I first encountered the Punisher ages ago in Amazing Spider-Man. That version of the Punisher differed from the modern incarnation. The old Punisher frequently used mercy bullets: tranquilizing ammunition invented by Lester Dent for Doc Savage. The original Punisher, though darker in attitude, exhibited humor and heroism. He also comported a style that read as an updated Zorro.

The Powers That Be at Marvel offed the Punisher last issue, and Frank Castle's death didn't really affect me because I never had been a fan of the killing machine. The Punisher of today cannot actually be called a character. He simply squeezes the trigger or pulls the pin. He slices. He dices. A humorless, lumbering, one-dimensional plot device replaced the Punisher I knew. I might have felt bad had Wolverine-wannabe Daken slaughtered the original, but that Punisher had long ago faded into comic book history.

The PTB intended to make Frank Castle into Frankencastle. Frank would become a creature that was in all intents and purposes the Frankenstein's Monster. At first, I thought this idea was merely fannish rumor, but it turns out to be true. If the transformation had occurred to any other character I probably would have objected, but you see there’s not much depth to the Punisher anyway. So there's very little lost. It tickles me. I can even see a sort of rationale. Spider-Man met the Frankenstein's Monster in a pair of memorable Marvel Team-Ups, and he frequently found himself fighting alongside the Punisher. This fusion eliminates the middleman.

Rick Remender's stitch-up of the latest very model of a modern Marvel general relies on a languid dip in the nostalgia pool. Now, I'm no maven when it comes to Marvel continuity, but I know Monster Island, Morbius the Living Vampire, Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing and the Mole Man. Marvel's Gill Man and the Living Mummy also make cameo appearances. The figures and settings as well as Remender's wit make The Punisher a comprehensible and enjoyable read.

Consider this. I haven't perused a Punisher book since I tried the original mini-series by Steven Grant and Klaus Jansen. I haven't seen this character or his guest stars in years, but I did not feel lost reading this issue. I felt right at home.

After the climactic battle on the rooftops where Frank literally loses his head, Osborn's flunkies intend to pick up the pieces. The body part retrieval quickly goes pear-shaped when a Marvel monster rears its tentacles. The moment deserves a splash-page, and Tony Moore and Dan Brown provide one helluva splash-page.

Moore and Brown illustrate counter-intuitively. You expect ugly shadowy stuff to represent the creatures of the night and the horrors of reanimation. Instead, the artists bring the monsters out, into the light. They look glorious. Brown opts for muted natural shades of reds, grays and grass greens. These color choices enhance the credibility of the creatures. The organic gamut contrasts the wilder, brighter hues of the Hunter of Monster Special Force, a group that is possibly under Osborn's auspices and which lives up to their name.

Moore possesses the deft skill of an anatomist. The creatures in the foreground and background all look biologically sound with thoughtfully rendered musculatures and features. Morbius resembles Max Schreck's ratlike Count Orlok from the German horror classic Nostferatu, yet he also displays a hapless, mortal quality when confronting the Punisher reborn. Frank now looks like a Simon Bisely Judge Dredd hulk as embellished by Milo Manara. It suits him. Man-Thing is more massive than he has ever been. Detailed leaves and branches compose his form, and these flourishes make Man-Thing less of a muck-monster and more of an elegant plant creature, a figure of fantasy rather than horror. The Howling and An American Werewolf in London changed the way creative people presented and portrayed werewolves, but it's nice to see an old school Jack Russell, hirsute and powerfully framed yet still short-snouted and as much of a man as he is wolf.

Moore and Chan make The Punisher look more like a beautifully illustrated children's storybook instead of a typical dour comic book. Somehow this just makes the whole idea of Frank metamorphosing into the Frankenstein's Monster even giddier and more apropos.

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