Random Happenstance

This one isn't breaking any new ground, but Huston does credit his sources, and it's well done. From 2010, PunisherMAX: Hot Rods of Death #1, "Getting Mad" Written by Charlie Huston, art by Shawn Martinbrough.

Former Marine Billy Finn contacts Frank: post-war, he had wanted to get as far from the jungle as possible, and took up residence in a dead-zone town in the desert. Two prospecting brothers had found uranium, and the Roxxon corporation immediately starts trying to strongarm the locals off the land, contracting a biker gang. The gang gets off to a better start than most, realizing Billy had been trying to reach the Punisher, and catches them both with a homemade plastique mine in the highway. Billy dies, and the gang stakes Frank out in the desert over a scorpion nest. Frank still tells the leader, Pike, he should kill himself now and save himself some pain.

Frank is rescued by the pretty local mechanic, Tess. The townspeople think they're beat, especially since the gang also got Frank's car full of gear; but Frank knows with him on their side they can take 'em. A brief montage of suping up his car and making molotov cocktails later, and the gang is put through the thresher. Literally for a couple; I don't know if a combine harvester can typically catch and chew up a pair of muscle cars, but it does look cool. Roxxon execs make another attempt to browbeat a sale, but catch what they think is rocksalt but is actually U-235. And Frank saves Pike for last, and a conversation about suffering. You will cringe on the last page! I don't know if it's going to be as long a conversation as all that, though; I'm guessing he'd bleed out before too long...

Huston credits High Plains Drifter, the Road Warrior, Death Race 2000, the Seven Samurai, and Rolling Thunder; but he still brings something to it. Out of those movies, I'm not sure I've seen Rolling Thunder, but William Devane might be my favorite actor to play president, as he did in 24, Stargate, and the Dark Knight Rises! (EDIT: I did catch the last 20 minutes or so of Rolling Thunder on Pluto TV yesterday: Devane and Tommy Lee Jones put on their army uniforms, excuse themselves from an uncomfortable family dinner, then go murder a bunch of guys in a whorehouse. It's Tarentino-approved!)