Elektra: The Hand #2

The second chapter of this 2004 Marvel miniseries plunges deeper into the shadowy origins of the Hand, and Bill Sienkiewicz's cover sets the tone perfectly — a weathered, intense samurai face fills the frame, sai tips visible at the top of the composition and Japanese kanji flanking the image with quiet authority. The sepia-toned, ink-wash rendering gives the portrait a timeless, almost woodblock-print quality that feels entirely at home in this feudal world. Yoshida, Gossett, and Glapion bring their best to this chapter subtitled "The First Blow," and Sienkiewicz's brooding cover art makes it hard to put down before you've even opened the first page.