The Punisher #25

Part of the long-running Marvel Knights run penned by Garth Ennis with art by Tom Mandrake, this 2003 installment carries the subtitle "Vengeance" beneath its stark, shadowy cover. Tim Bradstreet's cover work renders Frank Castle in brooding close-up — scarred, stone-faced, gripping what appears to be a weapon — with a second partially visible figure looming in the darkness behind him. It's a quietly menacing image that captures everything essential about the Punisher's world without needing to say a word.