Set Description:
Limited Series 1986
Marvel Comics: Jan 1986 - May 1986
Hello fellow Punisher fans!!! Thank you for stopping by and checking out my Punisher Limited Series registry set. The below narrative will not only cover my acquisition and love of this mini series but also how it influenced me to become a comic collector of not only The Punisher but other titles as well. This is probably going to be too long of a story for most people’s liking but I can’t talk about The Punisher and not explain my journey into the world of comics. If you choose to partake in what I have to say, thank you for taking the time to do so. If not, I have posted a TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) blurb at the bottom. Now let the show begin!
It was a Saturday, early February of 1986, I remember this day quite clearly. My aunt and I headed down to the local convenience store in Lynn, MA. While I was there I was perusing the comic/magazine rack and there is was, Punisher Limited Series #2. The cover was absolutely amazing, it didn’t look like most comics that I had seen, not by a long shot. A beautifully airbrushed depiction of The Punisher about to ambush some bad guys with his UZI 9mm. I was completely taken back cause other than GI Joe I had not seen realistic artwork of modern firearms in comics. At the time I wouldn’t classify myself as a collector. Just like most adolescents when the opportunity presented itself I would grab what looked interesting from the rack. Well this book peeked my interest for sure. I take the book off the shelf and skim throught the pages. “Wow! This art is just as good as the cover!”, “Who is The Punisher?” Were the thoughts racing through my mind. I ran over to my aunt and asked if she would purchase it for me and she obliged.
 I remember that afternoon when I took the book home and read the story. Right from the get go old Frank sends a 40mm high explosive round into the Kingpins balcony window and is met with a booby trap. Next, a slew of mob bosses get taken out then Frank’s ambush is foiled by a hitman who he then battles on the subway with a grizzly end. This story was cemented in my mind and a Punisher fan was born. I didn’t know anything about this character or the series that I was reading. I knew that I wanted to be a regular comic reader but that cost money. So I went to my parents and asked if I could get an allowance. I had awesome parents and they knew I was into comics so I had daily and weekly chores for a small fee. Now the only problem was I couldn’t just stroll down to the store by myself (Lynn, MA was not the safest place to live) and the local comic store was a 15 minute drive so as an 8 year old I would just have to wait it out till someone was able to take me there. In the mean time months had passed and I was not able to pick up the rest of the series but I continually read issue #2 wondering what happened to Frank and the other characters in the book.
The following year in 1987 my parents decided to move to a new town about 20 minutes away to be closer to my grandmother. I wasn’t too happy with leaving my neighborhood and friends behind but little did I know that this move would be my “gateway” into the comic world. Because this was a nicer area I was allowed to be out and about on my own. During one of my days of exploration I stumbled into one of the two comic shops in town. I still remember that smell of old paper and all the back issues sitting in long boxes. I have to say that this place was far from neat and orderly. If you were looking for something you needed you had to look through every box. Regardless, I had a blast “bin diving” seeing what I could find. Every once in a while I would come across an issue that I found interesting but never anything Punisher related. This was 1987/88 time frame, Frank was on fire then. Nevertheless I would keep searching and picking up new releases when they hit the rack. My “collection” was pretty scarce but it was coming together and I was having a a good ol’ time.
Eventually I realized that as much fun as this store was I’ve pretty much seen everything it had to offer (which wasn’t much). There was another shop in town (Comically Speaking in Reading, MA) and decided to head there. This place was a real comic shop; everything was organized, long boxes were labeled and in alphabetical order, comics were up on the walls, etc. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I knew for sure I was going to find Punisher books here! I did find Punisher books even the ones I was missing from the mini series but they weren’t in a quarter bin they were way up on the wall, priced accordingly, and out of my budget. At the time I think he was asking $40 for issue #1 and $20 each for the other four, I was crushed. To a kid that was a lot of money and this was the late 80’s, $120 might as well have been a million.
