Punisher #3

Part of Marvel Edge's mid-1990s reinvention of Frank Castle, this third issue arrives under a cover by Tom Lyle and Chris Ivy that pulses with raw energy — a muscular, gold-skinned figure screams in apparent agony or fury as a blazing axe blade erupts in a burst of light, with the shadowy skull-logo silhouette of the Punisher looming large in the background. The title "Hatchet Job" promises something visceral, and the cover composition — radiating lines, molten colors, weapons scattered at the figure's feet — delivers on that promise before you even crack the spine. John Ostrander's script, brought to life by Lyle's dynamic linework, looks to be a worthy chapter in this grittier era for Marvel's one-man war on crime.