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Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway believes that Disney is unable to regulate bootleg merchandise because it comes from too many different sources.
Frank Castle’s co-creator has a theory for why Marvel hasn’t stopped the sale of illegal Punisher merchandise.
In an appearance on the Endless Thread podcast transcribed by 99% Invisible, host Amory Sivertson spoke with the Punisher’s co-creator Gerry Conway to discuss the prevalence of unlicensed memorabilia featuring the character’s iconic skull logo. Sivertson noted that since a lot of the bootleg merchandise is for non-commercial use, Disney and Marvel may have limited legal options to take. However, Conway had a different perspective, theorizing that the company doesn’t do more about the unlicensed merch because there are more vendors than it has time to address. “The promoters of these are all fly-by-night, you know, Etsy kind of companies,” Conway said. “And it would be like whack-a-mole.”
As is often the case with multi-media intellectual properties, Frank Castle/the Punisher’s enduring popularity has led to the creation of bootleg merchandise. However, unlike his peers, the Punisher’s memorabilia often has political associations. Select police officers and military veterans have used the skull to signify their alignment with what they believe to be the character’s mission statement. This association resulted in variations of the Punisher’s logo with an overlaying flag connecting it to causes such as “Blue Lives Matter” and “The Thin Green Line,” which would fall under protection in Sivertson’s theory.
These political ideas were brought into the Marvel canon in 2019’s Punisher #13 by Matthew Rosenberg, Szymon Kudranski, Antonio Fabela and Cory Petit. That issue brought Frank Castle face-to-face with a pair of police officers who looked up to the Punisher and used his logo as a bumper sticker. Upon meeting these men, Frank ripped the logo off of their cruiser, saying, “We’re not the same. You took an oath to uphold the law. You help people. I gave all that up a long time ago. You don’t do what I do. Nobody does.”
Like Frank, Conway has been vocal about his stance on the political associations attached to the Punisher. In 2020, Conway created a fundraiser called “Skulls for Justice,” which repurposes the vigilante’s skull into several different logos associated with causes such as racial justice, gender equality and support for the trans community. Similarly, Garth Ennis, known for writing the acclaimed PunisherMAX series, condemned those who wore Punisher emblems during the 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol building. “The people wearing the logo in this context are kidding themselves,” Ennis said.
Moving forward, Marvel Comics will be changing Frank Castle’s iconic skull in the upcoming Punisher series by Jason Aaron, Jesús Saiz and Paul Azaceta. The book sees Frank join the Hand as he attempts to use their power to fight crime. The decision to have Frank ditch his classic logo caused controversy from many fans, who felt that the direction was merely a way to sidestep the issues that have become synonymous with the skull.
Source: Endless Thread, via 99% Invisible
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