WEBVTT
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Alright, so we are going to get into The Punisher
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number 15, on sale date September 20th, 1988. Title of
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the story is To Topple the Kingpin, written by Mike Barron,
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penciled by Wills Portacio, inked by Scott Williams, lettered by
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Kenneth Rusanak. So to kind of give you an idea
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here of the characters we're.
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Going to be getting in this issue.
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First up, of course, is Frank Castle, the Punisher. No
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introduction really needed there. Continuing his one-man war on crime,
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this time he's setting his sights on one of the
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biggest figures in the Marvel criminal underworld. Alongside him is Microchip,
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Frank's technical expert, weapon supplier, and probably the closest thing
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Frank has to a partner. Micro handles the computers, the equipment,
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and a lot of the logistical work that keeps the
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Punisher's operation running. Then... we've got Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin.
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One of the most powerful crime bosses around, has an
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organization that reaches far beyond the streets of New York,
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and Frank's been aware of him for quite a while.
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But in this issue, the two of them are finally starting.
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To move directly against one another.
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Working for the Kingpin is Wesley, one of Fisk's trusted
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men who helps oversee the day-to-day business of his criminal organization.
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We're also introduced to a new character by the name
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of Mr. Klieg, He'll be a specialist that's brought in
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by the Kingpin and then comes across as somebody who's
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very confident in his abilities and very well prepared for
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dangerous work. Returning from the previous issue is Reese McDowell,
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one of the students from the school where Frank had
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been posing as a substitute teacher. Reese is young, angry,
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and already showed that he has interest in taking the
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fight directly to the criminals around him. Also returning is
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our teacher. Finally get his name, it's Vernon Brooks. He's
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a chemistry teacher who has watched his neighborhood change for
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the worse over the years, and he's somebody who still
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wants to believe he can make a difference. And finally,
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we have Conchita Ortiz, the widow of Luis Ortiz, a
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man from Frank's past we met just a few issues ago.
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Conchita has already been touched personally by the kind of
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violence Frank deals with, and she's certainly not someone who
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is unfamiliar with weapons or danger. So we've got Frank
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and Microchip on one side, the Kingpin and his organization
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on the other, and a handful of new and returning
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characters who are about to get pulled into the middle
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of this growing war. With that, let's get into Punisher
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number 15 to topple the Kingpin. We open with Wilson
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Fisk the Kingpin already in a bad mood. He's shirtless,
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working through some martial arts exercises and smashing large stones
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with his bare hands while one of his men delivers
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some pretty unpleasant news. one of Kingpin's men from the
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high school has reported back. And they reported specifically that
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the Punisher infiltrated the place by posing as a substitute teacher.
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The Kingpin's assistant can't resist pointing out that he had
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warned Fisk about using a bunch of undisciplined teenagers for
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something this important.
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That turns out to be a mistake.
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The Kingpin calmly acknowledges the advice, picks up a large
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chunk of stone, and drops it directly on the man's head.
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So right away, we're getting a pretty good idea of
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what kind of mood Fisk is in. Meanwhile, Frank Castle
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is back at his warehouse making another entry in his
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war journal. He notes that he's known about Wilson Fisk
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for years, but there has always been some more immediate
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target demanding his attention.
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Apparently, that's going to change.
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Microchip contacts Frank and tells him that his own warehouse
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is being invaded. There are about half a dozen armed
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men inside, and although Micro is safely hidden away, he
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figures they've got maybe an hour before they find him.
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Frank loads up and heads over. When he arrives, one
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of the attackers is standing guard outside. Frank takes him
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out with a sniper rifle and then begins making his
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way into the building. Once inside, though, Frank quickly realizes
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that Microchip may not have needed quite as much help
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as he thought. Two of the intruders have already been
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killed by Micro's booby traps, and upstairs, a couple more
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are pinned down by one of Microchip's automated defense systems.
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A strange little heavily armed machine that even one of
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the criminals points out looks like a Dalek. The machine
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opens fire through the crate the men are hiding behind
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and kills another attacker. At that point, the last man
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is seen enough. He throws down his weapons and surrenders.
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Frank interrogates him and learns that the kingpins sent them. Worse,
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if the team doesn't report back, Fisk's men have an
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anti-tank weapon positioned nearby and orders to destroy the entire building.
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Microchip decides that sounds like a pretty good reason to leave.
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He and Frank make.
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For an elevator just before a rocket slams into the
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warehouse and blows the place apart. Fortunately, the elevator leads
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them down below ground. And from here, Micro has prepared
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an escape route through the sewers. As they make their
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way out, Frank tells Micro that he may have dragged
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them into something much bigger than usual. Micro isn't especially concerned, though.
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He tells Frank that he knew exactly what he was
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getting into when he signed up for this life. He's
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already lost his son, and compared to that, anything else
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that happens to him is going to feel like an anticlimax. Eventually,
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the tunnels lead the two men to an auto body
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shop where Micro unveils something new. The latest version of
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the Punisher Battle Van. It's built from a modified Ford
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Aerostar and packed with all kinds of new equipment. They
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may have lost the warehouse, but Microchip has made sure
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they're not defenseless. And now that the Kingpin has officially
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declared war on them, Frank decides it's time to stop
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reacting and start attacking. Micro has an idea for how
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they can strike Fisk somewhere he might not expect.
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His computer network.
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He's developed a virus that can be slipped into the
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Kingpin's system. Once it's inside, Fisk's people may not even
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realize what's happening until the virus has already destroyed a
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significant portion of his records.
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Frank likes the idea.
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For once, they might be able to cripple part of
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the Kingpin's empire without firing a single shot. Fisk has
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realized that brute force isn't going to be enough. He
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decides that what he needs is a specialist.
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Enter Mr. Klieg.
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The first meeting between Cleeg and the Kingpin immediately becomes
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a bizarre contest between two dangerous men trying to figure
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out exactly what the other is capable of. They shake hands,
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and Cleeg attempts to crush Fisk's grip. Fisk casually explains
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that if he completely relaxes his hand, Cleeg can't hurt him.
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But Fisk could easily crush the bones in Cleeg's hand
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if he chose to. Then Cleeg tells Fisk to look down.
