THEZEPHEROUS ARCHIVE

On This Day Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #129. The skull, the belt and the debut.

Frank Castle and the Jackal persona arrive in one issue, with the comic’s on-sale and cover dates kept separate.

The original feature 37 seconds. The story is also available in the slides and text below.

The Feature Film

Amazing Spider-Man #129. The skull, the belt and the debut.

The Punisher’s first appearance turns 53.

Amazing Spider-Man #129 introduced Frank Castle and the Jackal persona in one issue. Written by Gerry Conway, with pencils by Ross Andru and a cover by Gil Kane and John Romita Sr., it became a landmark Marvel debut.

The Photo Essay

5 slides from the feature.

The story behind the images.

The date distinction matters: comic catalogs place it on sale October 30, 1973. Its printed cover date is February 1974.

One detail to look for in Romita’s original costume design: the skull’s teeth also form the belt buckle.

Seeking for the Archive: an original copy of Amazing Spider-Man #129. The pictured graded copy is a reference, not an Archive holding.

Wanted for the Archive

The original Amazing Spider-Man #129.

An original copy of Amazing Spider-Man #129, preserving the issue that introduced Frank Castle and the Jackal persona.

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