What the Story Is About

The miniseries picks up shortly after Spider-Man and the Punisher's first meeting, a fight that has been reinterpreted and referenced across decades of Marvel storytelling. This time, circumstance rather than choice throws Frank Castle and Peter Parker back into each other's orbit: an ally from Castle's past needs help, and that need is enough to force an uneasy, temporary alliance between a hero who refuses to kill and one who rarely hesitates to.

Marvel has billed the series as delivering big action alongside genuine character surprises, with both men learning things about each other they did not know the first time around. The tension between their opposing codes, one built on restraint and one built on retribution, is the emotional engine driving the conflict.

The Creative Team

Dan Abnett, a veteran writer known for his extensive work across Marvel's cosmic titles and beyond, said he had not written the Punisher since the character's Year One era back in the 1990s, making this a return to a character he has history with. Artist Matteo Della Fonte handles the visuals, tasked with balancing the grounded brutality of Punisher's world against the acrobatic superheroics of Spider-Man's.

The pairing gives the miniseries a slightly old-school sensibility, leaning into the street-level crime drama roots that made the Castle-Parker rivalry compelling in the first place, rather than treating it as a straightforward crossover event.

Why Marvel Is Revisiting This Rivalry Now

The timing is not a coincidence. Punisher vs. Spider-Man #1 ties directly into the lead-up to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the next MCU Spider-Man film opening July 31 with Jon Bernthal reprising the Punisher. Marvel has a long history of using comic tie-ins to build hype around film releases, and pairing these two characters on the page just as they share the screen again gives the miniseries an obvious commercial hook alongside its creative one.

Conclusion

Punisher vs. Spider-Man #1 gives Dan Abnett a chance to revisit a character he has not written in decades, paired with a story that taps into one of Marvel's most durable rivalries right as it becomes relevant again on the big screen. It is a solid pickup for fans of street-level Marvel stories looking for something with real stakes.

FAQ

When did Punisher vs. Spider-Man #1 release?

The first issue went on sale July 15, 2026.

Who is writing Punisher vs. Spider-Man?

Dan Abnett is writing the five-issue miniseries, with art by Matteo Della Fonte.

How many issues will the miniseries have?

It is planned as a five-issue miniseries.

Is this connected to a previous Punisher and Spider-Man story?

Yes, it follows up on their original clash from Amazing Spider-Man #129.

Does this tie into any upcoming movies?

Yes, it releases alongside the lead-up to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which features Jon Bernthal as the Punisher.

Has Dan Abnett written the Punisher before?

Yes, though he noted this is his first time writing the character since the Punisher: Year One era in the 1990s.

Skybound and Image Comics have revealed a first look at Ghost Pepper #13, arriving July 29, 2026, and kicking off what the publisher is calling the series' biggest story arc to date. Titled "The World Needs a Champion... But None Remains!", the new arc follows the fallout of the previous issue's shocking ending and introduces a major new character who is set to shake up the entire cast.

What Happens in the New Arc

After the previous issue left the world without a champion, chaos takes hold, and into that vacuum walks a mysterious traveler with an oddly specific goal: tasting Loloi's famous spicy cooking. That setup opens the door for a new arc that creator, writer, artist, and letterer Ludo Lullabi has been building toward, with colorist Adriano Lucas continuing to bring the series' distinct visual style to life.

The arc also introduces Ax, a new character described as having waited in the shadows for a long time before finally making her entrance. According to the creative team, Ax's arrival is going to deeply shake the world of Ghost Pepper, suggesting a shift in the series' status quo heading into its next chapter.

Variant Covers and Presentation

For every issue in the new arc, Image Comics and Skybound are releasing a 90s trading card-themed variant cover from artist Cliff Rathburn. Each variant is designed like a collectible trading card featuring a different character from the Ghost Pepper cast, including new arrival Ax, giving longtime readers and collectors an extra reason to pick up each issue as the arc unfolds.

Conclusion

Ghost Pepper #13 sets up what Skybound and Image Comics are billing as the series' most ambitious arc so far, pairing a status quo-shaking new character with a nostalgic variant cover gimmick. Issue #13 arrives in comic shops July 29, 2026.

