Random Happenstance

Well, we've mentioned this one more than once, and I thought I had read it before, but this issue was new to me today: from 1998, The Punisher #1, "Puratory, part 1: the Harvest" Written by Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski, pencils by Bernie Wrightson, inks by Jimmy Palmiotti.

This is the first issue of the infamous "angel" Punisher, as Frank is now a more supernatural agent of vengeance, with a mysterious sigil on his forehead and pulling guns seemingly out of nowhere. As he guns his way through a drug factory, he also has visions of what appears to be his suicide. Meanwhile, some fallen angels are killed by another who fell harder, Cousin Oliver. Okay, the bad angel's name is Olivier. After the fall, the other devils punished him further by reincarnating him as a human, in a dead baby. Olivier definitely talks like he's lived on earth, declaring an angel "tastes like chicken."

Things are further complicated, when Frank stops a fat slob from beating his wife, and he realizes he knows her, a friend's sister. Frank remembers her from "a time before the Punisher," which seems like the least believable thing in this comic: he's idolized that time, but I don't think he really remembers it. (EDIT: Also, Frank's identity was not a secret, but would've been highly publicized--there probably would've been 48 hours of 48 Hours about him; Lucy should know this.)  But, Frank does think he had died, and then sees his wife and kids. They lead him up a fire escape to a roof, then disappear, a trick from a dying angel, a Grigori. He sends Frank to another, a fallen angel who confesses, he had brought Frank back, in an attempt to make amends, since he had been the guardian angel for Frank's wife and kids...and failed there. Frank has a gun in his face immediately, but honestly, that's his answer to everything. 

 God, this made me just want to read Ennis/Dillon's Punisher #1 immediately. I'm not mad at anybody involved; I'm pretty sure they were told to try something new, but that wasn't it. I'm pretty sure I have another issue of Starlin and Wrightson's Punisher P.O.V. around here somewhere: I hadn't realized that was originally going to be a sequel to Batman: the Cult. Which is another one we should take a look at (even if it won't fit in the scanner!) but P.O.V. makes better use of Wrightson's monsters. Anyhow, I got all four issues of this from my local shop's dollar bin, so I'll read the rest later.