Punisher #58

Part four of "Valley Forge, Valley Forge" arrives with one of the most quietly haunting covers of 2008: Frank Castle stands with his back to us, guns in hand, while an enormous winged shadow looms behind him against a stormy, smoke-colored sky — a striking visual that speaks volumes about the weight this character carries. Tim Bradstreet's painted cover art renders Castle's leather-clad figure with grim solemnity, the contrast between the man and his monstrous shadow giving the image a near-mythic quality. Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov's MAX-era run has consistently pushed the character into darker, more grounded territory, and this issue looks to be no exception.