider-Man and very much a product of his cynical, post-Vietnam War era. Conway himself has pointed to Don Pendleton's book series The Executioner as being one of the main sources of inspiration for The Punisher, and it's no coincidence the character debuted the same year the Charles Bronson movie Death Wish hit theaters. Vigilante anti-heroes were in vogue at the time. Most versions of Punisher's origin story paint him as a decorated war veteran who returns home, only to see his family gunned down in the crossfire of a gang war. Disillusioned by the NYPD's inability to protect his family or bring their killers to justice, Frank adopts his iconic skull logo and begins a one-man war on crime. In effect, he's a serial killer who only targets other killers. [caption id="attachment_2363003" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Art by John Romita, Sr. (Image Credit: marvel)[/caption] As Conway alludes to in his introduction to Skulls for Justice, the Punisher was never intended to be portrayed as a hero or role model, but rather as a tragic example of a man failed by the system, and one who becomes a monster in order to fight other monsters. The character is frequently shown to be at odds with the more morally righteous heroes of the Marvel Universe. In particular, the Punisher has developed an ongoing rivalry with Daredevil. Frank respects Matt Murdock's commitment to justice, but he certainly doesn't share Matt's faith in the system. Their grim showdown in 2000's The Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank closely inspired the dynamic between Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle in Netflix's Daredevil: Season 2. 2006's Civil War crossover may best illustrate the uneasy relationship between the Punisher and the rest of the Marvel Universe. In that story, Frank briefly joins forces with Captain America's anti-registration faction, only to be savagely beaten by Cap after murdering two villains attempting to join their ranks. Frank refuses to fight back, revealing WWII veteran Steve Rogers to be the one hero the Punisher truly admires. [caption id="attachment_2363006" align="aligncenter" width="1393"]
Art by Steve McNiven. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption]
Why Is The Punisher So Popular Among the Police and Military?
Despite generally being portrayed as an anti-hero at best and an outright villain at worst, the Punisher developed widespread popularity in the 1980s and '90s, including among many members of the police and military. While he operates firmly outside the law, Frank's moral code normally prevents him from killing police officers or soldiers. In 2008's Punisher MAX: Valley Forge, Valley Forge, writer Garth Ennis and artist Goran Parlov built a conflict specifically around that idea that Frank won't allow himself to kill his brothers-in-arms. In that story, a group of corrupt generals assemble an elite team to arrest Frank, knowing full well the Punisher won't use lethal force against them. [caption id="attachment_2363005" align="aligncenter" width="1346"]
Art by Goran Parlov. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] That history of respect for cops and soldiers seems to have contributed to an adoration for the Punisher among members of the armed forces. CBR traces that phenomenon as far back as 1988's The Punisher #8, the first issue to feature a fan letter from an active serviceman. However, as both CBR and Time Magazine explore, the connection between the Punisher's skull logo and the military seems to have been cemented by the late Chris Kyle. A famous Navy SEAL sniper and author of the autobiography American Sniper (which later inspired by the 2013 film of the same name starring Bradley Cooper), Kyle was known for adorning his equipment with the Punisher emblem and even nicknaming his unit "The Punishers." “He righted wrongs. He killed bad guys. He made wrongdoers fear him,” Kyle wrote of Frank Castle. “We spray-painted [the skull logo] on our Hummers and body armor, and our helmets and all our guns. We spray-painted it on every building or wall we could, We wanted people to know, We’re here and we want to f*** with you.” The idea that Frank Castle is a person who "rights wrongs" certainly isn't supported by the vast majority of Punisher media, where he's depicted as a man motivated by an unquenchable thirst for revenge and a love of killing that supersedes even his attachment to his family. