The Punisher #20

Part one of "Brotherhood" opens under the Marvel Knights banner with a striking Tim Bradstreet cover: Frank Castle stands arms outstretched against a blood-red background, a pistol in each hand, his skull emblem blazing across his chest. The composition is deliberate and imposing — three skull logos and two handguns frame Castle's figure, reinforcing the cold, methodical weight Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon have brought to this run. If the image is any measure, this three-part arc is shaping up to be another unflinching chapter in one of 2003's most compelling crime comics.