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Amazing Spider-Man #129 CGC 9.8 WP: 1st Appearance of the Punisher (Frank Castle)!

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In anticipation of the release of Daredevil Season 2 on Netflix on March 18, 2016, I have decided to share my recent acquisitions and commentary specific to the new characters who will be featured in what I consider in my opinion, "the best comic book movie adaptation ever created!"

 

The scans and write-ups are taken directly from my CGC Registry Sets; this one hails from my newly assembled "Arachnophobia" ASM Complete with Variants Set!

 

Next week, you can look forward to reading about Daredevil #168; the origin and 1st appearance of Elektra!

 

I hope you enjoy the scan and the read! Have a great weekend and try to enjoy the "small moments" leading up to the hunt!

 

-Professor Pecora

 

Amazing Spider-Man #129 showcases the 1st appearance of the Punisher (Frank Castle) and the Jackal!

 

The Punisher was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr. and Ross Andru, with publisher Stan Lee providing the name.

 

The classic cover art displaying the "Different and Deadly" Punisher was drawn by legendary artists Gil Kane and John Romita. The most lethal hired assassin is featured in his iconic skull-imprinted black suit with an arsenal of weaponry, including an automatic assault rifle in which he is unloading a full clip of ammunition directly at Spider-Man.

 

The close up view of the Punisher's sniper scope depicts a defenseless and aerial bound Spider-Man avoiding bullets exploding against the surrounding brick buildings, with cross hairs aimed precisely at his heart! Couple this action on a commanding bright yellow cover, and you have one of the most sought-after and treasured comics in the history of the Amazing Spider-Man title!

 

As a matter of fact, ASM #129 is considered one of the top 10 most valuable Bronze Age (1970-1984) comic books of all-time and remains a contender for one of the top 5 most valuable Bronze Age Marvel Keys! For instance, sales for ASM #129 in CGC 9.6 and 9.8 have already begun surpassing that of what Giant-Size X-Men has been selling for in grade. In terms of the Amazing Spider-Man title, ASM #129 is "The" most valuable and expensive issue of the entire Bronze Age!

 

Moreover, what made the Punisher truly unique is that although he was originally created as a villain; he was gradually developed into a crime-fighting antihero. It was characters like the Punisher and Ghost Rider (1st introduced in Marvel Spotlight #5 in August of 1972), that would influence the industry in creating more violent and grittier material.

 

Since the Punisher's inception in February of 1974, he has starred in 3 feature films. The first Punisher movie premiered in the USA on July 8, 1990 at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention, and was characterized by actor Dolph Lundgren.

 

It wasn't until 14 years later; on April 16, 2004, in which The Punisher had a reboot and was played by actor Thomas Jane with John Travolta playing the antagonistic character Howard Saint. The setting took place in Florida, which was not true to the comics as Frank Castle's origins take place in Queens, New York.

 

The most recent installment, Punisher: War Zone, released on December 5, 2008, was played by actor Ray Stevenson. In addition, actor Dominic West played the Punisher's arch enemy Jigsaw (William "Billy" Russo), which is true to the comics as Jigsaw was introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #162 and plays a significant and enduring role throughout the Punisher's storyline.

 

Unfortunately, none of the aforementioned Punisher films were successful. There were a number of reasons why none of the films gave the Punisher's character justice; they ranged from inconsistencies in the comics to corny representations of the characters to not finding the "right" actor to emulate and embody the Punisher to perfection.

 

Fortunately, after decades of failed attempts to portray the character and build a successful franchise, in March of 2016, the Punisher will be played by "The Walking Dead" alum Jon Bernthal (Shane Walsh) in the upcoming season 2 of the critically acclaimed Netflix Daredevil series! Furthermore, this also means that the Punisher will officially be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

 

On that note, Marvel Head of Television Jeph Loeb said in the announcement on Marvel.com, "Jon Bernthal brings an unmatched intensity to every role he takes on, with a potent blend of power, motivation and vulnerability that will connect with audiences. Castle's appearance will bring dramatic changes to the world of Matt Murdock and nothing will be the same."

 

Finally, it looks like the Punisher is going to get justice on the silver screen! In turn, this will also translate into increased demand for high-grade copies of Amazing Spider-Man #129, which means the market value is going to surge significantly! Actually...it has already begun!

 

In closing, I won this pristine beauty at auction on Pedigree Comics in September of 2015! The bidding became ferocious during the final minutes, but I was blessed to end up with the winning bid!

 

This particular copy sports perfect cover wrap, perfect centering, and perfect white page quality along with being perfectly cut! The color saturation is deep and bright and the corners are razor sharp! The only visible blemish is a small ink smudge located on the right-hand side of "The Punisher" text box; however, this is a common printing defect for this issue as some of the black ink would smear during the printing process.