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He's holding a knife against the Kingpin's stomach. Klieg explains
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that the blade is made from a carbon compound which
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allows it to pass through a metal detector. Fisk quickly
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knocks him away, but Klieg isn't finished. He produces a
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carbon fiber. 44 Magnum Derringer, another weapon designed specifically to
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slip past security. The kingpin is impressed. He tells Klieg
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he has a job for him. Kill the Punisher. There's
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only one problem, though. Klieg has apparently never even heard
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of him. Fisk explains that he deliberately wanted someone from
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outside the usual circles, someone the Punisher won't recognize and
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won't see coming. Then Fisk decides to perform one more test.
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He tells Klieg to shoot him. Klieg hesitates, but Fisk insists.
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So Klieg raises the Derringer and fires directly into the
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Kingpin's chest. Fisk barely reacts. He simply tells Klieg, Now
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we know where we stand. While the Kingpin is hiring
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an assassin, Frank and Microchip moved ahead with their own plan.
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Using a payphone and some portable equipment, Micro manages to
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introduce his virus into Fisk's computer network. He estimates that
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by the time the Kingpin's people even realize what's happening,
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they could lose around 20% of their records. But Frank
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knows that a computer virus isn't going to be enough.
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If he's really going to take on the Kingpin, he
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needs people. And that's when Frank makes a surprising decision.
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The first person he recruits is Reese McDowell. Reese is
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the teenager from the school who wanted to fight alongside
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Frank in the previous issue, the same kid whose guns
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Frank took away. Frank finds Reese on a rooftop, tending
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to his birds and admits that he was never really
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a teacher. He describes himself as a privateer, essentially a
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freelance soldier who targets enemies of the state. Reese immediately
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wants in. When he asks what he gets out of it,
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Frank gives him two answers. Satisfaction of a job well done, and...
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Hundreds of thousands of dollars in untraceable cash. Next, Frank
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goes to see Vernon Brooks, the chemistry teacher from the school.
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Brooks tells Frank that his neighborhood has fallen apart over
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the years. Gangs and crack have taken over. His wife
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left him three years earlier. And although he's tired of teaching,
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he still wants the chance to make a difference. So
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he agrees to join. But first, he has some unfinished business.
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Brooks reminds Frank that he tried to help him during
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the fight at the school... and got rewarded with an
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elbow to the groin. He then punches Frank directly in
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the face. Frank wipes the blood from his lip and
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simply says, Welcome aboard, Mr. Brooks. And Frank still isn't
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done recruiting here. The following day, he travels all the
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way to Utah and knocks on the door of Conchita Ortiz.
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Ortiz's widow opens the door already dressed for war. Weapons, ammunition, grenades, everything.
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Frank doesn't even need to explain much. He simply tells
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her that the job isn't finished. Conchita answers, I'm ready.
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Soon Frank has assembled the entire group at a training
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camp outside a small town in Florida. There he finally
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tells them exactly what they're up against.
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The Kingpin.
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A man whose criminal empire stretches across the globe. Frank
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makes one thing very clear. Even after a full month
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of training, they still won't be a match for Fisk.
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But they might have a chance. Their biggest advantage is
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that the Kingpin doesn't know any of them exist. Everything
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Fisk knows about the or occasionally with one other man.
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He won't be expecting an entire team. Conchita, already familiar
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with heavy weapons, is put in charge of weapons training,
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and as the group begins preparing for the war ahead,
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Frank records another entry in his war journal. He looks
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at these people who have chosen to follow him, and
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he finds himself wondering, which one's going to die? Back
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in New Jersey, more of Kingpin's men finally locate Frank's
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old warehouse, but Frank has already cleared it out. And
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when Fisk's men enter the building, the entire place explodes.
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Frank has turned another piece of his old life into
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a trap. Back at the training camp, Frank spots Reese
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sneaking a cigarette. He immediately reprimands him. Reese doesn't understand
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what the big deal is. Frank explains that he could
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smell the cigarette from a mile away. He could see
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the flare of the match in the darkness. Every need
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is a vulnerability. The more needs you have, the easier
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you are to find... control, or kill. Reese asks Frank
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how he managed to get rid of all his needs.
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Frank gives him a very simple answer. I had them
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taken away from me. While Frank is training his new army,
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he doesn't realize that someone is already watching them.
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Mr. Klieg has found the camp.
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From a distance, he observes Frank, Microchip, Reese, Brooks, and
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Conchita preparing for their attack on the Kingpin. And as
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he watches, Cleek decides that maybe it's time to stop
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this little revolution before it even gets started. And that's
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where The Punisher number 15 comes to an end. Alright,
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so overall I like this issue quite a bit. I
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think this feels like the right time to finally bring
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the Kingpin directly into The Punisher book. We're a little
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over a year into the series at this point and
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I think it's time for Frank to start bumping up
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against some of these more established Marvel characters. If you're
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going to start somewhere, Wilson Fisk feels like.
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The natural choice.
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You've got the Punisher, whose entire existence is built around
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this one-man war on crime. And now he's setting his
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sights on the kingpin of crime. That immediately makes everything
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feel bigger. And Mike Barron wastes absolutely no time establishing
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Fisk as a major threat. I mean, when we open
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up with the kingpin doing martial arts, breaking stones with
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his bare hands, and then one of his guys makes
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the mistake of reminding Fisk that he warned him, Fisk
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basically responds by dropping a giant chunk of stone on
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the guy's head. So right away you understand what kind
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of guy we're dealing with here. He's intimidating and unpredictable
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and almost has no regard for any human life. Now
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I do think they push it a little too far
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in spots. The whole scene with Mr. Klieg is a
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good example. Fisk brings this assassin in. They immediately start
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testing each other. Klieg has the hidden knife and the
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carbon fiber gun and then the kingpin just tells them
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to shoot him. And Klieg does. Shoots him square in
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the chest with a. 44 Magnum. And Fisk basically just
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stands there with a bullet hole in his shirt and says,
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Very good. Now we know where we stand.
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Okay.
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Well, I'm willing to assume that the Kingpin has some
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kind of bulletproof protection going on underneath that suit. Because
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otherwise we are starting to cross a bridge with Fisk
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that I don't really think we need to cross. He's
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a huge, incredibly strong guy, but he's still a human being.
