Tuesday, January 28, 2025

The Punisher is Back, but Only as a Comic Slab Label


Marvel has struggled in regard to Frank Castle, lately, to put it lightly. Better known as The Punisher, his logo has inadvertently become politically fraught. Used (without permission)by far-right groups, some police organizations, and otherwise utilized in ways that complicate a seemingly simple skull, Marvel/Disney doesn't like wading into overly political waters and has therefore had trouble with what's become a bit of a hot potato over the years. One solution was changing the skull a bit and sending Frank Castle to another dimension followed by a brand-new person becoming the Punisher. Everybody hated the new guy and his series was canceled within five issues. Frank Castle remains absent from the, "Main," Marvel Universe/616, however. All of this makes it really odd that CGC announced today a new specialty label featuring The Punisher was now available--skull and all.

When you get your comic graded by CGC and put in a slab you have the option of getting a fun little bit of comic art put at the top of the slab. It costs extra and certain art logos are only available so long. It doesn't usually impact the value of a book at all, but it can be a fun little compliment to the slab itself (e.g. you have a logo of Venom with a, "Venom," comic). CGC's latest press release discusses how this new Punisher label homages his first appearance in, "Amazing Spider-Man," #129 and perfectly compliments all your Punisher-centric books. As they put it, "Frank Castle has been dishing out his own brand of justice since 1974, and he's ready to make a killer impression on your comics. From rooftop shootouts to alleyway showdowns, this label packs as much punch as Punisher’s infamous “War Journal.” Whether you’re a fan of his relentless pursuit of criminals or just love a good skull logo, this label does Frank Castle proud." Does it do Marvel or Disney proud, considering how antsy they've been about Frank's skull lately?

I assume this was cleared by any powers that be, but it is odd that with Marvel doing its best to bury any Punisher stuff this got made. The logo will surely look snazzy on a Punisher comic regardless of any other outside context, but man, there is a lot of outside factors with that skull these days.

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