Issue(s): Classic Punisher #1 (New story only)
Cover Date: Dec 89
Title: "Kites"
Credits:
Mike Baron - Writer
Mike Vosburg - Penciler
Mike Vosburg & Don Cameron - Inker
Marc McLaurin - Assistant Editor
Carl Potts - Editor

Review/plot:
Thanks to the Dolph Lungren Punisher movie, Marvel was reprinting a lot of his older stories. That includes his more Marvel universe oriented material in Marvel Tales, his more "serious" stuff in the Punisher Magazine (including the Circle of Blood miniseries and select stories from the Punisher and Punisher War Journal series), and this issue which reprinted the stories from Marvel's older black & white magazines, Marvel Preview #2 and Marvel Super Action #1. This issue also includes a new 8 page story which is also mostly a retrospective but does include a nice human moment for Punisher and his ally Microchip.

Art credits for this are a bit muddled. The table of content page credits the art to Russ Heath. But credits on the opening splash credit (Mike) Vosburg for art. There's also a panel signed "Voz & Cameron" which means Don Cameron was probably doing background inks as he did with Vosburg on Cloak and Dagger #8. Based on the signature and my limited art recognition abilities, i've listed Vosburg and Cameron in the credits, not Heath.

The story has Punisher in the park flying a kite as a way to remember his dead family, as we saw him do before in Punisher War Journal #1.

His kite is then "attacked" by another kite, and when the Punisher goes to see who was flying that kite, he finds a case of beer and a note instead.

The note tells him to return next Friday. The beer's brand is "Broken Hill", from Australia, so Punisher initially wonders if the beer was left by someone from Australia that he's crossed paths with, but he can't think of anyone. We also see him looking into some non-Australian foes.

Next Friday, someone shows up to attack the Punisher's kite again, but they don't come to claim the beer he brought when he lets them win.

Instead he finds another case of beer left by the mystery kite flyer, this time a case of Sapporo from Japan. That puts him down the path of looking for Japanese foes.

Ultimately, though, it turns out the kite attacker is none other than Microchip.

It turns out that it's the anniversary of the death of Micro's son (Microchip Jr.).

Obviously it's not much of a story, but there is something about watching two grown men not very good about dealing with their emotions communicating with kites that i think makes a certain sort of sense.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Since Punisher is aware of the Eternal Sun, this must take place after Punisher #24-25. Yes, he fought the Eternal Sun earlier, in Punisher War Journal #9, but he didn't really seem to learn anything about them (or he was really polite when he listened to Master Yakamoto explain it all over again in Punisher #24) and he definitely didn't learn that Iris Green was working for them at that point. Iris Green is thought to be dead at this point, but it makes more sense for Punisher to think she might have survived than to have him associate her with the Eternal Sun prior to Punisher #24-25.

References:

• The main Australian foe that Punisher considers is the Spider from Punisher #19.
  
• In addition to the Kingpin and Jigsaw (who have had too many run-in with the Punisher for me to count their mugshot appearances as references), we also see the big Japanese bodyguard from Punisher #8-9. That was also the arc where Microchip Jr. died.
  
• Punisher learned that Iris Green was working with the Eternal Sun in Punisher #24-25.
  
• Microchip raises the possibility that the kite attacker is someone playing a joke on him, but the only person Punisher can think of who might play a joke is Vern Brooks, who first appeared in Punisher #14 and is now living in Oklahoma (and didn't exactly part on great terms with Frank after Punisher #18). Microchip also suggests Jason Hunt, from Punisher War Journal #1-3.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A