The Walking Dead #88

Charlie Adlard's cover for issue #88 pulls no punches — a desperate survivor drives a blade straight through a walker's skull while another undead figure looms close, a vivid red arc of blood cutting across the otherwise cold, grey composition. It's a striking visual that captures the relentless, up-close brutality that has defined Robert Kirkman's series through 88 issues. Fans of the book will find this 2011 installment delivers exactly the tense, no-breathing-room energy the series does so well.