Hitman #21

Tommy Monaghan fills the cover of this December 1997 installment, rendered in an extreme close-up by John McCrea — dark shades obscuring his eyes, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips, and a glass of amber liquid looming in the foreground. It's a perfectly composed portrait of cool, unhurried menace that captures the book's signature tone without firing a single shot. Garth Ennis and Steve Pugh deliver the story inside, titled "Kiss Me," and if the cover is any indication, the mood is anything but romantic.