Punisher #5

Part five of Garth Ennis's gritty "In the Beginning" arc finds Frank Castle in a dim parking garage, pistol raised and expression stone-cold — Tim Bradstreet's cover rendering him in near-silhouette against a backdrop of parked cars and an exit sign, the whole image drenched in shadow and quiet menace. It's exactly the kind of moody, photorealistic cover work that made Marvel's MAX line feel distinct from anything else on shelves in 2004. With Ennis writing and Lewis LaRosa and Tom Palmer handling interior art, this is mature crime storytelling at its most unflinching.