Why is Spiderman #129 now a mega key comic ? 1 1

[Senormac]

1 minute ago, speedcake said:

OP hasn't been back. Guess he doesn't really care, after all.

Just trying to pad his post count I bet .  Me, ?  I'm trying to get every thread to have my avatar listed as last poster in it on page one.  It's a game.....  hehehehehe

[nickdemeato]

For me the Punisher logo, white skull on black background, has become a cool symbol on its own. I work in retail and a number of times I have said to someone wearing a Punisher tshirt if they are a big fan of the comics. Most of the time they dont even know its a comic book thing and just think its a cool skull thing. In the UK its been linked to boy racers too. Stickers on their cars and promotions with No Fear. I would think all this helps the characters popularity and then also the price of the 1st app.

[the blob]

13 hours ago, SBRobin said:

I have never considered the Punisher a "secondary character." In the 1990s he was just about as popular as Wolverine. 

He was a secondary character in tbe early 80s when you look at ads for comics and 129 is not bumped out (I don't have an opg from then). By then hulk 181 is.

[Aweandlorder]

1 hour ago, the blob said:

He was a secondary character in tbe early 80s when you look at ads for comics and 129 is not bumped out (I don't have an opg from then). By then hulk 181 is.

Let me help u with that

[Aweandlorder]

2 hours ago, nickdemeato said:

For me the Punisher logo, white skull on black background, has become a cool symbol on its own. I work in retail and a number of times I have said to someone wearing a Punisher tshirt if they are a big fan of the comics. Most of the time they dont even know its a comic book thing and just think its a cool skull thing. In the UK its been linked to boy racers too. Stickers on their cars and promotions with No Fear. I would think all this helps the characters popularity and then also the price of the 1st app.

Very true. In that sense, Punisher would be as iconic a figure in pop/mainstream art as say Death Dealer, essentially a character with no comic book relevancy which became a fantasy art/pop icon among cult followers, bikers, army units etc

[bug33fouf]

7 minutes ago, Aweandlorder said:

Let me help u with that

so what happen in 87" to get it its own spot and price increase?

the netflix series is what got me hooked on him again....

great show will increase value of this book...

[Aweandlorder]

Just now, bug33fouf said:

so what happen in 87" to get it its own spot and price increase?

the netflix series is what got me hooked on him again....

great show will increase value of this book...

The punisher mini was a huge hit half way through 86. That’s really all it took to push the character to the next level

[shadroch]

15 hours ago, the blob said:

In the early 80s it may have been a $1 book. I don't think the ads of the day bump it out. Which is weird as it should have been. Punished had enough solo books and was a pretty important spidey guest appearance type, but a lot of firsts of secondary characters did not have a bump.

With very few exceptions, First Issues dominated the hobby rather than first appearances. By the mid to late 80s, the influx of baseball card dealers and collectors and their Rookie Card mentality stirred the First Appearance  craze. 

While DC fans chased books like Adventure 247 and Flash 105, Marvel fans mostly chased first issues, with the exception of Avengers 4 and the Trilogy.

[shadroch]

8 minutes ago, Aweandlorder said:

The punisher mini was a huge hit half way through 86. That’s really all it took to push the character to the next level

Huge would be an understatement. Everybody wanted those books.

[the blob]

2 hours ago, shadroch said:

With very few exceptions, First Issues dominated the hobby rather than first appearances. By the mid to late 80s, the influx of baseball card dealers and collectors and their Rookie Card mentality stirred the First Appearance  craze. 

While DC fans chased books like Adventure 247 and Flash 105, Marvel fans mostly chased first issues, with the exception of Avengers 4 and the Trilogy.

Notice how 50 is not broken out either.

[Mr. Zipper]

On 1/17/2020 at 9:29 AM, Colin Nash said:

I have long looked at key comic issues. However, I still can't understand why the 1st appearance of The Punisher is held in such high esteem. A secondary character like many others in the history of Marvel and in all intents a purposes a glorified hitman. I just don't get how Spiderman #129 can carry such a high price tag. Sorry, but he does nothing for me. HOWEVER, having said this I'm always open to being persuaded by other points of view ?

ASM 129 was a "key" before the term was as diluted and as meaningless as it is today. In the 70s and 80s a super popular character. When I was in school in the 80s, ALL comic collectors wanted a copy of ASM 129.  It was highly desirable for 35 years when the talking raccoon and the Guardians were an unfunny joke languishing in quarter boxes. Now the first appearance of even the most meaningless characters is referred to as a "key." ASM 129 actually deserves the title. 