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-punisher-every-movie-and-tv-appearance&captions=true"] But despite this, many others have come to identify with Kyle's reading of the character in both the military and police organizations, especially as adaptations like the Netflix series and 2004's The Punisher movie have boosted the character's mainstream exposure. In perhaps the most alarming example of real life imitating art, members of the Milwaukee Police Department allegedly spearheaded a rogue vigilante group also dubbed "The Punishers" in 2004, prompting multiple internal investigations. The Blue Lives Matter movement arose in late 2014 in response to Black Lives Matter, with the group advocating for new laws requiring those convicted of killing members of law enforcement to be sentenced under hate crime statutes. It wasn't long before the Punisher logo was adopted as a defiant symbol of that camp. For example, a police department in Catlettsburg, Kentucky came under heavy criticism in 2017 for adorning police cruisers with Blue Lives Matter-themed Punisher logos. Another noteworthy incident came in October 2019, when a Dallas police officer was seen wearing a Punisher logo during a contentious community meeting. Conway vehemently condemned this growing association between the Punisher character and police organizations. [caption id="attachment_2363010" align="aligncenter" width="425"]
One of many Blue Lives Matter-themed Punisher items being sold on Amazon.[/caption] The Internet is now rife with Punisher merchandise like T-shirts, flags and pins, much of it apparently unlicensed and adorned with either patriotic colors or the blue, black and white colors of Blue Lives Matter. This merchandise has become increasingly prominent during protests and in the media, with Fox News' Sean Hannity spotted on more than one occasion wearing one of these pins during his broadcasts. However inappropriately, the Punisher has now become a rallying symbol of right-wing media, Blue Lives Matter and, based on the aforementioned reports about rogue Milwaukee police officers, even violent vigilante groups.
How Has Marvel Responded?
Given the rate at which the far-right and other groups have embraced the imagery of the Punisher, you might be wondering what Marvel Comics and parent company Disney have done to counteract this messaging and distance the Punisher character from these organizations. For all its reputation for being aggressively litigious on matters of copyright, Disney has done surprisingly little to speak out against this misuse of the logo or target the companies selling unlicensed merchandise. The Punisher may be second only to Calvin & Hobbes when it comes to the sheer glut of unlicensed merchandise, but Disney has made little public show of stemming the tide. Even Conway's Skulls for Justice fundraiser is purely a personal crusade on Conway's part. IGN confirmed with Marvel that the fundraiser isn't officially sanctioned by the publisher or parent company Disney. CBR's Brian Cronin speculates that Marvel may be limited in its options when it comes to cops and celebrities wearing bootleg Punisher pins. The company might face an uphill legal battle in arguing that the skull imagery itself is distinct enough to qualify as a protected trademark, and in any case, trademark law focuses more on those attempting to illegally profit from protected IP. That said, this doesn't explain why Marvel/Disney apparently aren't targeting the companies actually producing and selling the unlicensed merchandise. To date, Marvel's most overt attempt at speaking out against police officers co-opting the Punisher logo came within the pages of 2019's The Punisher #13. In that comic, from writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Szymon Kudranski, an injured Frank Castle is approached by two NYPD officers who reveal themselves to be rabid fans. To their surprise, Frank reacts with disgust, telling them, "We're not the same. You took an oath to uphold the law. I gave all that up a long time ago. You don't do what I do. Nobody does." [caption id="attachment_2362984" align="aligncenter" width="927"]
Art by Szymon Kudranksi. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] That scene seems to make Marvel's stance on the matter pretty clear. Unfortunately, the message may not be reaching the right eyes. According to industry analyst site Comichron, The Punisher #13 only sold 21,727 copies in July 2019, hardly among Marvel's best-selling titles, and surely a small fraction of the number of people who watched the Netflix series. Marvel clearly has a Punisher problem that isn't going away, and simply condemning the misuse and misrepresentation of the character within the comics themselves isn't enough. That’s why Conway created Skulls for Justice, seemingly with the hope that fundraiser will help spark larger conversations about who Frank Castle is and what he truly represents. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/11/19/marvels-the-punisher-season-1-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
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Why is Conway intent on reclaiming the Punisher logo? To answer that, it's worth taking a step back to examine the origins of the character and how the skull imagery has increasingly been co-opted by a variety of organizations.The Punisher Is No Superhero
