100 Hot Comics #87:
Amazing Spider-Man 129, 1st Punisher

199 Hot Comics: Amazing Spider-Man 129, 1st Punisher. Click to buy a copy from Goldin

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Why Amazing Spider-Man 129 is a Hot Comic

2024 MARKET UPDATE: YOU KNOW THE MARKET IS IN TROUBLE WHEN...

...There are no positive sales of this book all year.

Barely worthy of its place. Something needs to change.

2023 MARKET UPDATE: TARGETING THE NEXT PHASE OF THE MCU

Will the Punisher come to the MCU in the next phase?

Bronze Age books were among the biggest losers in the market correction.

You can buy this book for 2021 prices -- maybe a decent bet.

Otherwise, hold copies that you own.

2022 MARKET UPDATE: YOU'VE BEEN PUNISHED IF YOU DIDN'T ACT

For years, high-grade copies of this book languished, while peers like Incredible Hulk #181 went from strength to strength.

Like so many of the 100 Hot Comics this year, things got a lot more serious. The $30K barrier was well and truly broken in CGC 9.8. One sale exceeded $40K.

Most high grades have at least doubled this year. Where will it all end? Will Frank Castle make his return to the MCU and send this over $50K?

Recent sales:

9.8 $38,400
9.6 $8,990
9.4 $6,900
9.2 $5,500
9.0 $5,000
8.5 $2,850
8.0 $3,380
7.5 $2,760
7.0 $2,185
6.5 $2,310
6.0 $2,035
5.5 $2,025
5.0 $1,900
4.5 $1,615
4.0 $1,650
3.5 $1,350
3.0 $1,560(!)
2.5 $1,075
2.0 $865
1.8 $880
1.0 $720
0.5 $675

2021 MARKET UPDATE: HITMAN GAINS THIS YEAR

While nothing in particular recommends the Punisher this year over any other, there has been a global pandemic... In case you haven't noticed!

Why is this important? The coronavirus has increased comic book prices. With nothing to spend money on and nowhere to go, people have turned to buying collectibles more than ever.

Entry level 0.5 is now $350. That's MAD!

CGC 9.8 appreciated 20 percent this year. Other grades, especially the more affordable 6.0 and lower, have also shown much stronger returns.

This book still feels more like a hold than a buy to me at the moment in CGC 9.8. There is a huge gap between 9.8 and 9.6, so you might consider 9.6 a better value proposition.

Recent sales:

9.8 $14,000
9.6 $5,500
9.4 $3,555
9.2 $2,650
9.0 $2,000
8.5 $2,575(!!)
8.0 $1,650
7.5 $1,700(!)
7.0 $1,300
6.5 $1,200
6.0 $1,000
5.5 $970
5.0 $800
4.5 $785
4.0 $825(!)
3.5 $750
3.0 $750
2.5 $750(really?!)
2.0 $565
1.8 $420
1.0 $400
0.5 $350

IF YOU BOUGHT MY RECOMMENDED GRADE LAST YEAR:

Here's the bottom line.

CGC 9.8 2020 $11,621
LAST SALE $14,000
PERCENT CHANGE +20%

2020 MARKET UPDATE: YOU'VE BEEN PUNISHED IF YOU HELD ON

I advised you last year to get out of Amazing Spider-Man 129 if you were holding it.

Did you listen? I hope so, otherwise you'll feel like you took a bullet from Frank Castle. Most grades have seen falls -- some of them nasty.

If you did NOT sell, then what now?

I probably would be tempted to take what I could get for now. Unless you bought a very long time ago and don't much care. ASM 129 is showing signs of fatigue after a long bull run.

Recent sales:

9.8 $12,000
9.6 $4,101
9.4 $2,640
9.2 $2,010
9.0 $1,690
8.5 $1,395
8.0 $1,030
7.5 $875
7.0 $990(!!!)
6.5 $767
6.0 $802
5.5 $700
5.0 $709
4.5 $500
4.0 $480
3.5 $430
3.0 $490(!!)
2.5 $300
2.0 $474 (OMG)
1.8 $420(!)
1.5 $220
1.0 $304(!!!)
0.5 $195

2019 MARKET UPDATE: TIME TO TAKE YOUR PROFIT

This is probably not the time to be buying ASM #129. I think the market has run out of steam. It still deserves its place in the top 10, but I predict that this time next year it will be lower again.

I would be nervous about dropping big bucks on this issue now. Looking at other grades, it seems to have either leveled off, or maybe even is just trending downwards.

Here are some prices.

CGC 9.8 $14,400
CGC 9.6 $4,607
CGC 9.4 $3,500
CGC 9.2 $2,540
CGC 9.0 $1,999
CGC 7.5 $1,074
CGC 6.0 $850
CGC 4.0 $625

2018 MARKET UPDATE: PUNISHER IS HOT HOT HOT!

It didn't take Netflix to make Punisher a hot character -- but it certainly didn't hurt...

What you want to know is, what has happened to prices? Only CGC 9.8 has really broken out at the top end of the market. 9.6 and 9.4 sales are broadly flat.

9.2 and 9.0 grades have been on the uptick. But this book is a hot seller in any grade, making it richly deserving of its place in the top 3 this year.

CGC 9.8 $11,800
CGC 9.6 $4.250
CGC 9.4 $2,320
CGC 9.2 $2,275
CGC 9.0 $1,450
CGC 7.5 $910
CGC 6.0 $750
CGC 4.0 $500

2017 MARKET UPDATE:

Frank Castle's first appearance has become super-hot, thanks to the Daredevil TV series on Netflix and other Marvel properties being turned into series. He is strongly rumored to be featuring as a supporting character in one or more of them.

Prices have approached new records for many grades.

CGC 9.8: $10,000
CGC 9.4 $2,400
CGC 9.2 $1,900
CGC 9.0 $1,450
CGC 7.5 $800
CGC 6.0 $550
CGC 4.0 $440

Pretty much anything featuring The Punisher is smoking hot property right now. He's expected to cross over into the Marvel TV series Daredevil, Jessica Jones and others.

No book is hotter than his first appearance, of course, though we would also recommend a couple of other books (two out of three didn't quite make the Hot 100 cut this time around):

Amazing Spider-Man #135 (2nd appearance)

Marvel Preview #2 (Punisher origin) on the Hot 100

Giant-Size Spider-Man #4 (Spider-Man vs Punisher, rare in high grade)

There are a lot of copies of ASM #129 around. However, it is seldom offered in CGC 9.8.

Not everybody can afford such an investment, but we suggest that if you can, look for an example with white pages and nice centering, and hang onto it.