The Punisher #27

Frank Castle is in full combat mode on this December 1989 cover, using a white-uniformed naval officer as a human shield while armed sailors close in around him — all set against the unmistakable silhouette of a submarine. The cover blurb says it all: "The Punisher Takes On the U.S. Navy!", promising the kind of audacious, high-stakes confrontation that made this series a staple of late-'80s Marvel. Cover art by Russ Heath brings a gritty, grounded realism to the standoff that perfectly suits the story's provocative title, "Your Tax Dollar$ At Work.