 Right now you might be asking yourself why I would need to repurchase issue #2 since I already owned a copy. I entered the comic world alone with the exception of a few comics my dad had given me from when he was a kid (Our Army at War) no one from my family was into comics and neither were my friends. I was completely ignorant in regards to first appearances, origin stories, key issues, pricing and most of all maintenance (bags and boards). I loved that book so much that for a solid year I took it everywhere with me. Looking back now I cringe thinking about my younger self folding it in half and throwing it in my back pocket or stuffing it in my school back pack to read at lunch. It wasn’t just this book that got the same love and affection, all my books did. I was just always under the assumption that #1’s were the “keys” and everything was chaff. It wasn’t until I started frequenting a real shop that I started to get schooled in the ways of comic collecting. Almost every dime I earned or received went into the hobby. I had to learn very young how to budget and how to prioritize based on projected release dates. As we all know maintaining comics in good condition needs to be factored in, bags and boards cost money. In order to save a couple of bucks I committed the cardinal sin of putting two books in one bag (front/back). Not the greatest solution but the best one I could come up with. My older, beat up issues went in a shoe box. I actually hated to do this but due to their condition there was no viable reason based on the financial circumstances that they needed to be preserved.
I don’t remember exactly when this occurred but around fall of 1988 I was on another one of my bi-weekly visits. By this time the back issue copies of the Limited Series up on the wall had long been sold and I’m still wondering how the story concluded. While in the shop I stumbled across the Circle of Blood Trade Paperback. “Circle of Blood? What’s this?” I pick up the book and start skimming through it and initially I’m thinking its a new story line. I didn’t know the series was referred to as “Circle of Blood” and I had only read issue #2. I didn’t know jack about the interiors for the other 4 issues. Then I come across the all too familiar images that were burned into my brain. “Wait a second! Is this the complete story!?” As I’m excitedly going through the pages I realize that I’m about to FINALLY know what happens. It’s too bad that I didn’t own the individual issues but to me this was the next best thing. Fortunately my birthday had just passed and with my allowance I had plenty of money to purchase the book and the ability to pick up my regular issues (The ‘Nam and The Punisher).
Completely stoked I hurry home to immerse myself in the world of The Punisher. The whole time I was envisioning how the story was going to play out and wondering if my expectations will be met. The anticipation was killing me, it had been two long years and the day had finally come. I get to my house, head up to my room, close the door and begin reading. When the story concluded I felt so relieved for a couple of reasons, it was everything I thought it was going to be and that all the questions I had from issue #2 were answered. The action sequences were amazing and the twist at the end in regards to “The Trust” was so cool. I knew from issue #2 that they were shady but I didn’t think it was going to be on that level.  I thought the artwork was amazing up until issue #5. I noticed the drastic change and was wondering if the artist was rushed. It didn’t seem as “complete” or as detailed as the previous issues. Decades later I would learn that the original artist Mike Zeck did leave the project after issue #4 and was replaced by Mike Vosburg. What I have gathered from a very reliable source (comixion) Vosburg was only given a week to pencil issue #5, that explains everything but is completely insane to me. I guess with the popularity of the series Marvel sacrificed quality for profit. To be honest this did not affect my love and admiration for this story, it still remains my favorite series of the Copper Age. Regardless of all the behind the scenes drama I think it was incredibly well done and a phenomenal way to introduce The Punisher into the mainstream with his own solo title.
I acquired most of my childhood collection from 1988-1993. At that point comics kind of fell off my priority list as “teenage activities” took up more and more of my time and cash flow. Even through all this I never lost the love for comics. I would still make a quick stop at any local comic shop during my travels and look through their back issues, sometimes making a purchase. At this point the comic crash had came and went and in the wake of this a lot of Copper and early Modern Age books took massive hits in value. I do thank my lucky stars that I didn’t have the money to buy my “grails” during the late 80’s/early 90’s. In the summer of 2005 during trip back home on leave from the military I decided to make a trip to a comic shop in one of the neighboring towns (Web Head Comics, Wakefield, MA). I walk in the door and head on over to the “P” section and start flipping through. That’s when I come across Punisher Limited Series issue #1. “Looks like you’re not a wall book anymore.”, I said to myself. I pull the book out of the box and right behind it is issue #2 then #3, #4, and #5!!! “There is a whole set here!” I check the prices on the bags and to my surprise it came to a whopping total of $20! I had to laugh because 15 years prior that was the price of just one issue. Feeling really good about myself in the fact that I now have the individual issues of the greatest mini series ever conceived I collect up the books and head to the check out counter. During that quick walk I was wondering if maybe the shop made a mistake and they will change the price at the counter. At this point in my life I had plenty of money and a good job. I’d been waiting a long time to own these books and it’s time to execute. I paid for my books, as priced, and made my way as quickly as I could hoping the owner wouldn’t change his mind at the last second, hahaha. I felt like I got such an awesome deal, it was a great day.
