Punisher: Frank Castle Max #68

Dave Johnson's cover for Punisher: Frank Castle MAX #68 sets a stark, stylized scene: a lone figure bearing Frank Castle's iconic skull emblem stands amid a burning urban landscape, facing down a cluster of suited gunmen — several of whom are already down and bloodied. The bold, angular composition and muted olive-and-orange palette give the image a gritty, almost noir-inflected tension that fits perfectly with the MAX line's mature sensibility. Part three of "Six Hours to Kill," with Duane Swierczynski writing and Michel Lacombe on art, this 2009 issue promises the kind of relentless, hard-edged storytelling that defines Frank Castle at his most uncompromising.