Saturday Showcase: Jigsaw

   What do you think of when you hear Batman and the Joker, Spider-Man and Venom, Wolverine and Sabretooth, or even Superman and Doomsday?  I think of the battle of Good Vs Evil but put to the extreme.  One is the Ying to the other's Yang.  When you think of the Punisher, you cannot help but think of Jigsaw.

    With the 2nd season of the Punisher coming to Netflix on the 18th, I decided to showcase the importance of William Russo aka Jigsaw.  We were first introduced to the mob boss Jigsaw back in '76.  His first appearance was in issue #161 of the Amazing Spider-Man series.  He made his first full appearance one issue later in Amazing Spider-Man #162.

That time Frank got himself arrested to get his hands on Jigsaw.

    When he was first introduced, he was a terror on the streets and didn't care who got in his way.  This is still true in later years, but he was much more to Frank.  He was an obsession, the one that got away you might say.  I mean, what fun would the Punisher titles be if he successfully killed everyone?  So, naturally you need a nemesis that can escape and resurface to tackle Frank head on anther day.

    One of my favorite Punisher/Jigsaw story-lines is the time that Frank got himself arrested on purpose so he could get his hands on Jigsaw.  That was the first issue of the Punisher I ever owned.  In fact, I still own all issues of that series as well as it's reintroduction as a graphic novel.

Amazing Spider-Man #162

    One thing is for sure, I am glad they changed his look.  When he battled Spidey, he was in a god awful outfit.  At least, in the Punisher titles he had some class and knew how to dress the part of a leader of a secret organization.  

    It's no secret that the Punisher is my favorite character in the MARVEL universe. With that said, William Russo aka Jigsaw will always have a place in my heart as a great antagonist.  I loved the portrayal of Jigsaw by Dominic West in the film Punisher: War Zone and I have enjoyed the life that Ben Barnes gave Billy on the 1st season of the Punisher Netflix series.  I cannot wait to see his take on the Jigsaw persona in season 2 (Available 1/18/19).

Ben Barnes as Billy Russo aka Jigsaw

    I hope my showcase has intrigued you into learning more about the character.  I could say more but I want you to do your research on this one.  The only way you can truly understand the Punisher Vs Jigsaw dynamic is to pick up key issues of the Punisher series and read them for yourself.

Until next time, get your READ on!

Here's Billy!

Vital Stats

First Appearance:

Cameo Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #161 (October 1976)

Full appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #162 (November 1976)

Created by Len Wein & Ross Andru

Abilities:

Experienced street fighter

Exceptional strategist and tactician

Highly charismatic criminal organizer

Wears a special exoskeleton

Required Reading:

the Amazing Spider-Man issues #161-162, & #188

the Punisher Vol. 1, #1, & #4-5

the Punisher Vol. 2, #35-40, & #55-56

the Punisher Vol. 3, #2-4, & #9-10

the Punisher War Journal Vol. 1, #61

Punisher War Journal Vol. 2, #11, #18–20, & #22–23

Daredevil Vol. 2, #61-64

(Jigsaw has been in many titles, but these titles are the ones I would read.)