The Punisher was originally created by Conway and artists Ross Andru and John Romita, Sr. Debuting in 1974's The Amazing Spider-Man #129. Frank Castle was very unlike traditional Marvel heroes such as Spider-Man and very much a product of his cynical, post-Vietnam War era. Conway himself has pointed to Don Pendleton's book series The Executioner as being one of the main sources of inspiration for The Punisher, and it's no coincidence the character debuted the same year the Charles Bronson movie Death Wish hit theaters. Vigilante anti-heroes were in vogue at the time. Most versions of Punisher's origin story paint him as a decorated war veteran who returns home, only to see his family gunned down in the crossfire of a gang war. Disillusioned by the NYPD's inability to protect his family or bring their killers to justice, Frank adopts his iconic skull logo and begins a one-man war on crime. In effect, he's a serial killer who only targets other killers. [caption id="attachment_2363003" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Art by John Romita, Sr. (Image Credit: marvel)[/caption] As Conway alludes to in his introduction to Skulls for Justice, the Punisher was never intended to be portrayed as a hero or role model, but rather as a tragic example of a man failed by the system, and one who becomes a monster in order to fight other monsters. The character is frequently shown to be at odds with the more morally righteous heroes of the Marvel Universe. In particular, the Punisher has developed an ongoing rivalry with Daredevil. Frank respects Matt Murdock's commitment to justice, but he certainly doesn't share Matt's faith in the system. Their grim showdown in 2000's The Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank closely inspired the dynamic between Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle in Netflix's Daredevil: Season 2. 2006's Civil War crossover may best illustrate the uneasy relationship between the Punisher and the rest of the Marvel Universe. In that story, Frank briefly joins forces with Captain America's anti-registration faction, only to be savagely beaten by Cap after murdering two villains attempting to join their ranks. Frank refuses to fight back, revealing WWII veteran Steve Rogers to be the one hero the Punisher truly admires. [caption id="attachment_2363006" align="aligncenter" width="1393"]
Art by Steve McNiven. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption]Why Is The Punisher So Popular Among the Police and Military?
Despite generally being portrayed as an anti-hero at best and an outright villain at worst, the Punisher developed widespread popularity in the 1980s and '90s, including among many members of the police and military. While he operates firmly outside the law, Frank's moral code normally prevents him from killing police officers or soldiers. In 2008's Punisher MAX: Valley Forge, Valley Forge, writer Garth Ennis and artist Goran Parlov built a conflict specifically around that idea that Frank won't allow himself to kill his brothers-in-arms. In that story, a group of corrupt generals assemble an elite team to arrest Frank, knowing full well the Punisher won't use lethal force against them. [caption id="attachment_2363005" align="aligncenter" width="1346"]
Art by Goran Parlov. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] That history of respect for cops and soldiers seems to have contributed to an adoration for the Punisher among members of the armed forces. CBR traces that phenomenon as far back as 1988's The Punisher #8, the first issue to feature a fan letter from an active serviceman. However, as both CBR and Time Magazine explore, the connection between the Punisher's skull logo and the military seems to have been cemented by the late Chris Kyle. A famous Navy SEAL sniper and author of the autobiography American Sniper (which later inspired by the 2013 film of the same name starring Bradley Cooper), Kyle was known for adorning his equipment with the Punisher emblem and even nicknaming his unit "The Punishers." “He righted wrongs. He killed bad guys. He made wrongdoers fear him,” Kyle wrote of Frank Castle. “We spray-painted [the skull logo] on our Hummers and body armor, and our helmets and all our guns. We spray-painted it on every building or wall we could, We wanted people to know, We’re here and we want to f*** with you.” The idea that Frank Castle is a person who "rights wrongs" certainly isn't supported by the vast majority of Punisher media, where he's depicted as a man motivated by an unquenchable thirst for revenge and a love of killing that supersedes even his attachment to his family. