Frank Castle (The Punisher) has one trait above all others: determination. He is tough, ruthless, and has mad skills with any type of weapon. But the thing that sets Punisher apart from every other costumed vigilante is his drive to find vengeance at all costs, and from a fan perspective, it is glorious. The righteous might of the vigilante directed at pure evil. Recently, the Punisher fan base took a 2 x 4 to the head. Yep, they (Disney) canceled the first Punisher Netflix show. We had the right actor, good storytelling, and enough action to make the thing truly fun and then they pulled the plug. Ever since; I have checked in on the limited series for steep discounts. Has Punisher's limited series from the 80s fallen in value?

The Punisher #3

This book is a good indicator of the entire run or limited series. It is right in the middle, certainly not the high-end comic most review. It is low priority obviously, but does it produce a solid return? Did the change in The Punisher's fortune adjust the returns on this icon of personal justice? The Punisher #3 was created by Steven Grant (writer) and Mike Zeck with Phil Zimmelman (art). This story is fun, gritty and not punishing to read, but instead a pleasure. The returns over the short-term and long-term have been solid as a Punisher firing stance.

The Punisher #3 long-term trends:

10,000 sales max w/ year 2000

  • Grade 9.8 $120 FMV returns positive +6.1%
  • Grade 9.6 $65 FMV returns positive +29.6%
  • Grade 9.2 $34 FMV returns positive +5.3%
  • Grade 8.0 $26 FMV returns positive +70.6%

You would think with these long-term trends the short-term would be really bad with the TV show being canceled and all. Fortunately, Frank Castle has held up his end of the bargain rather well.

The Punisher #3 short-term trends:

Time: 1 month 19 days

  • Grade 9.8 returns positive +74.9%
  • Grade 9,6 returns positive +1.8%

Time: 3 months ago

  • Grade 9.8 returns negative -12.9%
  • Grade 9.6 returns positive +2.9%
  • Grade 8.5 returns negative -3.8%

Time: 6 months ago

  • Grade 9.8 returns negative -25.8%
  • Grade 9.6 returns positive +9.6%
  • Grade 9.2 returns positive +53.9%
  • Grade 9.0 returns negative -30.7%
  • Grade 8.5 returns negative -3.8%

The progression here is pretty obvious. Once this minor key declines from the catalyst of losing a hit TV show late last year; then it recovers. Six months ago there was rumor and many cancellations happening at Netflix; hence, heavy declines in price trend. Give it six months later and the market reasserts itself. Even older Modern Age books like this one are still popular and sought after. Driving prices higher and higher for these Punisher beauties even against the pull of a canceled series, impressive.

This little comic persistently outperforms the expectation, and the cover is pretty rocking too. Further, the CGC is above average with very few of The Punisher #3 having actually been slabbed at CGC. The last CGC Census had 671 books outstanding; allowing room for this book to run up, even far into the future. The Punisher limited series is as tough as Frank Castle's Teflon armor, it can even take a .45 caliber to the chest from the loss of a major Netflix show and keep coming.