This is the first installment of a brand-new weekly feature that serves as a companion to Abandoned an' Forsaked. In Abandoned an' Forsaked, the key is that we deal with stories that were not only abandoned but also specifically retconned so that they never actually happened. However, many readers were interested in reading about instances where a writer abandoned earlier stories/plotlines/story ideas while leaving the original story still in existence in continuity. So that's what this feature will be spotlighting.

We begin with the Punisher's short-lived existence as a supernatural avenging angel.

In 1998, we saw the debut of Marvel Knights. It helped revitalize books like Daredevil with Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada and Black Panther with Christopher Priest. With Punisher, though, despite an excellent creative team of writers Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski and artists Berni Wrightson and Jimmy Palmiotti, their supernatural twist on the Punisher was perhaps a bit too weird...

We later meet the angel who gave Punisher his new powers...

The mini-series was popular enough that it had a sequel in a cross-over mini-series also written by Golden and Sniegoski and drawn by Pat Lee and Alvin Lee that featured Punisher and Wolverine. Here, Punisher recaps his current status quo...

Well, a year later Marvel Knights brought Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon on board the title for a new maxi-series starring the Punisher. In the first issue, the Punisher was back to basics, but Ennis then did take the time to specifically address the previous run...

Nicely done, Mr. Ennis!

Okay, that's it for this first week! If you have suggestions for future editions of this feature, e-mail me your ideas at bcronin@comicbookresources.com. Don't make suggestions in the comments section!