Watercolors are rarely used in comic book art, but it's hard to understand why when the end result can look as stunning as this cover. Although you could argue that the giant gun doesn't exactly fit with Elektra's ninja background, the assassin has never looked so good and it's all thanks to Sienkiewicz's simple but striking design.
59. Spectacular Spider-Man #101 (John Byrne)
Writer/artist John Byrne is more famous for his iconic work on the X-Men and Fantastic Four, but it's hard to deny how eye-catching this Spider-Man cover is and the artwork certainly deserves to be mentioned alongside some of his best covers. The monochromatic color design initially draws you in, but the unusual pose makes this cover truly memorable. In the wrong hands, this could have looked awkward or uncomfortable, but Byrne pulls it off with ease.
58. Daredevil # 183 (Frank Miller)
Frank Miller has never shied away from violence in his work, but this image of the Punisher pumping bullets point blank into Daredevils stomach is unusually graphic for a mainstream Marvel comic and that's exactly why it's so memorable. The surprise on Daredevils face makes the image even more powerful and while of course our horned hero doesn't actually die at the hands of the Punisher, I can guarantee that fans at the time would have clamored to open the pages and check inside.
57. Uncanny X-Men #168 (Paul Smith)
For many years, Kitty Pryde acted as a teen sidekick to the X-Men and few people took her seriously. As time went on though, Chris Claremont began to develop her character and this cover is an early precursor to the strong independent hero Pryde became later in the series. Without giving away much of the plot, Kitty's expression and body language say all we need to know, drawing the reader in to find out who is casting the spotlight on Pryde and why she is on her own.
56. Moon Knight #23 (Bill Sienkiewicz)
Whether you think Moon Knight is a Batman rip-off or a fascinating character in his own right, you can't deny how awesome he looks on this underrated Sienkiewicz cover. Using only black and white, Sienkiewicz includes a huge amount of detail in this piece and the contrasting use of light and dark combines to create one of the most atmospheric covers on this list.
David is a primary school teacher who tries his best to turn every math lesson into a discussion on the latest Pixar film. Passions include superheroes, zombies and Studio Ghibli. In between going to the cinema, moving to South Korea and eating his body weight in KFC, David writes for a number of movie sites, http://becarefulyourhand.blogspot.co.uk/
