`The Punisher'.

Byline: Jay Boyar

Superheroes tend to be vigilantes.

They often work outside the law, sometimes fired by revenge.

Batman's career, after all, was triggered by the murder of his parents. Spider-Man fights crime because his beloved uncle was killed by a crook.

Marvel Comics' the Punisher takes the vigilante-superhero concept to extremes.

He's not just seeking revenge because of the death of a relative or two. He fights crime because his entire extended family has been murdered.

And while most superheroes are only as brutal as necessary, the Punisher is more like Dirty Harry or Charles Bronson's Death Wish crusader: He …