Issue(s): Punisher War Journal #29, Punisher War Journal #30
Cover Date: Apr-May 91
Title: "Crash and burn" / "Spin cycle"
Credits:
Mike Baron - Writer
Mark Texeira - Penciler
Mark Texeira - Inker
Kevin Kobasic - Assistant Editor
Don Daley - Editor

Review/plot:
As with the last issue, the art is credited to "Tex", which means Mark Texeira and a number of other artists in his studio.

The Punisher has heard about Ghost Rider's popularity and is doing his best to emulate him.

Actually, the guy he's chasing is doing an even better job.

And that brings out the real one (these guys already know each other from Ghost Rider #5-6).

Ghost Rider tells Punisher that the motorcyclist was from a drug gang called the Roaring Island. They operate out of a mobile drug factory on a giant truck, surrounded by other vehicles. They have EMP technology and use it to shut down technology in the area when they approach so that the police can't follow them. Their drug is a designer drug called Spin, said to be worse than Crank. Punisher is aware of Roaring Island, but after they share information, Ghost Rider leaves, not wanting to partner with anyone. So Punisher infiltrates the group on his own, after taking a pre-emptive antidote for Spin designed by Micro.

We saw that the Punisher doesn't like hip-hop from Punisher #44. He's also not into John Cage.

After infiltrating the group, he goes back to Micro, who is posing as a customer. Micro gives him software that will disable the group's EMP software. Punisher also puts the word out that he's looking for the Ghost Rider (by telling a random guy in Queens that happens to be Danny Ketch). When Ghost Rider catches up with him, he nearly attacks the Punisher for dealing drugs and does convince the Punisher to go to confession.

Punisher forgets to press Enter when deploying Micro's software virus, but things eventually settle themselves.

The Roaring Island is destroyed. Ghost Rider leaves, telling the Punisher that he'll be watching him.

Storywise it's the usual stuff for a Punisher comic. I think it's probably unrealistic but also funny how cavalier the Punisher is about the Ghost Rider. And the issue is enhanced by the "Tex" art, which makes the book look more like Ghost Rider's than the Punisher's.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Interesting how Frank thinks the Penance Stare might not work on him. In New Thunderbolts, Ghost Rider tried to use the Penance Stare on Frank, and Frank shrugged it off, saying "I regret nothing". A lot of people (including me) had a problem with that but I suppose you could argue there's some support for that here.

Of course Punisher regrets nothing. He is a psychopath. That is what psychos _do_: fail to regret things.

But the point is that we've seen the Penance Stare work on people like the Leader, so simply regretting nothing in and of itself shouldn't be enough to protect him from the stare.

From the wiki entry on Ghost Rider - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Rider_(Danny_Ketch)
"As the Ghost Rider, Ketch can use his Penance Stare — the ability to cause others to experience a level of emotional pain equivalent to that which they have caused others as a result of illegal or immoral or unjust activities."
I would theorize that the Punisher doesn't believe what he is doing is illegal, immoral, or unjust. That could explain why it wouldn't work on him.