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So I understand what they're trying to do. They're trying
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to show us that Frank is going up against somebody
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who is on another level. It just gets a little
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exaggerated for me. But I did like Cleeg's introduction. He
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seems capable and dangerous. And I like the idea that
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Fisk especially wants somebody from outside the usual circles. Cleeg
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doesn't even know who the Punisher is. So Frank isn't
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going to recognize him. And Cleeg isn't coming into this
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with any preconceived ideas about who Frank Castle is.
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Meanwhile.
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I really enjoyed the stuff with Frank and Microchip. The
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attack on Micro's warehouse makes the Kingpin feel like an
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immediate threat because he's already figured out where Micro's operating.
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Once that happens, Micro can't just kill the guys who
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came after him and go back to business as usual.
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That place is burned. They've got to move.
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And I love seeing all of Microchip's defenses inside the warehouse.
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He's got booby traps. He's got this little robot running
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around that looks like a Dalek. And by the time
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Frank gets there, Micro is already taking care of most
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of the problem himself. And what I really liked about
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it is Micro isn't hiding in a corner terrified. He
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walks up beside Frank with a smile on his face.
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These guys have come into Microchip's house. And Micro knows
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they made a mistake. That gives him a little bit
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of character beyond simply being the guy who sits at
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a computer and gives Frank information. We also get this
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00:15:00.490 --> 00:15:04.039
brief moment where Micro talks about losing his son. I'm
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glad they mentioned it, because I feel like that's something
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this series needs to deal with a little more. We
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constantly get reminders of Frank losing his family. We know
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that loss drives practically everything Frank does. But Micro lost
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his son too, and it feels like we haven't really
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00:15:20.169 --> 00:15:23.129
spent much time seeing what that did to him. Here,
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Micro basically says that he already lost his boy, so
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anything else that happens is going to be an anti-climax.
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In other words, it can't get much worse than that.
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That tells you something about where Micro is mentally. He
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00:15:36.190 --> 00:15:38.850
really doesn't feel like he has much left to lose.
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And then, of course, we get a new battle van.
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I love the battle van. I love Micro going through
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00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:46.899
all the gadgets and equipment he's built into this thing,
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and there's a satellite dish coming out of the top,
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all kinds of weapons and technology.
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It almost reminds me of those G.I.
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00:15:53.379 --> 00:15:57.919
Joe and Cobra vehicles where everybody has these specialized, you know,
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ATVs or whatever.
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That stuff's part of the fun of this version of
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the Punisher for me. I like that.
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00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:06.320
I also really like the idea of Micro attacking the
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00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:09.720
Kingpin through his computer system. Frank's obviously thinking in terms
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00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:12.799
of taking the fight directly to Fisk, but Micro says basically,
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why not hit the business? It's Fisk's entire criminal empire.
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If Fisk's entire criminal empire depends on records, money, information,
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and computers, then corrupting those records is an attack. And
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you don't have to fire a single shot. I think
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that's smart. And it's especially interesting considering when this comment
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came out, We're in the late 1980s here, and computers
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are becoming this bigger part of everyday life. So suddenly
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the battlefield isn't just the streets anymore. There's this electronic
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00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:44.649
side of the war too. That feels like it's exactly
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00:16:44.669 --> 00:16:46.340
the kind of thing that microchips should bring to the
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Punisher's operation.
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00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:49.179
Then we get to probably the most.
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00:16:49.100 --> 00:16:51.159
Interesting part of the issue for me, and that's Frank
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00:16:51.240 --> 00:16:55.580
putting together this little strike team. I've got mixed feelings
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00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:58.620
about it. I mean, Reese McDowell is probably the biggest problem.
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00:16:59.379 --> 00:17:01.600
In the previous issue, Frank basically told this kid no,
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you're not getting involved in this. He took his guns
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00:17:04.839 --> 00:17:06.920
away from him. He kicked him in the face when
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00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:11.079
Reese tried to help. And now, one issue later, Frank's
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00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:13.640
going back and recruiting this guy into a war against
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the Kingpin.
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Pretty big turnaround.
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00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:18.900
And especially after what happened to Microchip's son, you would
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think Frank would have learned something from that. Like, Microjr
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00:17:22.460 --> 00:17:25.410
got pulled into this war and died because of it.
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That lesson apparently didn't last very long. I understand Frank's reasoning,
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He tells Micro that these are people who are willing
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to make a stand. He needs people Fisk doesn't know about.
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People who can give him some kind of advantage. And Frank,
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00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:45.579
we all know he's very mission-focused. But recruiting a teenager
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00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:49.220
feels strange for him. Vernon Brooks, though, on the other hand,
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00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:52.259
works a little better for me. Brooks explains that his
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00:17:52.319 --> 00:17:54.900
wife left him, his neighborhood has fallen apart, gangs and
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crack have taken over, and he's tired of standing around
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watching things get worse.
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He's an adult.
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00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:03.279
So when Frank gives him the chance to actually do
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something about it, I can buy Brooks saying yes. And
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I love that Brooks remembers what happened to him in
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the previous issue too. Frank elbows this guy right in
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00:18:13.490 --> 00:18:16.029
the groin when Brooks is trying to help him. So
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before he agrees to anything, Brooks just punches Frank straight
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in the face. Frank wipes the blood away and says,
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Welcome aboard.
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Welcome aboard. Great little moment.
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00:18:28.140 --> 00:18:31.980
And then we get Conchita Ortiz. Now, when we last
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00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:34.549
saw Conchita, she drove away after her husband was killed.
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And I remember wondering if she was going to come back,
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like blaming Frank for what had happened.
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Nope.
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Frank shows up at her door and she's already dressed
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00:18:43.269 --> 00:18:47.170
for war. She has weapons, grenades, the whole deal. The
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00:18:47.210 --> 00:18:49.579
job isn't finished yet and she's ready to go. I
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00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:53.259
actually like that because when we first met Conchita, she
351
00:18:53.319 --> 00:18:56.980
already viewed herself as somebody operating on Frank's level. This
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00:18:57.039 --> 00:19:00.759
avenging angel kind of figure. So this doesn't feel out
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00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:03.109
of nowhere. She has basically been waiting for Frank to
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00:19:03.150 --> 00:19:05.930
come back and knock on that door. So now we've
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00:19:05.950 --> 00:19:08.269
got this really strange little group. We've got a punk kid,
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00:19:08.289 --> 00:19:12.569
a chemistry teacher. We've got this woman who is absolutely.
