Avengers #30

George Pérez's cover for this 2000 conclusion to the Kulan Gath arc is genuinely striking — a winged, sword-wielding figure swoops down from above while another winged figure plummets helplessly through a crackling chasm, surrounded by the ghostly, horrified faces of what appear to be trapped or imperiled souls. The sense of scale and dread Pérez conjures here is a reminder of why his work on this series earned so much admiration. Kurt Busiek and Pérez bring their "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" run to a dramatic chapter's close with this issue, and the roster portraits in the corner box — featuring She-Hulk, Iron Man, and others — hint at just how expansive this team has become by 2000.