(Marvel Tales II#219/2) - Spider-Ham swung past a
billboard advertising Punfisher was hunting for criminals.
PUNFISHER
Real Name: Frank Carple
Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-8311/Larval
Earth) anthrotoon shark
Occupation: Vigilante;
formerly US Marine
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None;
briefly Spider-Ham
Enemies: Doctor Octopussycat and his thugs, Jaywalker,
Catfish LaRoe, Persueder,
Flash Tombenstain Bear (all Earth-8311), Ringmaster (Earth-616),
Kang-6309
Known Relatives: Sealia Carple
(wife), mother (full name unrevealed)
Aliases: Punky (nickname from his mother)
Base of Operations: New Yolk City (formerly New
York City), USA (Earth-8311)
First Appearance: Marvel Tales II#212/2 (June,
1988)
Powers/Abilities: Frank Carple received US Marine
training and is an experienced fighter in several forms of combat. As an
anthrotoon, his durability is at least superhuman, but he does
experience pain when injured and will behave in the usual mortal manner
of a human. Like Spider-Ham, he may be able to subtly alter his
appearance (but still be fish-like), depending on the psychological
stress/control he experiences. As Punfisher, he has access to multiple
types of weapons, including specialized ones manufactured for him. He is
a skilled driver and has a battlevan for transport. He is focused on his
violent mission to punish crime, sometimes devising psychological
punishment for specific targets. Punfisher prefers working solo and
keeps a journal to record his campaigns.
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Eyes: Black
Hair: None
History:
(Marvel Tales II#214/2 (fb)) - Frank Carple was a US Marine who served three tours of duty fighting in Viet Ham and learned to use anything as a weapon (including a tickling feather duster). After the war, he returned to New York and married his sweetheart Sealia. However, one day, he found the criminal mob had stuffed her with oatmeal cream pies, making her incredibly obese. From then on, Carple became the Punfisher and swore to punish criminals.
(Marvel Tales II#228/2 (fb) - BTS) - Punfisher gathered a
diverse arsenal of weapons and he had a battlevan full of weapons plus
his own small factory with elves making specialized weaponry.
(Marvel Tales II#214/2 (fb) - BTS) - His latest mission
had him hunting down those responsible for the spate of kidnapings of
New York plumbers (secretly orchestrated by the villainous mastermind
Doctor Octopussycat to monopolize the industry). Punfisher went to the
seedy Oyster Bar, punishing the occupants, including underworld
informant Catfish LaRoe, who told him of the next plumber target.
(Marvel Tales II#212) - Punfisher stopped a thug at
gunpoint from kidnapping the plumber and forced the thug to deliver a
pizza to a weight-loss clinic as punishment, ignoring the thug's pleas
for mercy. Confusing Punfisher as the kidnapper, the heroic Spider-Ham
swooped in and the two briefly fought but the vigilante was too fast and
threatened the dazed hero with a lobster-shaped gun (cray-gun?).
(Marvel Tales II#214/2) - The Punfisher held back and
ordered the thug continue his pizza run, but the Diet Land patrons
stampeded out for the pizza, trampling Punfisher and Spider-Ham. The
thug escaped but Spider-Ham flicked a spider-tracer on the car to track
it. Despite disagreeing on methods, the duo agreed to a team-up and they
followed the thug in Punfisher's battlevan. Spider-Ham fell asleep as
Punfisher recounted his origin story, but woke as they found where the
thug had returned to his crimelord. The duo burst in to find Doctor
Octopussycat with the captive plumbers, but the villain quickly used his
robotic arms and tossed them into a pool, where they were caught in a
draining whirlpool while Doctor Octopussycat escaped with his prisoners.
(Marvel Tales II#215/2) - Punfisher and Spider-Ham escaped the swirling pool and tracked Doctor Octopussycat to the City Water Treatment Plant, where the villain was about to toss his plumber victims from the building top. Punfisher fired a bazooka; Spider-Ham diverted the destructive shell and saved the plumbers while Punfisher fired a gun wildly at the villain. Spider-Ham directed Punfisher shoot an electric eel at the criminal's metal tentacle, which incapacitated Doctor Octopussycat. The police took away the criminal and Punfisher went off to continue his personal mission, shooting at (a) Jaywalker crossing the street.
