Writer: Paul Scheer, Nick Giovannetti
Artist: Nathan Stockman
Release Date: July 3, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

Spoiler Alert: This issue of Cosmic Ghost Rider is the most important issue in all of Marvel Comics History, and Frank Castle is the most important person in the MCU. How can that be? Let’s dive in and have a look.

We pick up this issue with Frank Castle (as Uncle Fredo) hanging out with his past family- having a few beers with past Frank Castle and taking the kids out for a picnic. Wholesome family fun! Well, it would be… if this wasn’t the day his family was originally slaughtered by gangsters. But first, the kids want to go to the circus! Which brings to mind when Frank Castle worked for the daily bugle as a photographer alongside a young Peter Parker, and went to take photos of the circus and it’s star attraction: The Hulk, acting like a Robot Clown. Flicking rocks at the big guy, Frank does his Ghost Rider-y bit and fisticuffs ensue. Meanwhile the original Avengers; including a hilariously drunk, chauvinistic Iron Man. Frank sets off to defrost Cap after getting Tony’s drink order.

We follow the tale of how Cap was REALLY found with an espionage story (G rated for the kids, featuring buildings made of candy), and we turns out Frank and Black Widow… mixed their twizzlers. Anyway that part of the story is unimportant! What is important is Frank decides to be proactive and locate the gangsters who killer his family in Central Park. He does, only to be confronted by the Watcher.

It turns out all the meddling he’s done so far hasn’t been important, just ripples in the river of time. Now that Frank has intertwined his life with the significant events in Marvel History, reality is tethered to him. If Frank kills the gangsters who defined his existence as the Punisher, timey-wimey things will happen, causing reality to unravel.

That’s a shocking cliffhanger, because we all know how level headed and reasonable Frank can be… don’t we?

Final Thoughts:

Continuing a hilarious romp through time, this is the pivotal issue! We get some hilariously large stakes to Frank’s meddling. It’s the weakest issue as far the events he inserts himself into, but moves the story along at a great pace. There’s a few chuckles to be had, and the over the top cartoony art works nicely.