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Ready to go to war.
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And then we've got Frank and Microchip trying to turn
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00:19:16.059 --> 00:19:18.440
them into something that might have a chance against the Kingpin.
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00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:20.619
I'm interested in seeing what they do with that.
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00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:23.500
Frank himself admits that even after a month of training,
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00:19:23.539 --> 00:19:25.710
they still aren't really going to be much of a
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00:19:25.769 --> 00:19:29.099
match for Fisk. And I like that. Frank knows exactly
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00:19:29.160 --> 00:19:32.829
how big this is. He understands that they're going after
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00:19:32.869 --> 00:19:38.170
somebody with an enormous criminal organization, tons of resources, and
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00:19:38.230 --> 00:19:42.470
people everywhere. Frank also knows somebody probably isn't coming back.
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00:19:43.230 --> 00:19:45.369
He actually sits there looking at these people and wonders
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00:19:45.930 --> 00:19:48.630
which one of them is going to die. That doesn't
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00:19:48.670 --> 00:19:51.200
necessarily make the book feel darker to me as much
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00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:54.900
as it makes it feel realistic. These are normal people
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00:19:54.980 --> 00:19:57.359
preparing to go after one of the most dangerous criminals
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00:19:57.400 --> 00:20:00.839
in the Marvel Universe. Somebody getting killed is a very
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00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:04.940
real possibility. There's also a really good little scene during
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00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:07.910
the training where Frank catches Reese smoking. Frank tells him
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00:20:07.930 --> 00:20:09.630
that he could smell the cigarette and see the match.
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Every need makes you vulnerable. And Reese asks him how
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00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:17.000
he managed to get rid of all his needs. And
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00:20:17.059 --> 00:20:21.049
Frank says, I had them taken away from me. That's
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00:20:21.890 --> 00:20:26.109
a great Frank Castle line. Unfortunately, the next panel basically
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00:20:26.150 --> 00:20:27.950
explains his origin again.
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00:20:27.970 --> 00:20:29.710
And I understand why.
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00:20:29.730 --> 00:20:32.670
I mean, every issue is somebody's first issue. If somebody
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00:20:32.690 --> 00:20:34.529
picks up the Punisher number 15 and they don't know
384
00:20:34.569 --> 00:20:39.369
Frank's history, that gives them the information.
385
00:20:38.849 --> 00:20:39.309
That they need.
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00:20:40.259 --> 00:20:42.299
But I almost wish they had just trusted that line.
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I had them taken away from me. That tells you plenty.
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00:20:46.650 --> 00:20:49.250
As far as pacing goes, there's a lot happening in
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00:20:49.289 --> 00:20:52.069
this issue. We get an attack on Microchip's warehouse.
390
00:20:52.089 --> 00:20:53.930
We get the Kingpin. We get Klieg.
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00:20:54.769 --> 00:20:58.259
We get the computer virus. We recruit Reese. We recruit Brooks.
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00:20:58.380 --> 00:21:02.079
We recruit Conchita. We start training everybody. There were a
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00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:04.319
couple points where I was looking at this issue thinking, man,
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00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:07.549
how many pages do we have left here? But I
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00:21:07.569 --> 00:21:10.529
don't mean that negatively. They packed a lot into this thing,
396
00:21:11.170 --> 00:21:12.900
and for the most part, I think they packed it
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00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:13.440
in pretty well.
398
00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:15.599
This is definitely a setup issue.
399
00:21:15.640 --> 00:21:18.400
We're putting pieces on the chessboard, which now that I
400
00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:21.240
think about it, is exactly what that cover is showing us.
401
00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:25.940
Kingpin has his pieces, Frank is assembling his pieces, and
402
00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:28.759
now everybody is getting ready to make their move. So
403
00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:32.069
as a standalone story, this doesn't really resolve much, but
404
00:21:32.109 --> 00:21:34.009
I was satisfied with it because it does the job.
405
00:21:34.829 --> 00:21:37.839
I mean, we understand the villains and Frank's plan... who
406
00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:40.740
his team is. And then the final page gives us
407
00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:43.759
Cleeg watching them from a distance, armed and ready to
408
00:21:43.819 --> 00:21:46.539
try to stop this thing before it even jumps off.
409
00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:48.680
That gives you a pretty good reason to come back
410
00:21:48.730 --> 00:21:51.910
for the next issue. And I'm absolutely interested in seeing
411
00:21:51.930 --> 00:21:54.450
where this goes. Because this is the kind of Punisher
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00:21:54.470 --> 00:21:58.049
story I want to see. You've got Frank Castle, whose
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00:21:58.109 --> 00:22:02.019
entire life is a war against crime, going after Wilson Fisk,
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00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:08.630
the kingpin of crime. It's that unstoppable force meets the
415
00:22:08.670 --> 00:22:11.779
immovable object idea. And compared to a lot of the
416
00:22:11.819 --> 00:22:14.500
stories we've been given so far in the series, this
417
00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:18.759
feels huge. Everything else almost feels like small potatoes compared
418
00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:21.380
to what Frank is getting ready to do here. So yeah,
419
00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:23.880
The Punisher number 15 is mostly set up, that's fine,
420
00:22:24.549 --> 00:22:26.589
but it's set up for what feels like could be
421
00:22:26.690 --> 00:22:29.430
one of the biggest stories this book has attempted so far.
422
00:22:30.390 --> 00:22:34.109
I'm definitely ready to see Frank try to topple the kingpin.
1
00:00:11.980 --> 00:00:14.740
Alright, so we are going to get into The Punisher
2
00:00:14.779 --> 00:00:20.460
number 15, on sale date September 20th, 1988. Title of
3
00:00:20.500 --> 00:00:23.980
the story is To Topple the Kingpin, written by Mike Barron,
4
00:00:24.620 --> 00:00:29.839
penciled by Wills Portacio, inked by Scott Williams, lettered by
5
00:00:29.910 --> 00:00:32.289
Kenneth Rusanak. So to kind of give you an idea
6
00:00:32.350 --> 00:00:33.549
here of the characters we're.
7
00:00:33.429 --> 00:00:35.630
Going to be getting in this issue.
