Punisher Max Annual #1

Looming against a glittering nighttime cityscape, Frank Castle dominates this cover with his skull emblem front and center, a massive gun barrel pointed directly at the viewer while silhouetted figures scatter in the blood-red foreground below him. It's a striking composition from Laurence Campbell and colorist Lee Loughridge that perfectly captures the cold, deliberate menace of Marvel's MAX imprint take on the Punisher. Writer Mike Benson brings his story "The Hunted" to this 2007 annual, and with Campbell handling both pencils and inks, the whole package has a gritty, unified visual weight that fans of the MAX line will find very satisfying.