 

Nevertheless, this rare specimen is without a doubt one of the top 5 copies in the world and is currently the prized centerpiece of Arachnophobia!

 

A big shout-out goes to Doug Schmell of Pedigree Comics for helping me to acquire this gem!

 

Thanks for reading and Happy Collecting! :-)

 

-Professor Pecora

 

See more journals by Professor Pecora

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Hey Matt!

 

I remember you mentioning this to me previously. I think Ray Stevenson was a good fit, but I have a feeling Bernthal will have an edge on him.

 

John Bernthal usually plays the bad- character to perfection that you actually start to "hate" him! He is also very relevant in the comic world after successfully playing Shane Walsh in the first 2 seasons of the Walking Dead. Therefore, I think the large majority of comic book fans can "accept" Bernthal to embody an iconic character such as The Punisher; I think he's going to do an excellent job and give the world a new perspective of the character.

 

We have to get into the "twisted mentality" of the Punisher and see him as a "villain" at first; I am hoping that this gets eloquently conveyed in Daredevil Season 2! If it is done correctly, The Punisher stock will rise immediately.

 

We will find out in a couple of weeks!

 

-Professor Pecora

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Nice journal Professor. I really enjoyed DD Season 1 and am looking forward to Season 2. I thought Thomas Jane did a nice job as Punisher and haven't seen War Zone cuz it just didn't look good. I'm not a Walking Dead guy, but the hype is high on the new guy playing Frank so we'll see...the previews do look good. Oh and that 9.8 ASM 129? Dang. :)

 

 

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Surfer! Nice to hear from you bro!

 

I am a HUGE Walking Dead fan! (Just finished watching the 2 most recent episodes of Season 6 prior to writing this post!) I am actually surprised that I do not own a single Walking Dead comic!! lol However, Walking Dead #1 in CGC 9.8 WP is definitely on my "Want List!"

 

Anyway, Daredevil Season 2 should be great!

 

I got my hustle on to acquire my ASM #129!! :grin: You can PM me if you want specific details!

 

So how are things going for you? What was your most recent acquisition? Any new prospects you are looking to acquire in the near future?

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Although I am happy with my copy, your is truly a specimen to hold in awe. Your journal was truly inspiring and have always been a pleasure to read. I remember being disappointed with first Punisher movie, even upset about hearing they didn't want to use his emblem with the skull siting it was to comic bookish. The reboot, I enjoyed. It was fun to watch but I never did see War Zone. I've always like Frank Castle as the anti-hero and felt he was always better as a character who plays best as a supporting character, mainly because he kills his enemies. How many enemies does a writer have to create for the character be true to form. I look forward to your next journal.

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That's a truly awesome book - as you wrote, it does indeed have perfect centering and pure WP, I don't recall ever seeing a more beautiful copy :applause:

 

2680029_Full_Obv.jpg

 

Thanks Rune! I feel very blessed and fortunate to be the owner of this bad boy!

 

I am probably the biggest stickler for my books having to be "perfectly" positioned in their CGC holders; God knows how many books I have sent back to CGC to be ReHoldered with "specific" instructions!

 

With that said, my ASM #129 CGC 9.8 WP is actually going back to CGC to be reholdered because although it's pretty close...it is NOT perfectly aligned in its holder (I prefer my Bronze books aligned with the spine right against the left-hand side of the inner mylar and square with the bottom left hand corner and NO TABS inserted.

 

For instance, If you look closely at the bottom of the book, you'll notice that it's positioned on the lip right above the bottomost lip...where it should be placed on. When they position any book on one of the upper lips, they also insert a supporting plastic tab to hold it in place, but this causes uneveness in the holder and sometimes increased pressure that causes the sides of the actual holder to "pop-open" (as what happened to my ASM #129.

 

You can actually tell that my ASM #129 is not completely flush against the bottom lip, which in turn you'll notice along the top of the holder that the book is positioned at an upward angle from left to right across the top of the inner mylar. Once the book is Reholdered correctly...it will even look sharper than it looks now!

 

If CGC gets it right (because even with highly specific instructions they have not gotten it correctly), I will post before and after pics so you can see the slight presentation difference.

 

Thanks again Rune!

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Rune, beautiful book ! Regarding your OCD on the slab positioning, I totally understand. However, from my personal experience, unless there is a major problem, it is best to leave it alone. I have experienced damage from reholdering. Ironically, it once happened on an ASM 129. I sent it back twice, only to see the book incur damage. Even if they center it exactly as instructed, it will often shift during return shipping. Just storing your slabs vertically will eventually see the book slide to the bottom edge. Personally, I like it when they use wedges (tabs). There has to be some play in the inner well, the book has to have a tiny bit of room to slide. If not, there will be stress on the staple area, maybe even causing staple tears. This can happen when the inside of the book moves and the cover does not.

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Although I am happy with my copy, your is truly a specimen to hold in awe. Your journal was truly inspiring and have always been a pleasure to read. I remember being disappointed with first Punisher movie, even upset about hearing they didn't want to use his emblem with the skull siting it was to comic bookish. The reboot, I enjoyed. It was fun to watch but I never did see War Zone. I've always like Frank Castle as the anti-hero and felt he was always better as a character who plays best as a supporting character, mainly because he kills his enemies. How many enemies does a writer have to create for the character be true to form. I look forward to your next journal.

 

Hey Tnerb! You're the man! Likewise, I have enjoyed reading your journals throughout the years as well.

 

It's getting late, but I am going to read your most recent journal post when I get the chance.

 

You brought up an interesting opinion regarding the Punisher being better suited as a "supporting" character rather than "the" main character. I think Daredevil on Netflix is going to get it right! Then, after the success of DD Season 2, it would make more sense to merge the Punisher into his own series...of course...if the writing and acting are both insync and superbly executed! This is all to find out...I am counting down the days!

 

You own a pretty awesome CGC SS 9.6 copy of ASM #129! I used to be a HUGE SS 9.8 or higher collector, but after I liquidated all of my books in 2013...once I started collecting again in February of 2015...I became a "true blue" collector! If I get a SS copy...it will be an "extra" copy or a lower grade copy (if it's an expensive Bronze or Silver Key). That's just my personal preference, and from having sold hundreds of books throughout the past 4 years on eBay and through various auction houses, I've relaized that there is a smaller overall collector market for SS books.

 

I know one day I will most likely sell-off my collection again, but this time around I am being strategic so I can maximize my return on investment...and I say that from a collector's heart as I truly LOVE and enjoy collecting Key Comic Books with a passion! However, I have learned that I must think business-minded as well....because when you experience loosing 15K in overall value from having to liquidate your collection...it changes you...makes you rethink how and "when" you buy...what books to purchase...while simultaneously collecting books you really desire and enjoying the process from the hunt to acquisition!

 

I am signing off for tonight my brother, but you keep doing your thing and writing those journals to keep the "passion" in our hobby alive and thriving!

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[...] from my personal experience, unless there is a major problem, it is best to leave it alone. I have experienced damage from reholdering. Ironically, it once happened on an ASM 129. I sent it back twice, only to see the book incur damage. Even if they center it exactly as instructed, it will often shift during return shipping. Just storing your slabs vertically will eventually see the book slide to the bottom edge. Personally, I like it when they use wedges (tabs). There has to be some play in the inner well, the book has to have a tiny bit of room to slide. If not, there will be stress on the staple area, maybe even causing staple tears. This can happen when the inside of the book moves and the cover does not.

 

I'll have to agree with Bomber-Bob, all handling and transport subject the book to damage - for example from vibrations, friction, being dropped :ohnoez: Or even theft :o It's nice to have a book perfectly placed in the holder, but I would value the safety of the book higher than its position within the holder.

 

BTW, I store my books horizontally to reduce any impact of gravity on the edges/corners, and in 2 mill Gerber Mylar (to reduce oxygen influx, and the impact of transient humidity fluctuations - and the Mylar-D absorbs more than 99% of UV radiation), and I do not handle them often - ok, maybe once every 6 months to check if everything is ok :)

 

Oh, well, I think I once started a journal about storing books :blush:

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7020029#Post7020029

 

Best,

 

Rune

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Wow, stunning copy. Reminds me of this one that I am currently tracking on pedigree:

 

http://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=650292

 

Love ASM #129. Never understood how Incredible Hulk #181 has always been higher. I think the Punisher changed comics far more than Wolverine did. I am really looking forward to seeing the Punisher in Daredevil. That Season 2 Part 1 DD trailer made me want more ;)

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Rune, beautiful book ! Regarding your OCD on the slab positioning, I totally understand. However, from my personal experience, unless there is a major problem, it is best to leave it alone. I have experienced damage from reholdering. Ironically, it once happened on an ASM 129. I sent it back twice, only to see the book incur damage. Even if they center it exactly as instructed, it will often shift during return shipping. Just storing your slabs vertically will eventually see the book slide to the bottom edge. Personally, I like it when they use wedges (tabs). There has to be some play in the inner well, the book has to have a tiny bit of room to slide. If not, there will be stress on the staple area, maybe even causing staple tears. This can happen when the inside of the book moves and the cover does not.

 

Hey bomber-bob, Thanks for sharing your personal experiences with sending books in to be ReHoldered. For me, I have had the complete opposite experience. I must have shipped at least "50" CGC books to be ReHoldered and not 1 of them came back damaged. Like I mentioned previously, they are simply "inconsistent" in how precise they center each book.

 

I totally agree with you and Rune that preserving the safety of the book should outweigh feeling the need to have it perfectly positioned in its CGC holder. However, I have always been a "risk" taker (a wiser one these days) and if you look at the books in my Registry, I am not only known for having a keen eye to acquire the most perfectly wrapped, cut and centered examples of Key books, but I'm also known for having my books perfectly centered in their respective CGC holders! I pride myself in the Professor Pecora "brand" and every book that is showcased in my collection will be perfectly displayed, which is something you just don't see often...actually...hardly ever see!

 

With that being said, I still have a few books that were already ReHoldered that will be sent back to be ReHoldered AGAIN in the near future...my ASM #361 CGC 9.8 WP (looks like a 9.9) is one of them; I need this beauty to be "centered" properly...it's too nice of a copy to be displayed crookedly!

 

PS: It may have just been a typo, but the ASM #129 CGC 9.8 WP is my book not Rune's (thumbs u

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Wow, stunning copy. Reminds me of this one that I am currently tracking on pedigree:

 

http://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=650292

 

Love ASM #129. Never understood how Incredible Hulk #181 has always been higher. I think the Punisher changed comics far more than Wolverine did. I am really looking forward to seeing the Punisher in Daredevil. That Season 2 Part 1 DD trailer made me want more ;)

 

Hey Tirade, thanks for sharing the link to that beautiful copy of ASM #129 CGC 9.8 WP! It looks very similar to my copy (as you noted). However, I believe you meant to write that you are tracking the book on "Comic Connect," as Pedigree does not have a tracking system for books in a "live" auction.

 

I have to agree with you on The Punisher having the upper hand on Wolverine in terms of changing comics; for starters, the Punisher predates Wolverine's 1st appearance by nearly a year (9 months) and the 1st "major" or A-List Marvel Anti-Hero (after Ghost Rider) would be The Punisher!

 

The ASM #129 CGC 9.8 WP on Comic Connect is already at "$6,200" with a total of "18 days, 19 hours" left until the auction closes! I wouldn't be surprised if this particular copy fetches near or slightly over 10K! It looks that good...just like my copy!! Nevertheless, it will be interesting to find out, so I am now tracking the book as well!

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That's a truly awesome book - as you wrote, it does indeed have perfect centering and pure WP, I don't recall ever seeing a more beautiful copy :applause:

 

2680029_Full_Obv.jpg

 

 

[...] God knows how many books I have sent back to CGC to be ReHoldered with "specific" instructions!

 

With that said, my ASM #129 CGC 9.8 WP is actually going back to CGC to be reholdered because although it's pretty close...it is NOT perfectly aligned in its holder (I prefer my Bronze books aligned with the spine right against the left-hand side of the inner mylar and square with the bottom left hand corner and NO TABS inserted.

 

 

CGC just announced the new holder:

 

 

"Certified Guaranty Company (CGC®) has announced the release of a brand new state-of-the-art holder that will be used to encapsulate all comic book submissions beginning April 4, 2016.

 

Incorporating the most advanced archival materials, the redesigned, patent-pending holder improves upon CGC’s original holder with a sturdier construction and new crystal-clear display that offers superior optical clarity. Research and development of the second generation holder, which spanned over three years, was orchestrated by Matt Nelson. “Our thorough development process included six months to solve the dilemma of securing the book without the inner well. The creative design solution was a real breakthrough,” said Nelson.

 

Heat seal lines that were previously visible have been eliminated with the removal of the inner well, further enhancing the visual aesthetic of CGC-graded books. Internally, the new holder contains archival Mylar sheets that have been endorsed by the Library of Congress for the preservation of paper. The new design will accommodate books with overhang and other defects previously difficult to encapsulate. Additionally, frosting along the edges has been removed to allow full visibility of the book’s sides. All new holders will lock with previous CGC holders for safety when stacking.

 

The CGC certification label has also undergone a face lift, resulting in a more modern design that better highlights the book’s information. In addition, the top label is now encased inside the holder, eliminating the need for a sticker along the outside of the top edge.

 

“This new holder is a quantum leap forward and redefines the standards for preservation and display,” said CGC Director of Operations, Harshen Patel. “The clarity we achieved showcases comics on a level that will drastically change the way collectors view CGC encapsulation.”

 

I'm not going to send in all my books to get them in new holders :sumo: But interesting to see if books are placed better in the new holders than in the old ones.... hm

 

Some collectors like the old-time and original CGC label better than the current one, I wonder if the current holder will get a similar fan club when the new holder arrives in a week :grin:

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