Punisher is one of the most controversial heroes in Marvel. Violent, tortured, and always with a weapon in hand, he has always been a discordant note in the Marvel universe. One that has added many shades to other superheroes and has allowed for the exploration of darker and more adult themes that are usually not permitted for superheroes, especially those more grounded in the virtue of not harming anyone while working alone.
But its creator, Gerry Conway, was never afraid to talk about delicate topics. Something he demonstrated in a long career full of exceptional creations, both in terms of characters and stories, which have made him a figure of great importance in the history of comics. Even more so now, as he has left us.
Deceased this April at the age of 73, for unknown reasons but after years of battling cancer, he leaves behind an amazing career in comics that has changed superheroes forever. This is something we are going to talk about today so that a man who was Punisher, but was much more, does not fall into oblivion. Because his importance goes far beyond a single creation.
A very young creator
Conway began working in the world of comics at the age of 16, writing the story Aaron Philips’ Photo Finish in issue 81 of DC Comics’ House of Secrets in 1969. His first superhero comic would be for Marvel, where he would write issue 72 of Daredevil in January 1971, and in May of that same year he would write the first issue of Savage Tales, where the Man-Thing would appear for the first time, the first character created by him. The creation of both the character and the comic would be attributed to Conway as well as to Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gray Morrow.
His great year will be, however, 1972. Because in addition to writing the first issue of the popular comic The Tomb of Dracula, he will take charge of one of Marvel’s most important series, if not the most important: The Amazing Spider-Man.
Conway was only 19 years old and no one had touched Spider-Man until then except for Stan Lee. But between issues 111 and 149, which were from August 1972 to October 1975, he left an indelible mark on the character. He was the one who signed off on the death of Gwen Stacy in issue 121 in June 1973, and he also created The Jackal, a villain who still appears from time to time in Spider-Man stories, and more importantly, he created a Spider-Man antagonist who would soon become much more than that: Frank Castle, aka Punisher.
A man named Frank Castle
Created by Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru, the character’s first appearance was in issue 129 of The Amazing Spider-Man, in February 1974. Presented as a vigilante, heavily inspired by the protagonist of the Executioner novels of a Vietnam veteran seeking revenge against the Mafia for murdering his family, he was a brutal contrast to everything that had been seen in superhero comics until then. He was violent and had ideas that were completely opposed to what superheroes did, especially one like Spider-Man, which led to constant clashes.
With the design sketched by Conway himself and later completed by John Romita Sr., who was inspired by the comic Black Terror by Richard E. Hughes and Don Gabrielson, the character was already more or less everything we know him to be. A tortured man with expedient methods, but in his first appearance, he attempted the unthinkable: to kill Spider-Man for considering him too soft. Something he did not achieve, and they clashed on several occasions.
Although Frank Castle is a character that will be developed in detail by other authors —in particular, Garth Ennis, Mike Baron, and Greg Rucka—, Conway would develop all the details upon which later authors would build. Creating one of the most iconic characters in history.
His career was far from over there, even if that is his most notable point. He worked on numerous Marvel and DC comics, on a popular Star Trek comic strip for years, and even worked both on the script and production of some of the most well-known and popular television series of the 80s and 90s, such as Matlock, Hercules, or Law and Order. Demonstrating that his genius went beyond the pages of the comic.
After his passing, he will undoubtedly be remembered for his work on the creation of Punisher. Perhaps also for his excellent work on Spider-Man. But Conway is much more than that. He was an excellent writer who showed that comics could be deeper and more complex than what was being done until then. Also television. And for that, we should be grateful.
