The Source Material War Journal - Episode 13 - The Punisher vol. 2 #16

The war between Frank Castle and Wilson Fisk is officially escalating! On this episode of Source Material, Jesse dives into The Punisher #16, “Escalation,” by Mike Baron, Whilce Portacio, Scott Williams, Kenneth Bruzenak, and Janet Jackson. The Kingpin sends a deadly assassin into the Everglades, Conchita proves she can more than hold her own alongside Frank, and Microchip finds himself locked in a technological chess match with teenage computer prodigy The Board. From traps and brutal hand-to-hand combat to a gloriously over-the-top Atlantic City raid, this issue starts feeling like a full-blown ’80s action movie—and things only get bigger when the Punisher’s Battle Van meets the Kingpin’s answer to it. Jesse also looks at Microchip’s reasons for staying in Frank’s war, the growing scale of the Kingpin conflict, and why all the setup from the previous issue starts paying off in a big way.