[Number 6]

22 hours ago, thunsicker said:

This is basically it.  The late 80’s early 90’s dark and violent characters took over.  The Dark Knight Returns in ‘86, The Punisher limited series in ‘86, and the Watchmen in ‘86/‘87.  And of course a lot of this was due to Wolverine becoming such a favorite character in X-Men leading up to this.  In the late ‘80’s early ‘90’s I had my store and those are all anyone asked about.  People who were 12-22 In 1990 are now 42-52 and have disposable income.

A couple of months ago I tossed out one of those small Overstreet update guides from ‘90 (I think) that had Wolverine and Punisher on the cover. 

That was from the time I was in high school. While I was never really into either character I remember the other guys in school who read comics constantly talked about both, followed by  X-men. 

Off-topic story about the Punisher:

A few years ago a guy started working in my department who was into comics. He was about 15 years younger than me. He was in the process of having a Superman/Doomsday fight tattooed across his body. 

One day he told me how he bought one of the issues of the Punisher limited series off the wall at the LCS. He said he wasn’t particularly interested in the character, he just thought that it was “a really cool old comic”. 

Thing is, I remember seeing the Punisher limited series on the spinner rack when I was a teenager. 

“Old comic”.  Ouch. 

[ADAMANTIUM]

10 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

A couple of months ago I tossed out one of those small Overstreet update guides from ‘90 (I think) that had Wolverine and Punisher on the cover. 

That was from the time I was in high school. While I was never really into either character I remember the other guys in school who read comics constantly talked about both, followed by  X-men. 

Off-topic story about the Punisher:

A few years ago a guy started working in my department who was into comics. He was about 15 years younger than me. He was in the process of having a Superman/Doomsday fight tattooed across his body. 

One day he told me how he bought one of the issues of the Punisher limited series off the wall at the LCS. He said he wasn’t particularly interested in the character, he just thought that it was “a really cool old comic”. 

Thing is, I remember seeing the Punisher limited series on the spinner rack when I was a teenager. 

“Old comic”.  Ouch. 

 ya it's off topic but that's relatable I'm still waiting for the news that Spear's and Beyonce are old, then I'll be old  

Edited January 18, 2020 by ADAMANTIUM

[RockMyAmadeus]

On 1/17/2020 at 2:43 PM, Hamlet said:

I remember that issue 4 was mislabeled 4 of 4.  After we read it my friends and I were like “That’s the end?”

I asked Zeck about that. He told me that it was originally going to be a four issue mini-series...which is why issue #1 says "#1 in a four-issue limited series"....but before #1 came out, they'd decided to expand it to 5 (and he had only committed to 4, which is why #5 is penciled by Vosburg.) So for #2 they changed it. Then, #3 came out...and the trade dress editor forgot it was now five issues, and put "#3 in a four-issue limited series"...and no one noticed! So, #4 also said four issues, and then #5 was finally corrected...because it would have looked dumb to say "#5 in a four-issue limited series" (Transformers #80 notwithstanding...  )

 

[kav]

20 hours ago, speedcake said:

OP hasn't been back. Guess he doesn't really care, after all.

Dang.  Another drive-by shouting.

[ADAMANTIUM]

I Look down at my screen, and screenshot the cam!

 

@kav51,000!!

Edited January 19, 2020 by ADAMANTIUM
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[Xenosmilus]

9 hours ago, the blob said:

Notice how 50 is not broken out either.

I remember collecting ASM back then #50 wasn't on my radar.  For the life of me could never find a 238 back then. Personally I think #50 is over rated to this day LOL. I was never a Kingpin fan.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Xenosmilus

[dupont2005]

On 1/17/2020 at 6:33 AM, kav said:

It's because he has had several of his own books and a movie.  Also technically he is not a hitman ie he does not kill for money.

Multiple movies, and a video game I think?

[Erndog]

ASM129 is prob one of my fav books as Punisher is one of my fav characters.  I've actually been humming over the idea of adding a few more to the collection. 

 

Having said that, while the cover is awesome the cover to 135 is even better!

[MetaHuman]

Gatsby77's post was spot on for me. I also agree with thunsicker's follow-up post as I'm in the 42-52 age cited. 

I started collecting and reading in 1985 when Crisis on Infinite Earths came out. The Punisher blew up as a character the following year with his mini-series. I didn't collect it at the time, but knew about it from comic book store chatter. After that, he exploded with the Punisher regular series and then Punisher War Journal and later with Punisher War Zone plus so many one offs. I picked up Punisher regular series #1 just to read since he was part of ASM's Gang Wars and got hooked. He was as popular as Wolverine from that time to the early 90's. Remember when Punisher War Journal #6 & #7 came out with the biggest cross-over at that time? Wolverine & the Punisher!  

I know he has tailed off comics-wise, but hopefully the goodwill from Jon Bernthal's awesome take on the Punisher will lead to a movie from Marvel. He is clearly not appropriate for Disney +