I've never really liked the Punisher.

The character is Marvel's attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator -- the comic book fans who want plenty of blood and death in their books. While there are settings where that sort of story works, I never really enjoyed the idea of setting up a murderous vigilante as the "hero" of a book.

But the one-shot graphic novel titled Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe caught my eye because of the sheer novelty of the idea. Instead of working his vengeance on criminals alone, Frank "The Punisher" Castle takes on pretty much everyone with a super power or secret identity in the Marvel canon. The story, obviously set outside the usual Marvel continuum, seemed at first glance to be a spoof -- the original cover illustration of the Punisher atop a towering pile of dead villains and heroes had to be a joke. (The new edition features a grimmer portrait of the character by Ennis's Preacher collaborator, Steve Dillon.)

Of course, this predated my familiarity with Garth Ennis (Hellblazer, Preacher) and his rather unique approach to storytelling.

Ennis gives us a one-page prologue, showing a young Frank Castle defending a young Matt "Daredevil" Murdock from bullies. Then the action picks up on page 2 with a full-scale battle between the Avengers, the X-Men and an invading fleet of aliens. Castle's wife and children are killed in the crossfire and, in his immediate grief and rage at a mumbled apology from one of the heroes, Castle starts shooting -- killing several Avengers (although only Hawkeye's death is shown) and two X-Men (Cyclops and a female hero who is drawn like Shadowcat but is called Jubilee) before Wolverine stops and scars him.

Castle's life imprisonment is abruptly curtailed when he is liberated by a group of rich victims -- people whose lives were shattered by their unfortunate proximity to a superpowered fight. With their financing, Castle becomes the Punisher, whose sole mission is to kill them all.

The Punisher is very good at what he does. Some readers may feel a jolt at reading the deaths of some favorite characters, while others might get a visceral thrill at the unthinkable. Some might think the Punisher is a little too good, accomplishing his goals far more quickly and easily than might seem reasonable -- and certainly, this book would have benefitted from more than the 48 pages allotted it.

But the story is tight and absorbing. Artist Dougie Braithwaite gives the story its due, although his characters are a little too lumpy, as if fashioned from clay.

If you enjoy stories outside the standard comics continuity and which mess around with established characters, give Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe a look. Originally published in 1995, the book was reissued this year to bank on a recent announcement from Marvel that Ennis will follow up his successful run on DC/Vertigo's Preacher by resurrecting the Punisher character in an ongoing series.