(Marvel Tales II#219/2) - Spider-Ham swung past a
billboard advertising Punfisher was hunting for criminals.
(Marvel Tales II#228/2) - Punfisher identified the
criminal Flash Tombenstain Bear as his next target. He was about
shoot the villain when Spider-Ham swung in and knocked off his aim. Both
declared they were there to stop Tombenstain Bear destroying books in
the library but both then got caught up trying to show who had a bigger
arsenal. However, Tombenstain Bear had begun tossing books outside,
knocking down the duo. Spider-Ham was the first to recover and swung
inside. A limousine pulled up to the kerb and the mysterious Persueder
hypnotized Punfisher into becoming a merciless killer who could be
controlled. Punfisher initially resisted but then even played the violin
at Persueder's command. Mesmerized, Punfisher followed Persueder's
orders and brought in his weaponry to slay Spider-Ham.
(Marvel Tales II#229/2) - The mesmerized Punfisher focused
on killing Spider-Ham first and ignored Tombenstain Bear, so the book
destroyer joined Punfisher in trying to kill the hero. The hypnosis made
Punfisher clumsy and his aim loose; Tombenstain Bear grappled with
Spider-Ham but was knocked unconscious. Spider-Ham chanced upon an
anti-hypnosis book and brought the vigilante back to his senses, leaving
him with a headache and no memory of what had happened under hypnosis.
Seeing Tombenstain Bear unconscious, Punfisher took the opportunity and
left to claim the reward as a personal birthday present.
(Marvel Tales II#236/2) - Accidentally transformed into
the cosmically powered Captain Zooniverse, Peter Porker chose to clobber
all the villains in the "Larval Zooniverse", including the Punfisher.
Porker wrapped all the villains in a giant web net and tossed them into
outer space and expected them to never return. (See
comments.)
(Spider-Man Annual III#1/2) - On Earth-616, Ringmaster
chanced on several super-denizens from Earth-8311 falling through a
dimensional portal into his circus during a heist. He hypnotized them,
including Punfisher, and used them as pawns to rob a bank. The heroic
Spider-Ham and Spider-Guin (both Earth-8311) stopped him and his thralls
were freed of his influence. They clobbered him and Spider-Guin
portalled them away to another dimension.
(Spider-Ham I#3) - Thinking Larval Earth a mockery and
wanting to obliterate it, the extradimensional Kang-6309 arrived and
turned some of the super folk monochromatic, and they fought their
still-colored counterparts. Appearing more like a green carp, Punfisher
was caught up in the chaotic grand battle and fired wildly at Captain
Americat.
Comments: Adapted by Michael Eury, Alan Kupperberg, Joe Albelo.
Punfisher is the Earth-8311 version of Earth-616's Punisher (Frank Castle), who was created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. & Ross Andru. The mesmerizing Persueder is the Earth-8311 version of Earth-616's Persuader (created by Gerry Conway and Sal Buscema). Persueder introduces himself emphasizing the "suede" part (Persueder) to link in the animal aspect of leather obtained from goats and deer (amongst others), which ties into his horned costume.
Is the "Larval Zooniverse" in Marvel Tales II#236/2 the
same as Larval Earth (Larval Universe)? Some of the villains are
different and one-off (Green Gopher vs. the regular Green Gobbler;
Sandham vs. the regular Sand Manatee). And Porker returns to being
Spider-Ham in the next issue (along with Ducktor Doom). So was it all a
dream or perhaps a delusion brought on by the accidental chemical
explosion? Furthermore, Porker's bride Mary Jane Water Buffalo-Porker
wasn't particularly concerned at Porker's uncharacteristic murderous
solution to stopping the criminals by tossing them into the vacuum of
space. Punfisher (seen only in one headshot panel) is also colored
differently.
Punfisher's wife is named Sealia in her first panel appearance, then in the very next panel her name drops an "a" to be Selia. Given she's an anthrotoon seal, I'm certain it's the first spelling.