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00:00:36.590 --> 00:00:39.570
First up, of course, is Frank Castle, the Punisher. No
9
00:00:39.689 --> 00:00:43.670
introduction really needed there. Continuing his one-man war on crime,
10
00:00:43.710 --> 00:00:45.689
this time he's setting his sights on one of the
11
00:00:45.789 --> 00:00:50.890
biggest figures in the Marvel criminal underworld. Alongside him is Microchip,
12
00:00:51.350 --> 00:00:56.380
Frank's technical expert, weapon supplier, and probably the closest thing
13
00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:59.979
Frank has to a partner. Micro handles the computers, the equipment,
14
00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:02.100
and a lot of the logistical work that keeps the
15
00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:07.150
Punisher's operation running. Then... we've got Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin.
16
00:01:07.930 --> 00:01:11.090
One of the most powerful crime bosses around, has an
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00:01:11.150 --> 00:01:13.829
organization that reaches far beyond the streets of New York,
18
00:01:14.659 --> 00:01:16.959
and Frank's been aware of him for quite a while.
19
00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:20.060
But in this issue, the two of them are finally starting.
20
00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:21.799
To move directly against one another.
21
00:01:23.180 --> 00:01:26.040
Working for the Kingpin is Wesley, one of Fisk's trusted
22
00:01:26.099 --> 00:01:29.560
men who helps oversee the day-to-day business of his criminal organization.
23
00:01:30.340 --> 00:01:32.540
We're also introduced to a new character by the name
24
00:01:32.579 --> 00:01:35.799
of Mr. Klieg, He'll be a specialist that's brought in
25
00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:38.219
by the Kingpin and then comes across as somebody who's
26
00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:41.459
very confident in his abilities and very well prepared for
27
00:01:41.500 --> 00:01:45.909
dangerous work. Returning from the previous issue is Reese McDowell,
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00:01:46.150 --> 00:01:48.069
one of the students from the school where Frank had
29
00:01:48.090 --> 00:01:52.230
been posing as a substitute teacher. Reese is young, angry,
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00:01:52.590 --> 00:01:54.469
and already showed that he has interest in taking the
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00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:58.079
fight directly to the criminals around him. Also returning is
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00:01:58.180 --> 00:02:02.170
our teacher. Finally get his name, it's Vernon Brooks. He's
33
00:02:02.189 --> 00:02:04.890
a chemistry teacher who has watched his neighborhood change for
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00:02:04.930 --> 00:02:07.909
the worse over the years, and he's somebody who still
35
00:02:07.950 --> 00:02:11.030
wants to believe he can make a difference. And finally,
36
00:02:11.050 --> 00:02:16.610
we have Conchita Ortiz, the widow of Luis Ortiz, a
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00:02:16.650 --> 00:02:20.099
man from Frank's past we met just a few issues ago.
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00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:23.900
Conchita has already been touched personally by the kind of
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00:02:23.939 --> 00:02:27.439
violence Frank deals with, and she's certainly not someone who
40
00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:31.259
is unfamiliar with weapons or danger. So we've got Frank
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00:02:31.300 --> 00:02:34.780
and Microchip on one side, the Kingpin and his organization
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00:02:34.819 --> 00:02:37.259
on the other, and a handful of new and returning
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00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:39.219
characters who are about to get pulled into the middle
44
00:02:39.259 --> 00:02:43.180
of this growing war. With that, let's get into Punisher
45
00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:47.319
number 15 to topple the Kingpin. We open with Wilson
46
00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:51.020
Fisk the Kingpin already in a bad mood. He's shirtless,
47
00:02:51.419 --> 00:02:55.240
working through some martial arts exercises and smashing large stones
48
00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:57.879
with his bare hands while one of his men delivers
49
00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:01.569
some pretty unpleasant news. one of Kingpin's men from the
50
00:03:01.629 --> 00:03:06.120
high school has reported back. And they reported specifically that
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00:03:06.139 --> 00:03:09.560
the Punisher infiltrated the place by posing as a substitute teacher.
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00:03:10.300 --> 00:03:12.780
The Kingpin's assistant can't resist pointing out that he had
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00:03:12.819 --> 00:03:15.659
warned Fisk about using a bunch of undisciplined teenagers for
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something this important.
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That turns out to be a mistake.
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The Kingpin calmly acknowledges the advice, picks up a large
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chunk of stone, and drops it directly on the man's head.
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So right away, we're getting a pretty good idea of
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what kind of mood Fisk is in. Meanwhile, Frank Castle
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is back at his warehouse making another entry in his
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war journal. He notes that he's known about Wilson Fisk
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for years, but there has always been some more immediate
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target demanding his attention.
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Apparently, that's going to change.
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Microchip contacts Frank and tells him that his own warehouse
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is being invaded. There are about half a dozen armed
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men inside, and although Micro is safely hidden away, he
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figures they've got maybe an hour before they find him.
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Frank loads up and heads over. When he arrives, one
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of the attackers is standing guard outside. Frank takes him
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out with a sniper rifle and then begins making his
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way into the building. Once inside, though, Frank quickly realizes
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that Microchip may not have needed quite as much help
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as he thought. Two of the intruders have already been
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killed by Micro's booby traps, and upstairs, a couple more
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are pinned down by one of Microchip's automated defense systems.
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A strange little heavily armed machine that even one of
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the criminals points out looks like a Dalek. The machine
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opens fire through the crate the men are hiding behind
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and kills another attacker. At that point, the last man
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is seen enough. He throws down his weapons and surrenders.
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Frank interrogates him and learns that the kingpins sent them. Worse,
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if the team doesn't report back, Fisk's men have an
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anti-tank weapon positioned nearby and orders to destroy the entire building.
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Microchip decides that sounds like a pretty good reason to leave.
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He and Frank make.
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For an elevator just before a rocket slams into the
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warehouse and blows the place apart. Fortunately, the elevator leads
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them down below ground. And from here, Micro has prepared
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an escape route through the sewers. As they make their
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way out, Frank tells Micro that he may have dragged
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them into something much bigger than usual. Micro isn't especially concerned, though.
