The Punisher #1 (1986) · 1986
Caught in the crossfire.
Mike Zeck and Phil Zimelman surround Frank Castle with muzzle flashes in the first Punisher limited series. Follow the gunfight composition through later heroes, parodies and tribute covers.
The origin pointThe Punisher #1 (1986) · Mike Zeck (drawing); Phil Zimelman (painted finish)
The original cover
The Punisher #1 (1986)
Mike Zeck and Phil Zimelman surround Frank Castle with muzzle flashes in the first Punisher limited series. Follow the gunfight composition through later heroes, parodies and tribute covers.
This catalog follows the original cover’s composition across published comics and announced editions. Trade dress, virgin, foil and sketch treatments are described in edition notes. Connecting sets identify their participating issues and panels.
Verified records have source support for the exact cover and target. Partial records retain attribution or edition gaps. Reprints, interior-scene homages, different targets and unresolved references are listed separately below.
Cover dated January 1986; released October 8, 1985. The cover announces a four-issue limited series, which was extended to five issues. The clean 1200 × 1800 digital reproduction comes from Disney and retains the original cover design and full artwork.
The Punisher #1 (1986) collection
Browse the lineage
- Homage entries
- 11
- Verified
- 11
- Qualified
- 0
Search by title, artist, publisher, character or edition. Entries may represent an individual panel or a documented connecting set; the count is not a count of unique complete panoramas.
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Research & releases · Reviewed October 19, 2026
New editions and open questions
Reviewed October 19, 2026: no future-dated homage to the exact 1986 gunfight cover was independently confirmed. Predator vs. Punisher’s announced Leinil Yu homage references Amazing Spider-Man #129. The 2026 facsimile and neighboring Mega Man X homages were checked separately.
Undisclosed print quantities, ambiguous credits and conflicting edition dates remain identified as unknown. This catalog can grow as publishers, artists and collectors provide new evidence.
Reprints, interior-scene homages and references (4)
- FAME: Eminem #1 (unconfirmed title/edition)
Indexed retailer page remains discoverable with September 2024 shipping claim, but live page 404 and source image unavailable. Secondary sales call the released title Orbit: Eminem#1; exact artwork and edition cannot be independently reconciled. Retained hidden for review; do not count or display a guessed cover. Release-date detail: 2024-09.
Research source ↗ - True Believers: Marvel Knights 20th Anniversary — Punisher by Grant & Zeck #1
Reuses the original Zeck/Zimelman artwork. The supplied PDF lists this reprint separately; it is not a newly drawn homage.
- The Punisher #1 — Canadian and newsstand editions
Distribution editions of the original cover, with differences in price and barcode. They are not new homage artworks.
- The Punisher #1 Facsimile Edition (2026)
Regular and foil editions reuse the original cover art. The separately solicited Carlo Pagulayan variant uses a different composition.
Research source ↗
Research changes and source notes
- CL-PUN86-0001: Cover homage
Printed cover says 01; some databases number this third Sonya one-shot as #3. The cover is signed after Zeck. Cover B credited to Brian and Brendon Fraim. Some databases catalog it as Starring Sonya Devereaux #3 because it is the third one-shot.
- CL-PUN86-0002: Cover homage
Exact cover image reviewed: Peter Parker in the Punisher costume reproduces the Zeck/Zimelman dual-pistol gunfight. Chris Stevens cover art; Rachelle Rosenberg colors per GCD-derived record.
- CL-PUN86-0003: Cover homage
Legends Comics & Games edition; cover signatures credit Adams and Eltaeb. GCD explicitly identifies The Punisher (1986) #1 homage.
- CL-PUN86-0004: Cover homage
Exact Homage Edition cover reviewed. Signed Marat and Dan Feldmeier after Zeck. August 28, 2019 on-sale in GCD. No substantiated print-run claim.
- CL-PUN86-0005: Cover homage
Paper and distressed metal editions share Silverbax artwork. GCD lists February 9, 2022 for both; original spreadsheet/LCG January 26 date differs. January printed cover month is not the on-sale date.
- CL-PUN86-0006: Cover homage
Trade dress and virgin share Rahzzah art. Original gunfight pose and limited-series trade dress reproduced. Native retailer scan 994×1528. Anonymous alien creature at lower left also visible.
- CL-PUN86-0007: Cover homage
Publisher identifies the gunfight artwork as Cover A, UPC 72513033058101011, and June 21, 2023 on-sale; spreadsheet/LCG June 28 date differs. Navasi is the sole figure on this cover. Other cast appear inside, not in this illustration. B&W and virgin share artwork; current publisher also lists metal premium edition.
- CL-PUN86-0008: Cover homage
Trade dress, virgin and color-hold virgin editions share Kirkham art. Trade edition retailer states 3, 000. Virgin 1, 000 was only a resale claim and remains unconfirmed. Exact art signed after Zeck/Zimelman; distinct from Zeck original-art Hidden Gem.
- CL-PUN86-0009: Cover homage
Retailer credits Jimbo Salgado and Alex Sinclair, 200 copies. Exact native 1650×2550 image signed after Mike Zeck; CGC-derived description specifically says Punisher Limited Series #1 homage. Mega Man X#1 and#2 retailer homages use different Zeck compositions and are not additional versions of this drawing.
- CL-PUN86-0010: Cover homage
Image viewed and signature reads after Mike Zeck. Dual pistols, incoming bullet streaks and alley action confirm 1986 #1 target, not 1987 fire escape. Black Saber retailer 1000 and raised blood 100 claims retained. April 15, 2026 issue release; retailer-specific fulfillment date not independently established.
- CL-PUN86-0011: Reference / related edition
Indexed retailer page remains discoverable with September 2024 shipping claim, but live page 404 and source image unavailable. Secondary sales call the released title Orbit: Eminem#1; exact artwork and edition cannot be independently reconciled. Retained hidden for review; do not count or display a guessed cover. Release-date detail: 2024-09.
- CL-PUN86-0012: Cover homage
Native publisher file labels Alternate B, Butler + Monsanto. Cover signed Steven Butler 2022 afterMikeZeck and Monsanto.2022 publication established; precise on-sale date unconfirmed. Print run not announced in sources reviewed. Release-date detail: 2022 (exact on-sale date unconfirmed).
- Mega Man X#1 and#2 TopShelfSalgado/Sinclair: Different original compositions
RetailerlabelsPunisherhomage but exact images are not the#1dual-pistol composition. Relatedseries references retained outside thiscatalog.
- Ordained#1 fourthprint Ito: Different target
Singlefull-lengthstandingfigure; not1986#1gunfight.
- Punisher#1 Facsimile2026CarloPagulayan1:25: Different cover
Image reviewed: kneeling figure holdingrifle, not#1dual-pistolhomage. Reprintedinterioralone does notestablishcoverlineage.
- PredatorvsPunisher#1 LeinilYuNovember2026: Different target
Publisherannouncedhomage targetsPunisherfirstappearance(ASM129), not1986#1.
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