In 2011 I made a decision to get back into comics. I started with completing runs that I was unable to do years earlier. After the first initial purchase of some Dark Horse books I immediately started hunting down The Punisher. Within a few short years I had amassed a fairly respectable collection to include his appearances in Amazing Spider-man. In 2015 I decided to purchase this limited series in 9.8. At the time the books were not very expensive and I was able to obtain a direct edition set in just a few short months. I had always wanted to own a Signature Series set but it wasn’t something that I felt compelled to do at least for the next five years. In a way I regret this because I remember missing out on some really cool books especially ones with Zeck remarks, Zeck sigs are cool but when he throws that head sketch on the cover its an absolute game changer for me. I enjoy how he switches the direction Frank’s head is facing on some of the covers. It gives the illusion that each sketch is unique. Also the cost per issue now, especially issue #1, has increased dramatically. I remember when this book was under $300 in 9.8, my how times have changed.
Around late summer early fall of 2020 I had managed to get ahold of two raw sets of the limited series; one was newsstand and the other was Canadian Price Variants (CPV). As I was taking a group photo of my raw copies I was thinking to myself that maybe I should attempt to collect several sets in 9.8; one direct, one newsstand, one Signature Series and the last CPV’s. Two months later I received a PM from a fellow board member asking if I was interested in issues #2 and #4 9.8 CPV, I replied that I was and we made a deal. After this I made a WTB thread and Punisher Limited Series CPV’s in 9.8 were on there. A month later another board member had issue #5 up for grabs, I purchased that one as well. In the mean time I had picked up a beautiful double signature issue #5 and the collection started coming together. On 18 February 2024 I managed to purchase the last book; Punisher Limited Series #3 Canadian Price variant. The purchase of this book marks the completion of my above collecting goal.
The most “dramatic” purchase throughout this whole process was issue #1 CPV. It’s 23 March 2023 and I am once again searching eBay and I see a 9.8 Newsstand copy up for sale. I take a look at the photos and it’s a beautiful book. As I look closer at the price box I notice that it’s priced at $1.50 not $1.25. I know for a fact this is a CPV its just not annotated in the pedigree portion of the label (happens all the time). I double check my information with My Comic Shop and confirm it’s a CPV. I see the book is up for auction and it doesn’t have any bids as of yet. I send a message to the seller asking if he would sell the book for a “buy it now” price. He accepts my offer and changes the listing. In the time it took for him to change the listing, message the change confirmation, and for me to click the link the book is already sold, we are talking maybe 30 seconds. I couldn’t believe this just happened!!! I was upset to say the least. That night I was talking to my wife and she said, “Things happen for a reason.” Post phone call with the wife I messaged the seller and asked if he would be willing to pass my email along to the buyer and inform them that I would like to make an offer on the book. The seller responds that he in fact is not the owner and that the book was a consignment. He also stated that the owner was confused about the buy it now offer and didn’t agree with the price. So the seller canceled the sale and refunded the money to the original buyer. I was feeling hopeful that they were going to re-list the book and I would have another chance. Fast forward few weeks and I have not seen this book re-emerge. I message the seller and come to find out they still have the book and would be willing to pass my email along to the owner. I went to bed that night quite excited with the hopes of obtaining this absolute gem. The next morning I wake up to a message from the owner stating that they are open to offers. I send them my offer and THEY ACCEPTED!!!! I find it crazy how things pan out sometimes. Situations like this remind me to not fret over a missed opportunity. I find that normally things have a way working out.
All art by Mike Zeck and Dave Zimelman
  
 
Punisher Limited Series 1-5; Canadian Price Variants
  
Zeck remarks (looking for a #5)
”Si vis pacem, para bellum” - “If you want peace, prepare for war”
TL;DR: The purchase of Punisher Limited Series issue #2 got me into comic collecting. |