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He tells Frank that he knew exactly what he was
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getting into when he signed up for this life. He's
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already lost his son, and compared to that, anything else
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that happens to him is going to feel like an anticlimax. Eventually,
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the tunnels lead the two men to an auto body
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shop where Micro unveils something new. The latest version of
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the Punisher Battle Van. It's built from a modified Ford
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Aerostar and packed with all kinds of new equipment. They
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may have lost the warehouse, but Microchip has made sure
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they're not defenseless. And now that the Kingpin has officially
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declared war on them, Frank decides it's time to stop
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reacting and start attacking. Micro has an idea for how
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they can strike Fisk somewhere he might not expect.
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His computer network.
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He's developed a virus that can be slipped into the
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Kingpin's system. Once it's inside, Fisk's people may not even
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realize what's happening until the virus has already destroyed a
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significant portion of his records.
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Frank likes the idea.
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For once, they might be able to cripple part of
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the Kingpin's empire without firing a single shot. Fisk has
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realized that brute force isn't going to be enough. He
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decides that what he needs is a specialist.
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Enter Mr. Klieg.
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The first meeting between Cleeg and the Kingpin immediately becomes
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a bizarre contest between two dangerous men trying to figure
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out exactly what the other is capable of. They shake hands,
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and Cleeg attempts to crush Fisk's grip. Fisk casually explains
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that if he completely relaxes his hand, Cleeg can't hurt him.
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But Fisk could easily crush the bones in Cleeg's hand
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if he chose to. Then Cleeg tells Fisk to look down.
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He's holding a knife against the Kingpin's stomach. Klieg explains
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that the blade is made from a carbon compound which
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allows it to pass through a metal detector. Fisk quickly
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knocks him away, but Klieg isn't finished. He produces a
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carbon fiber. 44 Magnum Derringer, another weapon designed specifically to
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slip past security. The kingpin is impressed. He tells Klieg
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he has a job for him. Kill the Punisher. There's
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only one problem, though. Klieg has apparently never even heard
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of him. Fisk explains that he deliberately wanted someone from
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outside the usual circles, someone the Punisher won't recognize and
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won't see coming. Then Fisk decides to perform one more test.
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He tells Klieg to shoot him. Klieg hesitates, but Fisk insists.
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So Klieg raises the Derringer and fires directly into the
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Kingpin's chest. Fisk barely reacts. He simply tells Klieg, Now
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we know where we stand. While the Kingpin is hiring
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an assassin, Frank and Microchip moved ahead with their own plan.
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Using a payphone and some portable equipment, Micro manages to
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introduce his virus into Fisk's computer network. He estimates that
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by the time the Kingpin's people even realize what's happening,
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they could lose around 20% of their records. But Frank
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knows that a computer virus isn't going to be enough.
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If he's really going to take on the Kingpin, he
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needs people. And that's when Frank makes a surprising decision.
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The first person he recruits is Reese McDowell. Reese is
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the teenager from the school who wanted to fight alongside
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Frank in the previous issue, the same kid whose guns
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Frank took away. Frank finds Reese on a rooftop, tending
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to his birds and admits that he was never really
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a teacher. He describes himself as a privateer, essentially a
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freelance soldier who targets enemies of the state. Reese immediately
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wants in. When he asks what he gets out of it,
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Frank gives him two answers. Satisfaction of a job well done, and...
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Hundreds of thousands of dollars in untraceable cash. Next, Frank
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goes to see Vernon Brooks, the chemistry teacher from the school.
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Brooks tells Frank that his neighborhood has fallen apart over
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the years. Gangs and crack have taken over. His wife
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left him three years earlier. And although he's tired of teaching,
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he still wants the chance to make a difference. So
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he agrees to join. But first, he has some unfinished business.
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Brooks reminds Frank that he tried to help him during
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the fight at the school... and got rewarded with an
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elbow to the groin. He then punches Frank directly in
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the face. Frank wipes the blood from his lip and
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simply says, Welcome aboard, Mr. Brooks. And Frank still isn't
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done recruiting here. The following day, he travels all the
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way to Utah and knocks on the door of Conchita Ortiz.
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Ortiz's widow opens the door already dressed for war. Weapons, ammunition, grenades, everything.
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Frank doesn't even need to explain much. He simply tells
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her that the job isn't finished. Conchita answers, I'm ready.
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Soon Frank has assembled the entire group at a training
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camp outside a small town in Florida. There he finally
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tells them exactly what they're up against.
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The Kingpin.
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A man whose criminal empire stretches across the globe. Frank
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makes one thing very clear. Even after a full month
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of training, they still won't be a match for Fisk.
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But they might have a chance. Their biggest advantage is
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that the Kingpin doesn't know any of them exist. Everything
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Fisk knows about the or occasionally with one other man.
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He won't be expecting an entire team. Conchita, already familiar
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with heavy weapons, is put in charge of weapons training,
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and as the group begins preparing for the war ahead,
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Frank records another entry in his war journal. He looks
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at these people who have chosen to follow him, and
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he finds himself wondering, which one's going to die? Back
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in New Jersey, more of Kingpin's men finally locate Frank's
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old warehouse, but Frank has already cleared it out. And
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when Fisk's men enter the building, the entire place explodes.
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Frank has turned another piece of his old life into
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a trap. Back at the training camp, Frank spots Reese
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sneaking a cigarette. He immediately reprimands him. Reese doesn't understand
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what the big deal is. Frank explains that he could
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smell the cigarette from a mile away. He could see
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the flare of the match in the darkness. Every need
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is a vulnerability. The more needs you have, the easier
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you are to find... control, or kill. Reese asks Frank
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how he managed to get rid of all his needs.
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Frank gives him a very simple answer. I had them
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taken away from me. While Frank is training his new army,
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he doesn't realize that someone is already watching them.
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Mr. Klieg has found the camp.
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From a distance, he observes Frank, Microchip, Reese, Brooks, and
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Conchita preparing for their attack on the Kingpin. And as
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he watches, Cleek decides that maybe it's time to stop
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this little revolution before it even gets started. And that's
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where The Punisher number 15 comes to an end. Alright,
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so overall I like this issue quite a bit. I
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think this feels like the right time to finally bring
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the Kingpin directly into The Punisher book. We're a little
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over a year into the series at this point and
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I think it's time for Frank to start bumping up
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against some of these more established Marvel characters. If you're
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going to start somewhere, Wilson Fisk feels like.
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The natural choice.
