Issue(s): Punisher War Zone #24
Cover Date: Feb 94
Title: "Shhh!"
Credits:
Larry Hama - Writer
John Buscema & Val Mayerik - Penciler
Art Nichols - Inker
Tim Tuohy - Assistant Editor
Don Daley - Editor

Review/plot:
At the start of this issue it's confirmed that the body that was found last issue isn't really the Punisher's. It's wearing the Punisher's costume, but it had bulletholes on the chest and no holes in the costume, so the costume was put on post-mortem. The FBI try to keep the fact that the Punisher is alive a secret, in part so that they don't lose funding. The mortician who discovered the truth suggests burning the building down (in return for a bribe). The FBI don't respond to his offer, but later the building is burnt down anyway.

In the meantime, Outlaw has made it to the US...

... he gets some weapons for himself.

His accent is absolutely off the wall.

Right nearby, the actual Punisher is seen by a young girl.

He hitches a ride on her (i'm assuming) aunt's van back to her dad's house, and hides in her treehouse. The girl, Amy, is "special".

And her dad is a small town sheriff who eventually figures out that she's taking care of what he assumes to be a vagrant.

Meanwhile, Outlaw tails the Cullen gang, but VIGIL is tailing Outlaw, and it devolves into a shooting match between VIGIL and the Cullens. A lot of these subplots, though, don't really go anywhere, i guess because each book focuses on a different subset of characters and by the time we get back to the next issue of this series, too much time would have passed for a direct continuation. It's not super-important, though. We get a general sense of what all the players are up to and the mindless violence quota for the issue is filled.

Statement of Ownership Total Paid Circulation: Average of Past 12 months = 196,750. Single issue closest to filing date = 147,900.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part five of Suicide Run. Part six is in Punisher #87.

References: N/A

Crossover: Suicide Run

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Do we ever get an explanation for exactly what happened with the destruction of Manhattan Tower, how the Punisher survived, and what was up with the fake body?

The Punisher didn't seem to do anything special to survive. He seemed willing to accept that he might die, and i guess it was just luck that he didn't. The body is just one of the goons whose head was smashed by an I-beam. He put his costume on it to perpetuate the assumption that he was dead.