‘Punisher’ makeover carries message

Artist says skull emblem hijacked by cops and others



ENFORCER—Gerry Conway, speaking at a convention, is heading a campaign to reclaim his comic book character, The Punisher, from cops and soldiers, who, he says, have adopted the symbol as their own. Courtesy photo

ENFORCER—Gerry Conway, speaking at a convention, is heading a campaign to reclaim his comic book character, The Punisher, from cops and soldiers, who, he says, have adopted the symbol as their own. Courtesy photo

Comic book heroes can be excellent role models—larger than life figures who do the right thing even if it puts them in danger. Sometimes the message gets confused and people model themselves after an icon for the wrong reasons.

Such is the case with The Punisher, a Marvel Comics anti-hero known for his ruthlessness and use of violence to punish criminals the law can’t or won’t. The character is most recognizable for his signature skull logo, which has become a symbol used by some police officers to decorate their patrol cars and uniforms.

But Westlake Village resident Gerry Conway, who created The Punisher, said he doesn’t agree with the symbol being worn by those who have sworn to “protect and serve,” and he has created a campaign to reclaim the icon by calling for artists of color to submit their own designs of the skull logo, which he has printed on T-shirts and sold online. The proceeds have been donated to Black Lives Matter Los Angeles. He’s helped raise over $71,000 since the #BLM campaign started in early June.

NEW LOOK—Submissions in Conway’s call for an alternative Punisher logo came from artists of color. Money from T-shirt sales will be donated to the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter. Courtesy photo

NEW LOOK—Submissions in Conway’s call for an alternative Punisher logo came from artists of color. Money from T-shirt sales will be donated to the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter. Courtesy photo

“That (symbol) became co-opted by military personnel in Iraq as a symbol of intimidation toward insurgents. That came back to the U.S. and was embraced by police, unofficially, in much the same way to intimidate and oppress people of color here,” said Conway, 67. “That’s . . . such an enormous misreading of the intention of the character.

“Regardless of whether we agree what The Punisher’s goals are, his methods are completely wrong for police. He’s an outlaw.”

Conway said his Punisher character was meant to expose the flaws within the justice system, not to endorse the anti hero’s actions.

He put out a call on Twitter for artists to submit their own designs of the skull logo, and most responses have included the phrase “Black Lives Matter.”

He ended up with 26 different designs and said there would have been more but he had to close the submissions at a certain point so he could start taking orders and selling the shirts.

VIGILANTE JUSTICE—Conway received more than two dozen entries in his call to redesign The Punisher skull logo. The designs were printed on T-shirts and sold to raise money for Black Lives Matter. Courtesy photo

VIGILANTE JUSTICE—Conway received more than two dozen entries in his call to redesign The Punisher skull logo. The designs were printed on T-shirts and sold to raise money for Black Lives Matter. Courtesy photo

He had the designs printed on T-shirts that were then made available to the public, none favored over the others.

All of them are valued, he said.

“I didn’t make an aesthetic judgment. I felt it wasn’t my place to do that,” Conway said.

“I wanted to facilitate these young artists, so it was basically first-come, first-served. We had some really striking designs we put up early, but all of them are incredibly powerful. I’m very proud to be associated with this.”

Capt. Chuck Becerra of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station said the department doesn’t allow deputies to wear Punisher pins on their uniforms or put stickers on their patrol cars.

“That’s a big no. Deputies can’t wear any pins other than the flag or their station logo on their uniform,” Becerra said. “We don’t have shirts with (The Punisher) logo that we make, but I guess people buy shirts and wear them.”

The Punisher character and logo are owned by Marvel Comics and its parent, Walt Disney Company. Neither company has marketed the logo to the authorities, but neither have they made an effort to stop the symbol from being used.

The pins and stickers worn by police are bootlegs produced by private manufacturers without the consent of the copyright holder.

Conway has been retired for some time and hasn’t been spoken to by the companies about the issue, though he’s made it clear to them where he stands.

As far as his T-shirt campaign is concerned, Conway is in the same boat as the merchants selling to police—he could technically be in violation of copyright— but he’s not worried about ending up in a courtroom since no one else has yet.

“At one point we were talking about this with the T-shirt manufacturer. They were worried about copyright infringement. I told them there’s no way Disney or Marvel would sue us when they haven’t sued anyone else. It’s not going to happen,” Conway said.

The Punisher comics are an ongoing series, and while he says the parent companies have withheld comment about others claiming the symbol of a violent, gun-toting vigilante as their own, the series did address the issue in a 2019 comic.

In the story, The Punisher is recognized after being stopped by police, who declare themselves fans of his work and ask for a photo to share with a group of like-minded officers.

The character rebuffs the officers and warns them to stop fawning over him.

“I’ll say this once. We’re not the same,” The Punisher says. “You took an oath to uphold the law. You help people. I gave all that up a long time ago. You don’t do what I do. Nobody does. You boys need a role model? His name is Captain America, and he’d be happy to have you.”

The scene ends with The Punisher threatening the police if he hears that they’re “trying to do what I do. I’ll come for you next,” the anti-hero says.

Follow Ian Bradley on Twitter @Ian_ reports.