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You've got the Punisher, whose entire existence is built around
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this one-man war on crime. And now he's setting his
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sights on the kingpin of crime. That immediately makes everything
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feel bigger. And Mike Barron wastes absolutely no time establishing
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Fisk as a major threat. I mean, when we open
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up with the kingpin doing martial arts, breaking stones with
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his bare hands, and then one of his guys makes
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the mistake of reminding Fisk that he warned him, Fisk
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basically responds by dropping a giant chunk of stone on
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the guy's head. So right away you understand what kind
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of guy we're dealing with here. He's intimidating and unpredictable
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and almost has no regard for any human life. Now
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I do think they push it a little too far
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in spots. The whole scene with Mr. Klieg is a
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good example. Fisk brings this assassin in. They immediately start
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testing each other. Klieg has the hidden knife and the
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carbon fiber gun and then the kingpin just tells them
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to shoot him. And Klieg does. Shoots him square in
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the chest with a. 44 Magnum. And Fisk basically just
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stands there with a bullet hole in his shirt and says,
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Very good. Now we know where we stand.
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Okay.
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Well, I'm willing to assume that the Kingpin has some
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kind of bulletproof protection going on underneath that suit. Because
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otherwise we are starting to cross a bridge with Fisk
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that I don't really think we need to cross. He's
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a huge, incredibly strong guy, but he's still a human being.
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So I understand what they're trying to do. They're trying
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to show us that Frank is going up against somebody
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who is on another level. It just gets a little
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exaggerated for me. But I did like Cleeg's introduction. He
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seems capable and dangerous. And I like the idea that
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Fisk especially wants somebody from outside the usual circles. Cleeg
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doesn't even know who the Punisher is. So Frank isn't
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going to recognize him. And Cleeg isn't coming into this
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with any preconceived ideas about who Frank Castle is.
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Meanwhile.
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I really enjoyed the stuff with Frank and Microchip. The
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attack on Micro's warehouse makes the Kingpin feel like an
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immediate threat because he's already figured out where Micro's operating.
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Once that happens, Micro can't just kill the guys who
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came after him and go back to business as usual.
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That place is burned. They've got to move.
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And I love seeing all of Microchip's defenses inside the warehouse.
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He's got booby traps. He's got this little robot running
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around that looks like a Dalek. And by the time
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Frank gets there, Micro is already taking care of most
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of the problem himself. And what I really liked about
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it is Micro isn't hiding in a corner terrified. He
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walks up beside Frank with a smile on his face.
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These guys have come into Microchip's house. And Micro knows
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they made a mistake. That gives him a little bit
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of character beyond simply being the guy who sits at
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a computer and gives Frank information. We also get this
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brief moment where Micro talks about losing his son. I'm
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glad they mentioned it, because I feel like that's something
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this series needs to deal with a little more. We
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constantly get reminders of Frank losing his family. We know
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that loss drives practically everything Frank does. But Micro lost
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his son too, and it feels like we haven't really
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spent much time seeing what that did to him. Here,
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Micro basically says that he already lost his boy, so
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anything else that happens is going to be an anti-climax.
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In other words, it can't get much worse than that.
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That tells you something about where Micro is mentally. He
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really doesn't feel like he has much left to lose.
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And then, of course, we get a new battle van.
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I love the battle van. I love Micro going through
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all the gadgets and equipment he's built into this thing,
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and there's a satellite dish coming out of the top,
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all kinds of weapons and technology.
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It almost reminds me of those G.I.
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Joe and Cobra vehicles where everybody has these specialized, you know,
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ATVs or whatever.
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That stuff's part of the fun of this version of
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the Punisher for me. I like that.
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00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:06.320
I also really like the idea of Micro attacking the
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00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:09.720
Kingpin through his computer system. Frank's obviously thinking in terms
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00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:12.799
of taking the fight directly to Fisk, but Micro says basically,
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why not hit the business? It's Fisk's entire criminal empire.
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If Fisk's entire criminal empire depends on records, money, information,
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and computers, then corrupting those records is an attack. And
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you don't have to fire a single shot. I think
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that's smart. And it's especially interesting considering when this comment
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came out, We're in the late 1980s here, and computers
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00:16:34.529 --> 00:16:37.669
are becoming this bigger part of everyday life. So suddenly
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the battlefield isn't just the streets anymore. There's this electronic
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00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:44.649
side of the war too. That feels like it's exactly
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00:16:44.669 --> 00:16:46.340
the kind of thing that microchips should bring to the
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Punisher's operation.
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Then we get to probably the most.
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Interesting part of the issue for me, and that's Frank
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00:16:51.240 --> 00:16:55.580
putting together this little strike team. I've got mixed feelings
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00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:58.620
about it. I mean, Reese McDowell is probably the biggest problem.
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In the previous issue, Frank basically told this kid no,
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you're not getting involved in this. He took his guns
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00:17:04.839 --> 00:17:06.920
away from him. He kicked him in the face when
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00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:11.079
Reese tried to help. And now, one issue later, Frank's
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00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:13.640
going back and recruiting this guy into a war against
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the Kingpin.
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Pretty big turnaround.
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00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:18.900
And especially after what happened to Microchip's son, you would
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think Frank would have learned something from that. Like, Microjr
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got pulled into this war and died because of it.
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That lesson apparently didn't last very long. I understand Frank's reasoning,
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He tells Micro that these are people who are willing
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to make a stand. He needs people Fisk doesn't know about.
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People who can give him some kind of advantage. And Frank,
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00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:45.579
we all know he's very mission-focused. But recruiting a teenager
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feels strange for him. Vernon Brooks, though, on the other hand,
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works a little better for me. Brooks explains that his
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wife left him, his neighborhood has fallen apart, gangs and
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crack have taken over, and he's tired of standing around
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watching things get worse.
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He's an adult.
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So when Frank gives him the chance to actually do
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something about it, I can buy Brooks saying yes. And
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I love that Brooks remembers what happened to him in
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the previous issue too. Frank elbows this guy right in
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00:18:13.490 --> 00:18:16.029
the groin when Brooks is trying to help him. So
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00:18:16.069 --> 00:18:20.029
before he agrees to anything, Brooks just punches Frank straight
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in the face. Frank wipes the blood away and says,
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Welcome aboard.
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Welcome aboard. Great little moment.
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00:18:28.140 --> 00:18:31.980
And then we get Conchita Ortiz. Now, when we last
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saw Conchita, she drove away after her husband was killed.
