Punisher #1
"Forgive You Father For You Have Sinned" part 1
Story and Script by: Richard Gutierrez
The Punisher TM and copyright Marvel Entertainment Group 1998
NEW YORK CITY
The Glory of Our Maiden church has stood as a shining symbol of hope in this otherwise dark section of Hell’s Kitchen in New York. Father Michael Flanery has watched over his perish for the past 30 years. He is an old man slowly going through his daily routine of sweeping, reading the Bible, dusting, reading the Bible, preparing for Sunday mass, reading the Bible, and hearing confession 3 times a week. It is Tuesday 9:00 am, time for his last confession..
Father Flanery (sitting in the confessional, to self) I wonder what misguided soul the Lord will bring me today.
CREEEEEKKKK....
Father Flanery: Hello...
Man (in lower gravely voice): Forgive me father for I have sinned. It has been 3 days since my last confession.
Father Flanery twists in his seat as the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The man’s voice is not known to him, but he can almost feel the pain and torture that it gives off.
Father Flanery: Go ahead my son. God is hear to listen and absolve.
Man : Heh, absolve...there isn’t a God around that could absolve me of my sins, father. They are many and they will continue as long as YOUR kind draws breath!
Father Flanery (gripping his cross): What...what do you mean?
Man : All that live have sinned, are sinning, or will sin. Did you know that father? I know you’ve sinned. I’ve seen you. I’ve been there with you as you’ve touched what shouldn’t be touched. Kissed what’s not yours to kiss.
Father Flanery(gripping his cross to the point he draws blood): What are you…what are talking about?
Man: I have been given a mission, father. One that you and your kind charged me with many years ago. I can "see" the "sins" that others have committed, are committing, or will commit and your past sins scream to me. Call to me. Possess me. They have awaked a hunger in me. That hunger must be sated. It is time for the Sin Eater to feast!
CLICK! CLICK!
Sin Eater: You might want to start praying.
Father Flanery: NOOO!!
BLAM!BLAM!
Sin Eater: AHHH! My hunger is sated. Now...
The man quickly slaps an explosive charge to the confessional wall and runs out just in time to avoid a massive explosion that collapses the church.
Sin Eater (in a nearby alley): Dust to dust. HAHAHAHA!!!!
Shortly after the explosion, police Detectives Shields and Sherman arrive on the scene.
Det. Shields (sipping coffee): Christ! That old church went BOOM nicely.
Det. Sherman (slapping Shields shoulder): You pig. Men, sheesh!
Det. Shields (reacting to hot coffee spilling on his pants). Hey...AWWW!!, come on Sherman these are my favorite slacks.
Det Sherman: Those are your ONLY slacks, you fat bastard. Lets look over the rubble and see if we can find anything.
Det. Shields: Why? We know it’ll be the same as the other 3. Guy goes in to a church, shoots a priest point blank in a confessional, then BOOM goes the church. No clues. No leads. No eyewitness. Nada! Just a dead priest.
Det Sherman: Your lack of human feeling about this is...shocking. Wait that’s wrong. For it to be shocking I’d have to be surprised. Shields the only thing that surprises me is how you and your wife have 3 kids. She must be a strong woman to support all that weight, you fat bastard.
Det. Shields: Again with the "fat bastard". I’m not fat...I’m big boned.
Det. Sherman: That’s not what your wife says.
Meanwhile, as the two detectives continue their search through the rubble, in an adjacent alley, the Punisher is sitting in his van listening in.
Punisher (to self): Punisher War Journal entry 15-290447. I’ve been on the trail of this madman for 3 weeks now. This is the fourth church and priest he’s gotten to. Microchip seems to think that the priests have a common connection. I agree. Now the hard part is finding it.
Microchip (from monitor): Frank, I’ve done some research. It seems the priests all attended a conference 15 years ago. I’ll forward you a list that I cross-referenced to see if any are still located in the New York area.
Punisher: I see 3. Father’s Mitchell, Annuli, and Troyano. Which do you think he go after next?
Microchip: Well, Mitchell is the closes to your current location. Annuli the farthest. I don’t know Frank, I’ve got a gut feeling it’ll be Troyano.
