Crawling Back: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15 Review
This annual is a far more entertaining adventure with "frenemies" Spider-Man and the Punisher than other team-up tales
—by Nathan on July 30, 2025—
While writing a review for Terry Kavanagh and Scott McDaniel's Spider-Man/Punisher/Sabretooth: Designer Genes graphic novel, I checked out a few other reviews on the inter-webs to pick the brains of my fellow Spidey-fans. On one review, a reader commented that a much better Spidey/Punisher story was Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15, which they noted was written by comics legend Dennis O'Neil and illustrated by comics legend Frank Miller.
I blinked. I had this annual in digital format, but for some reason, I had never gotten around to reading it (though, to be fair to myself, I've not read or reviewed a ton of Amazing Spider-Man annuals for this blog). But you're telling me the guy who introduced the world to Ra's al Ghul wrote a Spidey/Punisher adventure illustrated by the guy who made Batman old? Sign me up! Honestly sounded like a match made in heaven.
As it was a comment on a review of Designer Genes which encouraged me to give this annual a read, I thought it most appropriate to post this blog in the wake of reviewing that graphic novel. I critiqued Designer Genes somewhat negatively, so I feel I should extend to you, dear reader, an olive branch. Please accept it with my sincerest gratitude.
"Spider-Man: Threat or Menace?"
Writer: Dennis O'Neil
Penciler: Frank Miller
Inker: Klaus Janson
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Letterer: Jim Novak
Issue: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15
Issue Publication Date: October 1981
This is the first Dennis O'Neil Marvel material I've read since soaking up a little volume of his Daredevil work, and thank goodness, this is much, much better than the DD stories I read. O'Neil is tackling a different Marvel vigilante in this annual, the skull-chested Punisher, and bringing Frank Miller along for this wild ride is a stroke of genius. At this point, Miller was already knee-deep in his run on Daredevil, and though he'd introduced Elektra, elevated Bullseye, and made the Kingpin a gangland threat, he had yet to have the Man Without Fear square off against the Punisher. Their first clash would happen the next year, so this annual marks, as far as I am aware, the first time Miller illustrated the Punisher. For the historical weight of this issue alone, it's worth checking out…but how 'bout the guts? What's the story like?
I will officially start the review by noting the Spidey-fan I mentioned is 100% correct in his estimation. This annual represents a far more competent Spidey/Punisher match-up, better even than some other pairings I've read outside Kavanagh and McDaniel's graphic novel, like the time the two busted a plan by the U.S. government that involved replacing the gold standard with the cocaine standard!
I will never not take an opportunity to mock the hilarity of that story, but moving on…
O'Neil doesn't have Spidey deliberate with the Punisher on the morals or ethics of him murdering people. After witnessing the Vietnam vet gun down a phony miracle worker, Peter dons his classic costume and goes Punisher-hunting. There's no belaboring here; it's just immediate action as Spidey swings at the Punisher with a kick that busts through a whole chimney. I'm not sure how O'Neil and Miller collaborated precisely on this annual, but Miller draws an aggressive fight between the two men, where Spidey's strength and versatility is pitted against Castle's own agility and marksmanship. If the kick through the chimney isn't cool enough, Miller has the Punisher shoot off Spidey's web nozzles and then–and I can't believe I'm saying this–lets him tag Spidey!
Yeah, Punisher shoots him! Right in the chest!
It's a "mercy bullet" as the Punisher says, but make no bones: were this a live round, Spidey'd have a new hole that sprays blood instead of webbing.
O'Neil provides a lot in this issue, as I'll note, but this annual is absolutely memorable for how well Miller translates the writer's vision and imagination to the page. We get several moments which are just visually cool or entertaining: the Punisher faces Doctor Octopus, the story's villain, on two occasions, and gets trounced both times. Spidey webs a guy to a ceiling fan, with Miller showing how the guy is spinning upside down in a fun visual gag. A climactic showdown occurs at the Daily Bugle's printing presses, with Miller filling in the environment wonderfully and finding unique ways to incorporate the machinery into the battle. Miller's work is clean and detailed, making for very easy-to-follow and immersive storytelling. There are hints of darkness here and there, but Miller also employs a surprisingly lighter touch. Since I tend to associate Miller with darker narratives such as "Daredevil: Born Again," "The Dark Knight Returns," and "Batman: Year One," I appreciated seeing bits of humor, like with the spinning fan. Though, as an aside, Miller wrote and illustrated some genuinely humorous elements in Daredevil, including an issue where Foggy Nelson is accidentally identified as an assassin and a running gag where Turk Barrett is thrown out a bar window, so I shouldn't downplay his comedic timing.
Though Miller illustrates wonderfully, it's O'Neil threading the narrative strands which pull the plot together. Despite the cover spoiling Doc Ock's involvement, the villain's introduction is terrifying and violent, his tentacles sneaking up and thrashing the Punisher, pointing to a more brutal take on the character that O'Neil maintains by having the cephalopod-inspired scientist threaten to kill five million New Yorkers. Other writers had played with "Doc Ock as terrorist" or "Doc Ock as ransom-demander" before, elevating him from a goofy scientist in a green jumpsuit who battled Spider-Man on occasion to a full-blown threat to larger swaths of humanity. O'Neil continues that trend, giving the pompous, tentacled madman a terrifyingly suave demeanor; Otto handles his whole plot with a calm confidence, such as one scene where he demands a ransom from the mayor while his arms tangle with the Punisher.
Our main stars are Spidey, the Punisher, and the deplorable Octavius, but O'Neil and Miller manage to rope in some of those stalwart newshounds of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson and Bill Urich, to round out the cast. Both play into an amusing gag where Urich keeps telling Jonah to scrap the front page for a new, better story, but beyond this, Jonah plays into the plot a little more heavily. A moment where the publisher stands overlooking his newsprint operations allows for a momentary glimpse into the mind of the cigar-chomping hater of all things Spider-Man. Sure, he'll bash the Wall-Crawler any chance he gets, but otherwise, he's passionate about printing, about publishing…well, maybe not always the exact truth, but something close to it.
For the sake of continuity, I'll also note that this story ends with the Punisher arrested by the police and carted off to Rykers, where he'll stay until he breaks out to kill the Kingpin in a story featuring Cloak and Dagger. That's the same story where I mocked a sequence where Castle indiscriminately fires at jaywalkers and litterbugs, a weird plot point resolved in his first limited series. O'Neil's Castle is much more reasonable, forgoing a potential altercation with police because he knows they're doing their jobs and that, despite his belief he's meting out justice, he recognizes not everyone views his brand of justice as he does. In one final bit of welcome unintentional humor, the Punisher notes there are at least lots of criminals in prison, implying he's being taken to exactly where he wants to be…until he chooses to leave, that is.
Thanks again, fellow Spidey-fan, for unknowingly suggesting I check this annual out. I had never read it before, though I was familiar with some of the imagery, such as Punisher shooting off Peter's web nozzles. O'Neil and Miller work well together to create an engaging story–for O'Neil, it's a chance to write some darker, street-level material fans can also find in his original Batman material, his Question series, and the first five issues of Legends of the Dark Knight. For Miller, it's a test run for his iconic Daredevil/Punisher conflict, letting him shape Frank Castle as a violent, versatile combatant. It's a fun annual too, with the running gag concerning the Daily Bugle's front page and some great visual humor. If you're looking for a Spidey/Punisher mag to take a gander at, maybe crane your neck over to see this one…but maybe not too far. Frank Castle might take a shot at you.