In this series we spotlight comic book stories that are likely best left forgotten. Here is an archive of past installments.

Today we look at how Punisher became a supernatural angel of vengeance for a short period of time...

1997 and 1998 were an interesting period for the Punisher. After having at least one ongoing series (and often two-three ongoing series plus seasonal one-shots) since the mid-1980s, the Punisher was without his own title for nearly all of 1997 and most of 1998. And even there, the previous Punisher ongoing series was an attempt to rework the concept (John Ostrander wrote it and it involved the Punisher going undercover with a crime family and then the Punisher working as a quasi-Agent of SHIELD), so it was clear that the character was floundering a bit. So when Joe Quesada's Event Comics were given the opportunity to do new series on a few Marvel characters, the Punisher was one of the books they agreed to work on. The concept that was developed was not exactly a great one.

Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski had been writing comics for years at this point (a few times with each other) and had a lot of experience with the horror genre, and obviously the artist on the series, Bernie Wrightson, is one of the most famous horror comic book artist around. So along with inker Jimmy Palmiotti, I guess it made sense to them to do a supernatural take on the Punisher.

Here is when we first see him in action...





The reader discovers why the Punisher is back after having killed himself off panel at the same time that the Punisher does himself, as he confronts an angel - apparently his family's guardian angel!!



That scene right there serves as sort of the epitome of this series. It is not a BAD scene, it's actually pretty clever - but it just doesn't make sense for a Punisher comic. He seriously meets the actual guardian angel for his family?

This exchange sets up the concept for the series - his battles on Earth essentially ARE Purgatory for the Punisher now...



The third issue of the series flashes back to when Gabriel resurrected the Punisher and gave him his new powers...







Golden and Sniegoski also try to pull a bit with the Punisher's origin, trying to claim that it was all a plot from hell to get the Punisher to kill for them. In the end, the bad guy from hell and the ostensible good guy from Heaven both cancel each other out and the Punisher is left to himself, now believing he can redeem himself and be reunited with his family some day...



There was actually a SECOND mini-series with this concept, by Golden and Sniegoski, with art by Pat Lee and Alvin Lee. It set the Punisher against Wolverine (before they ultimately team-up, of course). Here is the introduction of the new status quo in #1...



and here Wolverine and Punisher tangle with each other in #2...









This brings us to the end of 1999. At the beginning of the next year, Garth Ennis relaunched the Punisher and as I pointed out in the very first Abandoned Love, he quickly dropped this concept and it was never heard of again.

Check back in a couple of days when I complete the triumvirate of best-forgotten Punisher stories with FrankenCastle!

That's it for this installment! If you have a suggestion for this feature, feel free to drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookresources.com