Punisher: Same here. I’ll be in touch.
Punisher (to self): Journal entry 15-290447 cont. Troyano, Mitchell, Annuli, and all the others. I knew these men well. There was a time that I would have walked their path. The road of the righteous. The way of God. Who ever has declared war against these men have now declared war against me.
Man (in trenchcoat): Listen to me. The time has come to take our place as rightful kings of this backwater sphere. K’n, you will go and bring me the Urich woman. D’ve, you will go and meet Fontano about the guns. All is in ready for the glory that is ours!
The crowd that has gathered cheer as if a war party was posed and ready.*
***For more on this check out Sensational SpiderMan #1 located at this very site---Gute***
Later at the Church of the Forgiven, Father Troyano is unlocking the doors on this hot morning. As he walks to the back of the church, he sees a figure walk into the confessional. He walks slowly over to the booth and sits down.
Man (in lower gravely voice): Forgive me father for I have sinned. It has been 2 days since my last confession.
Father Troyano: Go ahead my son.
Sin Eater: I hunger, father. The sins of others cause a gnawing in my gut. My throat goes dry as if I were in the hottest dessert. The only thing that feeds my hunger is the blood of those who have sinned. I must eat their sins.
Father Troyano: You need help my son, let me help you. Let the Lord help you.
Sin Eater: The Lord....HA. Those who serve HIM are the biggest sinners. They are the ones who hide behind the scripture and verses. They poke at you and tell you to give yourself to the Lord. He loves you. He needs your love. I need your love. What is that about father, huh? I was only 8! (sobbing) I didn’t know any better. How could you and the others do that to my friends and me? All I’ve done is because of you. It’s your turn to satisfy my hunger. Your sins will be delicious.
CLICK!CLICK!
Father Troyano: What the ...?
BLAM!BLAM!
Sin Eater: What happened? Bulletproof glass?
Just then Father Troyano runs around, opens the confessionals other door, grabs the man, and throws him to the ground.
Sin Eater: You’re NOT Father Troyano. I can see your sins are numerous, but you are not him.
Father Troyano(ripping off his cloak, to reveal the Punisher): No I’m not, you sick delusional scumbag! You seem to be some kind of "Sin Eater". I knew these men and they where very God faring. How you can see any sins from them is beyond me.
The Punisher draws his guns and begins to fire at the Sin Eater. The Sin Eater dodges and hides between the church puses.
BANG!! BANG!!
Sin Eater: This can’t be. You will not deny me my retribution. They call themselves men of God. I’ll send them all to meet Him.
Punisher: I can understand your need for revenge against those who have wronged you. What did these men do to earn your revenge.
BANG!! BANG!!
Sin Eater (firing back at the Punisher): How could you possibly understand the pain and violation that they visited upon all my friends and me. The hands. I can still feel them! They told me I was special!
Punisher (to self, dodging): It’s very apparent that this priest had their way with him, but I find that hard to believe. I’ve had these men in my house. They’ve eaten dinner at my table with my two kids before…before the picnic. My son was even a member of the church choir…
BANG!! BANG!!Sin Eater: Answer me something, do you protect them cause they told you that you were "special" to them like I was?
Punisher: What?
Sin Eater reaches into one of his pouches and throws a hand full of grenades at the Punisher. The Punisher heads for the door as the grenades go off. The explosion echoes for what seems like hours. When the smoke settles, a pile of rubble slowly rises as the Punisher pushes his way to the top.Punisher
(to self as he staggers away): That could’ve gone better. I wonder if Sin Eater got away. If he did, do I even go after him? Do I try and stop him? His revenge is almost a tangible thing. He’s so much like me. I can remember how I felt after Maria and the kids where gunned down that day in the park. My need for revenge was all-powerful. Like his. Do I stop him? What will he do after he has finished killing the others? Kill someone because they laughed at him in High school? I must stop him. I will stop him.
What will the Punisher do? Stop Sin Eater? Help Sin Eater? What is the Punisher’s connection to the priest? Join me
next time as the Punisher battles Sin Eater again and find out just who is that large trenchcoated figure.
Back to the main PUNISHER page
Back to THE COLLECTION