LogFAQs > #877534217

52. Punisher Vol 10 3 (Cloonan Variant) - Snake5555555555
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/a/a2/Punisher_Vol_10_3_Cloonan_Variant.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160701092518

Originality: 4.75
Aesthetic: 4.5
Story: 4.5
Personal: 4.75
Average: 4.62

When it comes to Punisher covers, there have been some gems, such as this amazing cover that Snake introduced me to, which got second place way back when I first did a comic ranking topic:

https://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/6/60/582b5f18b2d44/portrait_incredible.jpg

On the other end of the spectrum, there have been some Punisher covers we’d all like to forget like this one:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61YByElpKTL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

The Punisher cover nominated for this topic is neither a work of art like that first one nor a train wreck like the second, but rather is just okay.

My first impression was this could have just as easily been a Wolverine cover (not that we need any more of those). I get what they're going for, the Punisher is a ruthless hunter like the wolves around him stalking his prey. But unless you take the cover literally and assume this is a story about Frank befriending a pack of wolves, there's not much of a story here. It tells us something about the character that anyone familiar with the Punisher already knows, without placing the character in a unique light.

I'm also not that impressed with the artwork, which has some sloppy details, particularly the face of the wolf to the left of Frank. And the coloring is really dull, although I can't exactly fault the cover for that because it was clearly intentional to make the red blood stand out. Some things that help the cover artistically are a nice amount of detail to the leaves and trees, and a cool use of shadow behind Frank’s fingers on the tree. But that only makes me wonder why more attention wasn't paid to Frank or the wolves instead of minor details.

It's certainly not a bad concept or cover, but it didn't do enough to grab me like that brilliant cover from Rucka’s run.