The Punisher was firing on all cylinders before his mid-90's decline. Old Frank took on and defeated practically every criminal organization you could imagine, had a good feud with the Kingpin after the crime boss tired of messing with Daredevil and Spider-Man, featured in crossover tales with the likes of Nick Fury, Hulk, Wolverine and Moon Knight, and was regularly locking horns with long-time nemesis Jigsaw. Yep... it was a pretty cool time to be a Punisher fan.

Perhaps it's because it was published during this productive and creative period that the seemingly oddball one-shot Blood on the Moors works as well as it does. One can be forgiven for thinking that packing Castle off to Scotland to bring down a circle of drug lords wouldn't make for a blockbuster tale; after all, we've seen him do similar things in New York a thousand times before. Yet there's something compelling about taking the Punisher out of his element with no real friends or backup to turn to if the situation turns really ugly (Frank's 'man in the van', Micro, is reduced to a couple of cameo appearances via long-distance phone calls), which, inevitably, it does. Writers Grant and Wagner (of 2000 AD fame), both Britons themselves, provide an immersive setting, from the local dialect to the haggis to a Hearts v. Rangers football match, every panel is flavored with a truly authentic touch.

We find Castle in the midst of an ongoing chase, hot on the trail of Zanussi, a drug baron responsible for a great deal of cocaine slipping into the United States. Zanussi plans to meet up with high-profile crooks from other territories, hoping to form an unholy alliance that would become the largest drug running circle in history. The snag? The police are closing in on Zanussi, and someone else wants him dead now - the ghostly vigilante known as the Clansman. Frank finds himself in the unfortunate position of having to protect a master criminal so he'll be alive long enough to lead him to the meet, but trying to peacefully fend off both the Clansman and the Edinburgh police is almost more difficult than busting heads.

The Clansman, completely decked out in Highland warrior attire and wielding a massive claymore, doesn't appear to mesh all that well with the clearly urban Punisher character at first glance, but by the second half of the story you'll come to understand he shares the same set of rules as Castle when it comes to fighting evil-doers... meaning he has no rules. It is the Clansman's sword which grants him his superpowers, acting somewhat similar in function to Thor's trusty hammer Mjolnir. To date, Blood on the Moors is the only time the Clansman has made an appearance in a Marvel book, and that seems a shame to me. I doubt he'd have the staying power for an ongoing series, but a one-off special or even a guest appearance in another hero's book every once in awhile would be welcome.

Not an essential tale by any stretch, but a damn fine story for established Punisher fans. If you've only ever seen the more recent War Journal or MAX versions of the Punisher, pick up Blood on the Moors for a glimpse at one of the more clever offerings from the classic era. ( )