Eminem Gets Animated for the Punisher

Comic book fan Eminem has been written into graphic novel The Punisher for a special edition of the series.

The Without Me hitmaker, real name Marshall Mathers III, has teamed up with Marvel Comics for a two-part story on his favourite comic book hero.

Marvel representative Michael Pasciullo admits Eminem surprised the company's bosses with his choice of comic, reports Latimes.com.

Pasciullo says, "We thought he might want to do something as Wolverine since the movie is coming out right now, or maybe Spider-Man or one of the classic big names, and we were pleasantly surprised when he said he wanted to do a story with the Punisher. He's a true fan, and it showed throughout the process".

Eminem was so involved with the character's development, he even requested The Punisher's co-creator John Romita, Sr.

or Spanish artist SalvadorLarocca to draw the images.

And Marvel executives were equally delighted by Eminem's personal interest in the venture and his extensive knowledge about the character.

Pasciullo adds, "He also requested that the villain be Barracuda, and that's when we knew we were dealing with a real fan. How many people know Barracuda? I think this was really fun for him, and I know it was fun forus".

The first installment of the story, titled Kill You and written by FredVan Lente, features in the June (09) issue of Xxl magazine, while the second part will be posted online at marvel.comeminem as a digital release.