Punisher Max!!!

I just started reading the trades for the Marvel Max series The Punisher and all I can say is wow. For those unfamiliar with Max, it is the mature imprint of Marvel. That means profanity, sex, nudity, extreme graphic violence, and other stuff not suitable for the mainstream titles. I've gotten into a few other Max series in the recent past, including Supreme Power (a new take on the Squadron Supreme), and the Hood: Blood from Stones, which is basically the Hoods origin and I believe his 1st appearance. These Max books are fantastic as they are able to go all out with the stories and not hold back. At the same time you get a great story of the Marvel universe, not some whacked out indie book that does violence and swears for the sake of violence and swears. The Punisher itself is fantastic. My issue over the years with that character is that he does not seem to fit in the Marvel U 100% of the time. He's a great charcter but by no means is he a "superhero." He's at best an extremly dangerous and unbalanced vigilante, but probaly could be better described as a serial killer. That does not fit well side to side with Spider-man and Captain America. Personally, I don't like to see Frank Castle rocking a jetpack or a laser gun, fighting Stilt Man or the Shocker. I want to see him fighting drug dealers, pimps, the mob etc. Real bad guys, not costumed goofballs. Thats what this series invokes. I'm not 100% sure that this book exists outside the Marvel U, but it definitley is not focusing on or (so far for me) even mentioning the capes and cowls. I recomend this book to fans of crime books and for people who like gritty stories of heroes without the fluff and flash of mainstream superhero books like Superman, Spider-man, or even Batman.