Issue(s): Punisher #88
Cover Date: Mar 94
Title: "Past the point of rescue"
Credits:
Steven Grant - Writer
Hugh Haynes - Penciler
Mark McKenna & Mick Gray - Inker
Freddy Mendez - Assistant Editor
Don Daley - Editor

Review/plot:
The Punisher has gained 100 lbs of pure muscle on the cover of this issue compared to the cover of the last chapter.

The Cullen gang is one of the many criminal groups that has descended upon the town that the Punisher is in. With them is Jimmy Pierce, their "Hitman" Punisher. Pierce has been shooting up other criminal operations for the Cullens, but he hasn't actually killed anyone. They then run into Lynn Michaels and Payback, and the Cullens shoot them up.

They aren't actually dead. They're found by Sheriff Bendix, but Bendix doesn't stop to help. He's bringing his daughter to safety. But he does direct Payback to the local mortician, who helps patch up stabilize the comatose Michaels.

Meanwhile, a group of law enforcement agents, including VIGIL, have gathered outside the town. They contact the sheriff and tell him that they are using the town as a roach motel.

It almost seems like they're planning to firebomb the town or something. The sheriff even gets his family to a Cold War era bomb shelter. But in the final chapter it'll turn out that they're just planning to swarm the town all at once. I don't know what they're waiting for; all the "roaches" are already there.

Outlaw is also in town, and so is Dean Swaybrick (Yuppunisher) who is looking for vengeance against Pierce for the outdated reason that Pierce, by also posing as a Punisher, ruined his ability to pose as the Punisher's successor.

But Swaybrick's men abandon him in the chaos, and Pierce winds up killing him. Pierce himself is then shot in the back by Lt. Blackwell.

Pierce will actually survive and have a few more appearances in the stories following Suicide Run

The Punisher then attacks Blackwell. Outlaw was getting beaten up by a bunch of thugs, but the fight between Punisher and Blackwell lures them away.

We haven't had a scorecard in a while, but this issue has one. It says the Punisher has had 96 kills, and gives 0 points to the Bad Guys, VIGIL, and the Cops. I don't know, the game seems rigged. The Bad Guys killed a lot of Cops last issue. I guess they can only score points by killing the Punisher or maybe the copycats. Doesn't seem fair.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part nine of Suicide Run. Part ten is in Punisher War Journal #64.

References: N/A

Crossover: Suicide Run

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A