The Punisher #1 (1987) · 1987
Castle on the fire escape.
Klaus Janson frames the Punisher above the street in a tense fire-escape scene. Explore the covers that revisit the launch of his first ongoing series.
The origin pointThe Punisher #1 (1987) · Klaus Janson
The original cover
The Punisher #1 (1987)
Klaus Janson frames the Punisher above the street in a tense fire-escape scene. Explore the covers that revisit the launch of his first ongoing series.
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 July 1987. GCD and the supplied PDF list April 7, 1987 on-sale date; Marvel uses the July cover month. Janson pencils, inks and colors. Clean 1821×2800 publisher digital reproduction chosen with bright whites and no external background; price box has digital edition numbering and differs from the original direct print dress. Frank Castle descends a purple fire escape with a rocket launcher; alarmed armed figures fill the open window. The diagonal pose, city lights, window and unlimited-series banner define this lineage. This is Klaus Janson’s ongoing-series launch, distinct from Mike Zeck’s 1986 limited-series cover.
The Punisher #1 (1987) collection
Browse the lineage
- Homage entries
- 5
- Verified
- 4
- Qualified
- 1
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
As of October 19, 2026, no future-dated homage specifically targeting Klaus Janson’s The Punisher #1 (1987) was verified. The publisher-confirmed Jesse Marks Kickstarter cover is classified as a past edition with publication date unconfirmed. Upcoming Predator vs. Punisher #1 Leinil Francis Yu variant homages Amazing Spider-Man #129 and is excluded from this lineage.
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 (1)
- The Punisher #1 (1987), direct and newsstand editions
Original artwork and distribution editions of original target, not newly drawn homages. Both appear in supplied PDF; original displayed once as anchor.
Research source ↗
Research changes and source notes
- CL-PUN87-0001: Cover homage
Regular Hood composition; distinct from the Norman Osborn variant. Barcode on supplied print thumbnail is 00411. Publisher digital image lacks the bottom barcode and price, preserving the full illustrated composition. No incentive ratio asserted. Interior artist Jerome Opeña and colorist Dan Brown are not the cover artists.
- CL-PUN87-0002: Cover homage
The earlier subject field named only Osborn; Frank Castle is the foreground figure. Distinct window artwork warrants a separate variant record. Full-cover thumbnail carries barcode 00411 despite variant designation; artwork identity, not barcode alone, distinguishes the covers.
- CL-PUN87-0003: Cover homage
Chicken Devils is the cover title; indicia title is Chicken Devil Volume 2. October 12, 2022 is the issue release date; a separate exclusive fulfillment date is not publicly confirmed. Print run, ratio and artist social account remain unconfirmed. Exact native cover is 600×924; white rectangle at lower left is part of the supplied edition cover, not outside-image padding.
- CL-PUN87-0004: Cover homage
JUL231051; UPC 72355236063600231; October 4, 2023. Cover C is a regular solicited variant, with no incentive ratio advertised. The supplied publisher/retailer solicitation art incorrectly reads ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER; catalog identity is #2, confirmed by publisher product, UPC and retailer listings. This artwork discrepancy is retained rather than silently changing the comic identity.
- CL-PUN87-0005: Cover homage
Newly discovered publisher-confirmed past Kickstarter exclusive. Publication year and exact fulfillment date not established; artwork signature 2024 is not treated as a release date. The publisher’s regular #2 product was created April 2, 2025, which does not establish this variant’s publication date. Native publisher file 2100×3225; no external margin. Printed cover month MAR and price $30.00 are not used to infer an exact date or print run. Release-date detail: Not publicly confirmed — art signed 2024; documented as a past Kickstarter exclusive by October 19, 2026.
- The Punisher #1 (1987), direct and newsstand editions: Not added
Original artwork and distribution editions of original target, not newly drawn homages. Both appear in supplied PDF; original displayed once as anchor.
- Predator vs. Punisher #1 Leinil Francis Yu homage variant (November 2026): Not added
Upcoming but targets Amazing Spider-Man #129, not the 1987 Janson cover. Not included in this lineage. Retailer currently schedules November 11, 2026.
- Punisher #1 (1986 Mike Zeck) homages: Not added
Separate target and catalog; must not conflate Zeck’s limited-series rooftop painting with Janson’s 1987 fire-escape composition.
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