Avengers: The Initiative #13

Steve Uy's cover for Avengers: The Initiative #13 assembles a striking ensemble of young heroes against a rubble-strewn, star-filled sky — a caped figure with glowing headgear, a winged young man with arms outstretched, a fiery female figure blazing overhead, a stocky youth in a hoodie sporting a "B" emblem and red gloves, a skeptical young woman in a tank top, and a hulking armored figure with arms crossed, all surveying what looks like the aftermath of serious destruction. Christos N. Gage's story, titled "Washout," hints at something going very wrong for this generation of Initiative recruits, and the weary, uncertain body language on the cover sells that tension perfectly. With Steve Uy handling every aspect of the cover art solo, there's a cohesive, grounded visual energy that makes this 2008 issue a compelling snapshot of Marvel's hero-training program under pressure.