5 out of 5

Okay, I think I’ve got a handle on the Epic Collections now.  I was madly confused by how I could only find instances of Punisher’s Epic sets volumes 2, 3, and 7 in print… but apparently, while the Epic sets within themselves are chronological, the volumes are not being printed as such.  So early Pun stuff in volume 1 might be released later, as will volumes 4, 5, and 6.  Kinda weird, but whatever.  Because more importantly: this is an insane deal.  $40 may seem like a hefty pricetag, but you’re getting the entire beginning of Pun’s solo series – 15 issues! – plus an Ann Nocenti DD issue that parallels one of the stories from Mike Baron’s Punisher issues, and the excellent Assassin’s Guild GN by Jo Duffy, which is 64 pages in itself.  If those were all priced the same, that’d work out to about $2.35 per issue; sure, back issue hunting or original cover prices might be cheaper than that, but picking it all up in one go – with a great, flippable binding and a clear, colorful printing – can’t be beat in terms of convenience.  In addition, there are a heckuva lotta extras included, mainly on the Mike Zeck front: sketches, pin-ups, but also forewords and afterwords from previous printings of these issues, and a final word from Ralph Macchio.  Quite a deal.