A couple more things about Punisher: Confederacy of Dunces (Plus a little bit about "Welcome Back, Frank)

As I mentioned at the end of my last post, about Marvel's new trade collection of Punisher: Confederacy of Dunces, there were a few other aspects I thought were of some interest that I just couldn't quite fit comfortably there. So, I wanted to mention them here. Three jokes I don't think Marvel would have published if these issues had come out today:1.) Transgressive of transphobic? Ennis has a reputation for pushing the envelope (an understatement if ever there was one), and this means his jokes are often crass, tasteless and seem calculated to offend...jokes of the "I can't believe they actually did that!" variety. Of the works of Ennis' that I've read, this often includes him "punching down", making jokes about out groups or particular social minorities, jokes on subjects that aren't generally considered fair game...especially today (Think jokes about overweight people, alcoholism, the homeless, gay panic, etc.)I obviously can't say if Ennis makes these jokes because he's trying to be intentionally transgressive and attemping to shock or offend his audience—certainly a book like The Punisher is full of over-the-top material—or if he sincerely thinks this stuff is funny, and it t...