Issue(s): Punisher War Journal #42
Cover Date: May 92
Title: "Ten-to-one"
Credits:
Chuck Dixon - Writer
Todd Fox - Penciler
Fred Fredericks - Inker
Tim Tuohy - Assistant Editor
Don Daley - Editor

Review/plot:
The Punisher is driving a taxi, on his way to meet an informant, when he notices an Irish mobster that he's been after. So he turns the taxi around to chase the mobster.

The Irish mob are on their way to do business with a Korean mob, in what will turn out to be a set-up...

...and in the same building as the Koreans, a kid shows up to try to get his sneakers back from some black drug-dealers.

So the Punisher winds up in the middle of a multi-side shoot out.

On top of all the gangs, there are also a pair of cops, the older of which is just waiting for retirement day and doesn't want to do anything.

Punisher doesn't shoot the kid.

The cops come out when it's all over, and find everyone else dead.

Punisher never makes it to the informant he was originally heading towards, though.

The use of the taxi, a call back to an earlier Punisher story, is interesting in that it turns out to not be all that relevant to anything going on. I'm always happy to see a little "continuity", but i just find it interesting to see a reference to a comic just for the sake of it in a Punisher book, where previous stories are rarely acknowledged.

This is kind of a messy story. Chuck Dixon is the regular writer, but we're in a period where there's no regular artist, and Todd Fox isn't anything spectacular here.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Punisher did the taxi thing before, in Punisher #45, but he's using a new taxi and medallion number this time.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Thanks for the 'Cullens' scan, fnord! I won't forget this!