Incredible Hulk #51

That extreme close-up of the Hulk's face — all bared teeth, smoldering eyes, and raw, textured fury — makes the cover of this 2003 issue impossible to look away from, with Kaare Andrews's painted rendering giving the Green Goliath an almost sculptural menace. Subtitled "Dark Mind, Dark Hearts Pt. 2," the issue continues a story arc built around shadow and psychological unease, and that glowering face alone communicates volumes about the mood Bruce Jones and Mike Deodato Jr. are working in. It's a striking, unsettling portrait of one of Marvel's most powerful characters at his most primal.