"A sober and illuminating analysis of the character as an intellectual property. [...] A Cultural History of the Punisher illustrates that the Punisher canon is as tonally incoherent as any storied IP, and as philosophically incoherent as the conservative ideology some would claim it represents. Yet absence of a grand design doesn’t diminish the potency of any given story. Frank Castle was traumatized by war, then traumatized further by grief. Basic enough. Whether Castle is an irredeemable agent of empire or a nobly wounded warrior comes down to who is telling the story. Starting from the top, Marvel/Disney has the biggest say in how the Punisher is portrayed. But whatever Mike Baron, Gerry Conway or Kevin Feige have to say about the character, the stories can be read however the reader chooses to read them. They can be taken as satirical commentary, aspirational example or simple diversion. Worcester does not frame this as a problem to be solved; his book is a case study on how it happened. Worcester’s examination is welcome."

The Comics Journal

"Considering the cultural visibility of Marvel’s vigilante antihero The Punisher, the relative absence of book-length examinations of the character is notable. Worcester. . . fills that gap with his thorough analysis. . . . Given the popularity of vigilante vengeance fantasies in popular culture, this study has applicability beyond this single character."

Choice

"A Cultural History of The Punisher by Kent Worcester [looks] at the popular Marvel character from the refreshing perspective of political science... The true strength and value of this book lies not in theories but Worcester’s close reading of the primary texts. He “harvested nearly five decades’ worth of comic books and graphic novels to show how a binary-minded rageaholic ended up with a lively, sometimes ridiculous, and often socially resonant storyverse.” (p. 14)... Another thing I like about the tone of this book is that Worcester is clearly a fan of what he writes about - comics and pop culture.

Singular character studies in comics studies have been around for a while. . . .Worcester’s take on Punisher is a much welcomed addition."

International Journal of Comic Art

"A Cultural History of the Punisher is a valuable effort to chart the history of one of comicsdom’s most identifiable characters."

Sequart