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And I remember wondering if she was going to come back,
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like blaming Frank for what had happened.
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Nope.
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Frank shows up at her door and she's already dressed
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for war. She has weapons, grenades, the whole deal. The
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00:18:47.210 --> 00:18:49.579
job isn't finished yet and she's ready to go. I
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00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:53.259
actually like that because when we first met Conchita, she
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00:18:53.319 --> 00:18:56.980
already viewed herself as somebody operating on Frank's level. This
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avenging angel kind of figure. So this doesn't feel out
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00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:03.109
of nowhere. She has basically been waiting for Frank to
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00:19:03.150 --> 00:19:05.930
come back and knock on that door. So now we've
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00:19:05.950 --> 00:19:08.269
got this really strange little group. We've got a punk kid,
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00:19:08.289 --> 00:19:12.569
a chemistry teacher. We've got this woman who is absolutely.
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Ready to go to war.
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And then we've got Frank and Microchip trying to turn
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00:19:16.059 --> 00:19:18.440
them into something that might have a chance against the Kingpin.
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00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:20.619
I'm interested in seeing what they do with that.
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00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:23.500
Frank himself admits that even after a month of training,
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00:19:23.539 --> 00:19:25.710
they still aren't really going to be much of a
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00:19:25.769 --> 00:19:29.099
match for Fisk. And I like that. Frank knows exactly
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00:19:29.160 --> 00:19:32.829
how big this is. He understands that they're going after
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00:19:32.869 --> 00:19:38.170
somebody with an enormous criminal organization, tons of resources, and
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00:19:38.230 --> 00:19:42.470
people everywhere. Frank also knows somebody probably isn't coming back.
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00:19:43.230 --> 00:19:45.369
He actually sits there looking at these people and wonders
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00:19:45.930 --> 00:19:48.630
which one of them is going to die. That doesn't
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00:19:48.670 --> 00:19:51.200
necessarily make the book feel darker to me as much
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00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:54.900
as it makes it feel realistic. These are normal people
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00:19:54.980 --> 00:19:57.359
preparing to go after one of the most dangerous criminals
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00:19:57.400 --> 00:20:00.839
in the Marvel Universe. Somebody getting killed is a very
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00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:04.940
real possibility. There's also a really good little scene during
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00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:07.910
the training where Frank catches Reese smoking. Frank tells him
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00:20:07.930 --> 00:20:09.630
that he could smell the cigarette and see the match.
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Every need makes you vulnerable. And Reese asks him how
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00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:17.000
he managed to get rid of all his needs. And
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00:20:17.059 --> 00:20:21.049
Frank says, I had them taken away from me. That's
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00:20:21.890 --> 00:20:26.109
a great Frank Castle line. Unfortunately, the next panel basically
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00:20:26.150 --> 00:20:27.950
explains his origin again.
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00:20:27.970 --> 00:20:29.710
And I understand why.
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00:20:29.730 --> 00:20:32.670
I mean, every issue is somebody's first issue. If somebody
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00:20:32.690 --> 00:20:34.529
picks up the Punisher number 15 and they don't know
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00:20:34.569 --> 00:20:39.369
Frank's history, that gives them the information.
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00:20:38.849 --> 00:20:39.309
That they need.
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00:20:40.259 --> 00:20:42.299
But I almost wish they had just trusted that line.
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00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:45.869
I had them taken away from me. That tells you plenty.
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00:20:46.650 --> 00:20:49.250
As far as pacing goes, there's a lot happening in
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00:20:49.289 --> 00:20:52.069
this issue. We get an attack on Microchip's warehouse.
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00:20:52.089 --> 00:20:53.930
We get the Kingpin. We get Klieg.
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00:20:54.769 --> 00:20:58.259
We get the computer virus. We recruit Reese. We recruit Brooks.
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00:20:58.380 --> 00:21:02.079
We recruit Conchita. We start training everybody. There were a
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00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:04.319
couple points where I was looking at this issue thinking, man,
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00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:07.549
how many pages do we have left here? But I
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00:21:07.569 --> 00:21:10.529
don't mean that negatively. They packed a lot into this thing,
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00:21:11.170 --> 00:21:12.900
and for the most part, I think they packed it
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00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:13.440
in pretty well.
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00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:15.599
This is definitely a setup issue.
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00:21:15.640 --> 00:21:18.400
We're putting pieces on the chessboard, which now that I
400
00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:21.240
think about it, is exactly what that cover is showing us.
401
00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:25.940
Kingpin has his pieces, Frank is assembling his pieces, and
402
00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:28.759
now everybody is getting ready to make their move. So
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00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:32.069
as a standalone story, this doesn't really resolve much, but
404
00:21:32.109 --> 00:21:34.009
I was satisfied with it because it does the job.
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00:21:34.829 --> 00:21:37.839
I mean, we understand the villains and Frank's plan... who
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00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:40.740
his team is. And then the final page gives us
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00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:43.759
Cleeg watching them from a distance, armed and ready to
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00:21:43.819 --> 00:21:46.539
try to stop this thing before it even jumps off.
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00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:48.680
That gives you a pretty good reason to come back
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00:21:48.730 --> 00:21:51.910
for the next issue. And I'm absolutely interested in seeing
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00:21:51.930 --> 00:21:54.450
where this goes. Because this is the kind of Punisher
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00:21:54.470 --> 00:21:58.049
story I want to see. You've got Frank Castle, whose
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00:21:58.109 --> 00:22:02.019
entire life is a war against crime, going after Wilson Fisk,
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00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:08.630
the kingpin of crime. It's that unstoppable force meets the
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00:22:08.670 --> 00:22:11.779
immovable object idea. And compared to a lot of the
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00:22:11.819 --> 00:22:14.500
stories we've been given so far in the series, this
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00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:18.759
feels huge. Everything else almost feels like small potatoes compared
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00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:21.380
to what Frank is getting ready to do here. So yeah,
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00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:23.880
The Punisher number 15 is mostly set up, that's fine,
420
00:22:24.549 --> 00:22:26.589
but it's set up for what feels like could be
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00:22:26.690 --> 00:22:29.430
one of the biggest stories this book has attempted so far.
422
00:22:30.390 --> 00:22:34.109
I'm definitely ready to see Frank try to topple the kingpin.