How the Series Got Here

Absolute Martian Manhunter launched in March 2025 as part of DC's Absolute Universe imprint, which reimagines core DC characters in darker, alternate-continuity versions. What started as a planned six-issue story expanded to twelve issues after Camp and Rodriguez's take on the character found strong critical and commercial reception. The series became known for blending surrealist psychological horror with psychedelic noir visuals, using its central character to explore free will, identity, mental health, and fatherhood over the course of its run.

That expansion from six issues to twelve is notable in itself. Publishers don't often let a "done in six" pitch grow to double its original length unless the numbers and the reviews both support it, and DC clearly let Camp and Rodriguez finish the story on their own terms rather than cutting it short or padding it out for the sake of a schedule.

What Happens in Issue 12

The finale brings together Absolute Batman, Absolute Superman, and Absolute Wonder Woman in a single issue for the first time in the series, a payoff that ties Martian Manhunter's story back into the wider Absolute Universe. According to Camp, this convergence was built toward specifically for the ending, rather than functioning as a random cameo-driven send-off.

Reviewers have described the issue as a satisfying and thematically consistent close to a story about identity, control, and the way isolated "bad ideas" can ripple outward. It's a heavier, more meditative finale than a typical superhero team-up, in keeping with the tone the series held throughout its run.

What's Next for Camp and Rodriguez

Popverse reported that the Absolute Martian Manhunter finale is already setting up another collaboration between Camp and Rodriguez, though full details on that follow-up project had not been disclosed at time of the finale's release. Given the acclaim the series built up, DC has strong incentive to keep the creative team working together in some form.

Conclusion

Absolute Martian Manhunter wrapped its story with issue 12, closing out a twelve-issue run that grew well beyond its original pitch on the strength of Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez's work. The finale's crossover with Absolute Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman gives the series a fitting send-off within DC's Absolute Universe.

One of Vertigo's most acclaimed crime series is back. 100 Bullets: The US of Anger #1 hit shelves July 1, 2026, reuniting the multiple Eisner Award-winning team of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso for an eight-issue limited series that picks up the story of Lono, one of the few survivors of the original series' bloody endgame.

Story and Setup

The new series follows Lono, who barely survived the fall of the Trust in the original 100 Bullets run and has spent the years since drifting far from home. His former protege, Loop Hughes, was the only other person smart enough to walk away clean. Now Lono is back, moving through a landscape of good ol' boys, militias, megachurches, millionaires, and madmen as he hunts through a version of America that feels more fractured than ever. Azzarello and Risso are using the miniseries to cut directly into the tensions of the present day, a sharp departure from the neo-noir crime focus of the original 2000s run while keeping the same brutal moral ambiguity that made the series a cult classic.

Visual Style and Creative Team

The series marks a visual shift as well, rendered in stark black and white for the first time in the franchise's history, giving Risso's artwork a starker, more immediate edge. The book is written by Brian Azzarello with art by Eduardo Risso, lettering by Clem Robins, a main cover by Dave Johnson, and variant covers from Frank Miller, Jock, and Risso himself, rounding out a creative team stacked with some of the most respected names in the industry.

Why the Revival Matters

100 Bullets ran for 100 issues under DC's Vertigo imprint and is widely regarded as one of the defining crime comics of its era, known for its morally gray characters and slow-burn conspiracy plotting. Bringing back the original creative team for a direct continuation, rather than a reboot or new creative direction, signals DC's continued willingness to lean on its Vertigo legacy titles for prestige, creator-driven storytelling outside the mainline superhero universe.

Conclusion

100 Bullets: The US of Anger reunites one of comics' most respected creative teams for a story that trades 2000s neo-noir for a blunt reckoning with modern America. With Lono back in the spotlight and a striking new black-and-white visual approach, the eight-issue series is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about comic revivals of the year.

Sat, May 3, 2025

Free Comic Book Day is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and has historically been cross-promoted with the release of a superhero film.

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