Avengers #18

Part of Marvel's 2011 "Shattered Heroes" event, this issue poses a tantalizing question right on the cover: "Who Will Be the New Avengers?" Daniel Acuña's cover depicts a red-gloved hand sifting through candidate dossiers — among the portraits visible are Black Panther, Ghost Rider, Storm, and several other shadowy figures — while a stern-faced figure holds an Avengers-branded coffee mug, suggesting a very deliberate selection process underway. Brian Michael Bendis and Acuña make the roster intrigue feel genuinely weighty, turning a simple tableau of photographs into a compelling puzzle about who will next assemble under Earth's Mightiest Heroes banner.