The Punisher War Journal #2

Name: The Punisher War Journal #2
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Dec 1988 · Marvel · 1.50 USD; 2.00 CAD; 0.50 GBP

📊 ~87,966 copies sold its debut month

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“An Eye for an Eye Chapter Two: Tie a Yellow Ribbon”

★ 1st appearance — Jason Hunt

About this Issue

Punisher War Journal #2 is the second chapter of the inaugural 'Eye for an Eye' story arc that launched the Punisher's first-ever solo spin-off series — making the entire opening arc foundational to Frank Castle's expansion from supporting-character guest into a franchise anchor. The issue marks the first appearance of Jason Hunt, a civilian whose murdered father ties him directly to the same mob-connected killing that created the Punisher, giving the series its thematic anchor of inherited trauma and vigilante ethics. Its guest appearance by Daredevil — who intervenes against Punisher's pursuit of Hector Montoya — established an early template for the moral counterpoint between Castle and Matt Murdock that would define their relationship across decades of Marvel storytelling. The issue also belongs to a rare cluster of early Jim Lee professional pages, produced while Lee was still refining his inking technique, giving it an art-historical dimension well beyond its narrative role.

In "An Eye for an Eye Chapter Two: Tie a Yellow Ribbon," Frank Castle takes a quiet moment in the park, flying a kite—until he’s drawn into a confrontation with Jo, the son of the banker killed on the day Frank’s family died. With Hector Montoya, the man long believed responsible for both tragedies, now released from prison, the past begins to unravel in ways neither man could have foreseen. Written by Carl Potts and illustrated by Potts and Jim Lee, this issue blends haunting personal stakes with the grim realism that defines the Punisher mythos. Cover by Carl Potts and Jim Lee.

writer, artist Carl Potts · artist, inker Jim Lee · colorist Gregory Wright · letterer Jim Novak · cover Carl Potts, Jim Lee

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

CGC 9.8 · 109 in census $37

CGC 9.6 · 50 in census $20*

CGC 9.4 · 20 in census $20*

CGC 9.2 · 12 in census $20*

CGC 9.0 · 9 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 6 in census $20*

Show all 16 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 none in existence

CGC 6.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 none in existence

CGC 4.5 none in existence

CGC 4.0 none in existence

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

This exact issue on ebay

Raw — NM- ▾ $5.99–$7.49 2 listings

NM- $5.99 NM- · Newsstand $7.49

Raw — VERY FINE $4 1 listing Raw — VF $19.99 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $2–$25 6 listings

Raw / ungraded $2 Raw / ungraded $3 Newsstand $6.5 Raw / ungraded $12 Raw / ungraded $12.65 Newsstand $25

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History

The series grew out of the Punisher's runaway popularity in the late 1980s; Marvel, having already used Frank Castle to boost other titles' sales, greenlit a second ongoing Punisher series to meet demand, with Carl Potts — who had previously edited the main Punisher book — stepping across to write and pencil it. For the opening arc, Potts shared penciling duties with Jim Lee, who inked his own work here; Lee has stated that those early War Journal pages were the first time he penciled and inked himself professionally, a process he described as challenging and technically formative, including his first use of a crowquill nib. Editor Don Daley oversaw the issue, with colors by Gregory Wright and lettering by Jim Novak, under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco.

Trivia · 8 facts

Story: 'An Eye For An Eye, Chapter Two: Tie a Yellow Ribbon' — the second installment of the three-part opening arc of the series, cover-dated December 1988, released August 23, 1988.
First appearance of Jason Hunt (Earth-616), a young man whose father was killed in the same mob-connected attack on Frank Castle's family in Central Park.
First appearance of José Accardo (Earth-616), a character who dies in this issue.
Daredevil (Matt Murdock) appears as a guest star, intervening in Punisher's pursuit of Hector Montoya, who has just been released from prison after being held responsible for the Castle family murders.
Creative team: written and penciled by Carl Potts, inked by Jim Lee — one of Lee's earliest professional inking assignments, during which he first used a crowquill nib technique.
Cover art by Carl Potts and Jim Lee; exists in both Direct Edition and Newsstand Edition variants.
Includes a Punisher War Journal Equipment Page by Eliot R. Brown, a recurring feature in the series.
Reprinted in Punisher Magazine #15 and in the 1992 trade paperback Punisher: An Eye For An Eye (collecting War Journal #1–3), and again in the 2016 trade Punisher War Journal by Carl Potts and Jim Lee (collecting #1–19).