Wed Feb 20, 2008 — by Rick Marshall

From 'Punisher' to 'Phantom Eagle': Garth Ennis Q&A

See ya later, Frank?

Garth Ennis ends his four-year run on the Marvel MAX Punisher series next month, but fans won't have long to wait for his next project. War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #1 hits shelves the same month.

War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle features the return of Phantom Eagle, a Marvel character who first appeared in 1968. In this interview with Publishers Weekly, Ennis discusses his decision to leave Punisher, the draw of war-themed subject matter and his affinity for adult-oriented fare.

“Writing for adults has always made sense to me. The [backwards] nature of the comics business, with most people writing and drawing stories under the restrictions of children’s/teen’s publishing, is something I find rather frustrating—particularly as the actual audience is mostly well over 20,” said Ennis. “That doesn’t mean every single story should read like The Punisher; it just means you should have free reign to write each story as it feels appropriate.”

Ennis also hints that return to the Punisher character is certainly plausible, as he is the "kind of character you never completely say goodbye to."

(And yes, we realize that PW referred to the character as "Iron Eagle" -- it's an understandable mistake. The movie certainly was a classic.)

For more on War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle, conducted this interview last month with Nick Lowe, the editor of the series.

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