The Punisher #2

Part of Marvel Knights' gritty 2000 reimagining of Frank Castle, this issue pairs Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon — with a striking Tim Bradstreet cover that splits the composition into two unnerving halves: a massive, decaying skull looms overhead while a cold-eyed Frank Castle crouches below, assault rifle at the ready against a bare brick wall. The contrast between that grotesque presence above and Castle's utterly calm, battle-hardened expression below makes for one of the more quietly menacing cover images of the year. "Badaboom, Badabing" promises the kind of crime-world tension that this creative team handles with real confidence.