The Walking Dead #25

Two riot-gear-clad figures advance toward the viewer, their heavy shields absolutely drenched in blood — a striking image that captures the series' talent for making even signs of order feel deeply unsettling. Charlie Adlard's cover work here is deliberate and arresting, letting the crimson-splattered shields tell a story all on their own. Robert Kirkman's post-apocalyptic saga reaches its 25th issue in 2006, and this image makes a compelling case that the world these survivors navigate keeps finding new and disturbing ways to turn familiar things threatening.