Issue(s): Punisher Holiday Special #1
Cover Date: Jan 93
Title: "Red Christmas / Armed salvation"
Credits:
Steven Grant / Eric Fein - Writer
John Hebert / J.J. Birch - Penciler
Rodney Ramos / J.J. Birch - Inker
Tim Tuohy - Assistant Editor
Don Daley - Editor

Review/plot:
Yes, it's true: three regular series, an annual, a Summer Special, a Back To School Special (!), and countless graphic novels and guest appearances weren't enough. Punisher also needed a Holiday Special. I guess when you combine the Summer, Back To School, and Holiday Specials, it's no different than Punisher getting an Unlimited book, or it's even a sign of restraint, since the Unlimited books were quarterly. My original cynical thought was that the Specials were the explanation for why Punisher is underrepresented in Marvel Comics Presents; Marvel figured it would be more profitable to shunt any Punisher stories to a separate book that they could sell at a premium cover price. But the truth is that while there are short stories in these Specials, there's at least one full-length story in each issue, too. So original content was being generated for these.

Granted, for the Punisher, "original content" just means new people to shoot. The first story has the son of a mobster that the Punisher killed setting a trap for the Punisher in a shopping mall. This allows the Punisher to express some opinions on the commercialization of Christmas...

...and shoot a bunch of people in the face.

He does get into the spirit of the season.

There's also a runaway teenage girl hiding in the mall, and he plays Santa to her...

...and in the end makes sure she goes back to her mother and presses charges against her abusive father.

I did get a good gift idea while looking at the ads in the mall. I hope i can still get this action figure on eBay.

A second, shorter, story also takes place circa Christmas, but the Punisher has gone to a small town in Maine, so i guess he's got a really busy holiday season. He's keeping an eye on a family whose father become a witness against the mob, and he makes sure that the mob's hitmen don't kill him. Merry Christmas!

The boy in the family isn't happy about having to leave his old home because of his dad, but the Punisher sets him straight. Such a nice role model.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: It's Christmas!

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A