Elephantmen #12

The bluntly titled "Shock & Gore!" banner sets the tone for this 2008 Image Comics entry in the Elephantmen series, subtitled Tales from Mystery City & the World of Hip Flask. The cover, by Ladrönn, presents two armored figures crouched amid a sprawling mass of skulls, bones, and visceral debris — a haunting scene rendered with extraordinary detail that immediately signals this series isn't pulling any punches. With Starkings, Steen, Roshell, Conkling, and Ladrönn credited, this is a strong showcase of the dark, unflinching storytelling that made Elephantmen one of Image's more compelling mature-readers titles of its era.