Avengers #12

Iron Man dominates this striking 2011 cover, armored fist raised skyward as the Infinity Gauntlet blazes with blinding cosmic energy above a cityscape reduced to rubble. The combination of John Romita Jr.'s dynamic pencils and Klaus Janson's inks gives the image real weight — that eruption of multicolored light radiating outward feels genuinely awe-inspiring. With Brian Michael Bendis writing and Dean White's vivid colors amplifying every beam and shadow, this is one of those covers that stops you cold in the rack.