In the massive battle between super-folk in Spider-Ham I#3
between the turned monochromatic forces of Kang-6309 and the still-color
defenders, Punfisher is still in color (sporting a green look), yet
shoots at the also color Captain Americat. I suspect that Punfisher was
supposed to be part of the monochromatic pawns of Kang-6309. However,
this Punfisher is also more carp-like in appearance and not like his
original shark look.
Punfisher first appeared in back-up stories in Marvel Tales vol.2 during that title's run when it reprinted the Punisher's early appearances in Spider-Man titles.
I'm guessing he's very serious because he's a pun-fisher, always fishing for puns...
This profile was completed on 10/29/2025, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary's celebratory event to represent Spider-Ham.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS :
Punfisher has no known connections to:
Sealia was Frank Carple's sweetheart and the two married
after Frank returned from fighting in the Viet Ham war. They settled in
New York. One day alone at home, Sealia refused to buy girl scout
cookies from a gangster's daughter. The mob returned and stuffed her
with hundreds of oatmeal cream pies and she became incredibly obese.
This shocked Frank and he became the Punfisher on a mission to punish
criminals.
--Marvel Tales II#214/2
Jaywalker was illegally crossing the street when he was
spotted by the crime-punishing Punfisher and the judgmental vigilante
opened fire. Jaywalker ran for his life.
The jaywalker's name is unrevealed, but it's probably
accurate as he looks like a blue jay bird. So presumably all he does is
peskily jaywalk.
--Marvel Tales II#215/2
Catfish LaRoe was an underworld informant (including
Spider-Ham's). Concerned at the spate of plumber kidnapings in his city,
Punfisher sought out LaRoe at his regular location, the seedy Oyster Bar
and incapacitated everyone, deeming all a criminal, and assigned LaRoe
the punishment of completing a confusing IRS form. Punfisher left and
the heroic Spider-Ham, also on the trail of the kidnapings, arrived soon
after, but found him in the corner delirious and confused over the IRS
tax form. Spider-Ham left LaRoe there and swung out to investigate
further.
--Marvel Tales II#212/2
Persueder had "mutantic" hypno-powers via just his
eye-to-eye gaze. For unrevealed reasons, Persueder wanted to kill off
Spider-Ham. He arrived by limousine and hypnotized Punfisher into a
soulless, merciless and easily controlled killer, but first he made
Punfisher play the violin to demonstrate his power. Punfisher tried to
resist but Persueder's power was too strong. Brainwashed, the heavily
armed Punfisher went after Spider-Ham.
--Marvel Tales II#228/2
images: (without ads)
Marvel Tales II#212/2, p3, pan5 (main image)
Marvel Tales II#214.2, p1, pan3 (headshot)
Marvel Tales II#228/2, p3, pan7 (heavily armed and mesmerized)
Spider-Ham I#3, p13 (green, new look)
Marvel Tales II#214/2, p3, pan6 (Sealia)
Marvel Tales II#215/2, p5, pan5 (Jaywalker)
Marvel Tales II#212/2, p2, pan5 (LaRoe)
Marvel Tales II#228/2, p3, pan4 (Persueder)
Appearances:
Marvel Tales II#212/2 (June, 1988) - Michael Eury (writer), Alan
Kupperberg (pencils), Joe Albelo (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Tales II#214/2 (August, 1988) - Michael Eury (writer), Alan
Kupperberg (pencils), Joe Albelo (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Tales II#215/2 (September, 1988) - Michael Eury (writer), Alan
Kupperberg (pencils), Joe Albelo (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Tales II#219/2 (January, 1989) - Michael Eury (writer), Alan
Kupperberg (pencils), Joe Albelo (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Tales II#228/2 (October, 1989) - Danny Fingeroth (writer), Alan
Kupperberg (pencils), Joe Albelo (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Tales II#229/2 (November, 1989) - Danny Fingeroth (writer), Alan
Kupperberg (pencils), Joe Albelo (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Tales II#236/2 (April, 1990) - Alan Kupperberg (writer, pencils,
inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Spider-Man Annual III#1/2 (August, 2019) - Jason Latour (writer), David
Lafuente (artist), Danny Khazem (editor)
Spider-Ham I#3 (April, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Will Robson (artist),
Devin Lewis (editor)
First posted: 09/19/2026
Last updated:
10/29/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099
Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you
should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com.
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix!