The first appearance of any major Marvel character is usually the most sought after key book. But what about the second appearance is it worth anything? Further, will the second appearance hold value? Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher has seen a huge runup in his first appearance with The Punisher getting two seasons on Netflix. Now, the hot air is dissipating from the Punisher balloon. With the cancelation of a popular series comes decline; or to put another way "That is the sound of inevitability, Mr. Anderson"(Matrix). Yep, it is no shocker that prices are declining slightly for any Punisher key. Is there a way to collect on this decline? Many folks are attempting to end run around the big keys by buying the second appearance. Amazing Spider-Man #135 might just be the perfect target for punishing profits. Can the second appearance of the Punisher be as return similar results as his first appearance father ASM #129?
The second appearance of a character has started to percolate in the comic collecting world. I touched on this on earlier posts and truly believe this is a smart generational change in investing. Why pay for big keys when you can drive smaller keys higher at less risk; makes sense huh? I have just picked up Amazing Spider-Man #135 for exactly that reason. This comic was created by Gerry Conway (script) with John Romita and Ross Andru (art). The most recent sale of this issue on Comic Link was $3300 back in February of 2019. Further, a check of the CGC Inventory has almost 10,864 copies of ASM #129. Comparatively, Amazing Spider-Man #135 only has (wait for it) 1444 copies outstanding. Considering it is the second appearance this minor key has barely been CGC'd and has a lot of room to run up.
Long-Term Return Trends:
- Grade 9.8 $3400 FMV returns positive +48.1%
- Grade 9.2 $220 FMV returns positive +12.4%
- Grade 7.5 $110 FMV returns positive +2.8%
- Grade 6.5 $85 FMV returns positive +54.2%
- Grade 2.5 $32 FMV returns negative -3%
These returns are good, and you probably feel like checking the back issue bins at your favorite comic shop right now. Whoa, Kemosabe! Let's check the short-term returns on this puppy and see how bad the near term can be or has been.
Art Trivia: Can you tell who these two artists are? The two artists that I believe have had a great deal of influence on Punisher are Mike Zeck and Tim Bradstreet below. Both reimagined Punisher in a way that was both gritty and heroic. Mike Zeck did the limited edition covers and Tim Bradstreet has done over 70 covers on The Punisher and Hellblazer comic books.
Short-Term Return Trends:
- Grade 9.8 $3400 FMV returns positive N/A
- Grade 9.2 $220 FMV returns negative -8.4%
- Grade 7.5 $110 FMV returns negative -24.8%
- Grade 6.5 $85 FMV returns negative -17.6%
- Grade 2.5 $32 FMV returns negative N/A
These short-term results show a marked decline in return for this book over the last 6-months. But is this a bad thing? No, not if you want to buy in now; now is the time to slip into a second appearance of the Punisher in Amazing Spider-Man #135. While the prices are depressed from the horrible cancelation of the Punisher TV show. In the near future, this book will continue to decline. But as this is a long-term 2-5 year purchase that is not relevant. Our goal is to buy and hold cheap, until the next time they create a Punisher movie or series and then unload it into that event. Consider this purchase your reserve weapon like Punisher you are prepared. If the first appearance fails you, the second appearance will not.