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-punisher-every-movie-and-tv-appearance&captions=true"] But despite this, many others have come to identify with Kyle's reading of the character in both the military and police organizations, especially as adaptations like the Netflix series and 2004's The Punisher movie have boosted the character's mainstream exposure. In perhaps the most alarming example of real life imitating art, members of the Milwaukee Police Department allegedly spearheaded a rogue vigilante group also dubbed "The Punishers" in 2004, prompting multiple internal investigations. The Blue Lives Matter movement arose in late 2014 in response to Black Lives Matter, with the group advocating for new laws requiring those convicted of killing members of law enforcement to be sentenced under hate crime statutes. It wasn't long before the Punisher logo was adopted as a defiant symbol of that camp. For example, a police department in Catlettsburg, Kentucky came under heavy criticism in 2017 for adorning police cruisers with Blue Lives Matter-themed Punisher logos. Another noteworthy incident came in October 2019, when a Dallas police officer was seen wearing a Punisher logo during a contentious community meeting. Conway vehemently condemned this growing association between the Punisher character and police organizations. [caption id="attachment_2363010" align="aligncenter" width="425"]
One of many Blue Lives Matter-themed Punisher items being sold on Amazon.[/caption] The Internet is now rife with Punisher merchandise like T-shirts, flags and pins, much of it apparently unlicensed and adorned with either patriotic colors or the blue, black and white colors of Blue Lives Matter. This merchandise has become increasingly prominent during protests and in the media, with Fox News' Sean Hannity spotted on more than one occasion wearing one of these pins during his broadcasts. However inappropriately, the Punisher has now become a rallying symbol of right-wing media, Blue Lives Matter and, based on the aforementioned reports about rogue Milwaukee police officers, even violent vigilante groups.How Has Marvel Responded?
Given the rate at which the far-right and other groups have embraced the imagery of the Punisher, you might be wondering what Marvel Comics and parent company Disney have done to counteract this messaging and distance the Punisher character from these organizations. For all its reputation for being aggressively litigious on matters of copyright, Disney has done surprisingly little to speak out against this misuse of the logo or target the companies selling unlicensed merchandise. The Punisher may be second only to Calvin & Hobbes when it comes to the sheer glut of unlicensed merchandise, but Disney has made little public show of stemming the tide. Even Conway's Skulls for Justice fundraiser is purely a personal crusade on Conway's part. IGN confirmed with Marvel that the fundraiser isn't officially sanctioned by the publisher or parent company Disney. CBR's Brian Cronin speculates that Marvel may be limited in its options when it comes to cops and celebrities wearing bootleg Punisher pins. The company might face an uphill legal battle in arguing that the skull imagery itself is distinct enough to qualify as a protected trademark, and in any case, trademark law focuses more on those attempting to illegally profit from protected IP. That said, this doesn't explain why Marvel/Disney apparently aren't targeting the companies actually producing and selling the unlicensed merchandise. To date, Marvel's most overt attempt at speaking out against police officers co-opting the Punisher logo came within the pages of 2019's The Punisher #13. In that comic, from writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Szymon Kudranski, an injured Frank Castle is approached by two NYPD officers who reveal themselves to be rabid fans. To their surprise, Frank reacts with disgust, telling them, "We're not the same. You took an oath to uphold the law. I gave all that up a long time ago. You don't do what I do. Nobody does." [caption id="attachment_2362984" align="aligncenter" width="927"]
Art by Szymon Kudranksi. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] That scene seems to make Marvel's stance on the matter pretty clear. Unfortunately, the message may not be reaching the right eyes. According to industry analyst site Comichron, The Punisher #13 only sold 21,727 copies in July 2019, hardly among Marvel's best-selling titles, and surely a small fraction of the number of people who watched the Netflix series. Marvel clearly has a Punisher problem that isn't going away, and simply condemning the misuse and misrepresentation of the character within the comics themselves isn't enough. That’s why Conway created Skulls for Justice, seemingly with the hope that fundraiser will help spark larger conversations about who Frank Castle is and what he truly represents. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/11/19/marvels-the-punisher-season-1-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Continue reading...