Avengers #9

Thor dominates this 1997 cover of The Avengers #9, surging forward with Mjolnir raised and lightning crackling behind him in a burst of raw, stormy energy. Behind the Asgardian thunder god stand Iron Man and Captain America, while a crouching feline figure holds her ground in the foreground, rounding out a team that looks ready for anything the title "Shadowbox" might imply. Cover pencils by Michael Ryan and inks by John Tighe give the whole composition a bold, kinetic charge that captures Walt Simonson's run on "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" at full momentum.