The Punisher: War Zone #21

Frank Castle storms straight at the viewer on this November 1993 cover, both guns blazing and his signature skull emblem front and center — a raw, kinetic image by Hoang Nguyen that practically dares you to get out of the way. The blood-red background and the bold tagline "Return Fire!" set a fittingly aggressive tone for a story titled "2 Mean 2 Die!" Writer Larry Hama joins Nguyen inside, promising the kind of hard-edged action that made Punisher: War Zone a go-to title for fans who liked their vigilante comics with maximum intensity.